Interviewer:

What is the biggest problem facing Detroit students that you plan to address or take leadership on if you're elected to the board?

Tawanna Simpson:

I would like to have more involvement from the whole family. I think it's very important that we educate our parents as well as our students. And that's that's very important to me because without parents understanding the process and what's needed, it's sometimes they make it difficult for our teachers and our staff and even some students to do, to be their best. I will start there. First to go into all the parent groups. I'm not sure what the names are anymore. I don't know if they're back to PTA or LSC.

Interviewer:

Right.

Tawanna Simpson:

But I would definitely, make make my way to every parent group. Understand how they function. Make sure that we put a marketing plan together with the district to encourage more parents, fathers, uncles, aunts and grandparents to be involved. Because usually in a family today, if both parents are working. So therefore you have the community to serve. And I think that parents, the aunts, uncles, cousins or, or even neighbors that can support the children should be there for them.

Interviewer:

“When I was a student,” i.e. when you were as a student, you wished that your school had what?

Tawanna Simpson:

More AP classes and more teachers who was more concerned about the student than the administrative of part of their jobs. I think across the board, when I was in high school, you know, it was just advanced math, science, English. Today's time, you know, AI and you know, all the IT things is happening that, you know, you can get certificates in to get jobs without even going to college. So I would definitely those type of things, I would want to make a way for our students to stay current.

Candidates appear in ballot order, alphabetical by last name.

Vote for not more than 4

• Natalie Bien-Aime*

• Steve Bland Jr.

• Michelle Broughton

• Katrina Brown

• Cidney Calloway

• Bobby Christian*

• Nicole Conaway

• Vilma Escamilla Duran

• Daniel Ferguson III*

• Duane Larry Grigsby Jr.

• Bessie L. Harris

• David Harris

• C. Allan Hubbard

• Henrietta Ivey*

• Tabrian C. Joe

• Shinese Johnson

• Theodore Jones

• Georgia Mae Lemmons

• LaMar D. Lemmons

• Clement O. Lett*

• Phil Lloyd II

• Darious Morris*

• Liana Mulholland

• Tyshea Pope

• DaNetta L. Simpson

• Tawanna Simpson

• Jameel Montgomery Smith

• Calesther Smith-Arnold*

• Terry E. Whitfield

• Elizabeth A. Williams

• Theresa Williams*

* Did not participate in the CitizenDetroit candidate video series.

Ijazz Jackson*

Aliya Moore

Shawn Vaughn

* Did not participate in the CitizenDetroit candidate video series.