Detroit mayoral hopefuls say they can no longer stand on sidelines on education

The Detroit mayor's office does not control the operations of K-12 schools in the city, but several mayoral candidates are pushing platforms that vow to improve education and saying it's time for the city and educators to work together.

The Detroit News spoke to six of the highest-polling hopefuls about their proposals for addressing challenges in education in Detroit, in both the Detroit Public Schools Community District and in charter schools, which are public schools but operate independently.

The district is run by an elected school board whose members are chosen by voters in the city. That power was returned to the voters in late 2005 after the state required, for six years, a system in which six board members were chosen by the mayor and one member was selected by the state superintendent.

The district educates about 49,000 students. Charter schools, also known as public school academies, are run by appointed boards at each school or district. They educate about 48,000 students.



https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/13/detroit-mayoral-hopefuls-no-longer-want-stand-sidelines-schools-education/84317067007/