From Michigan’s publicly elected State Board of Education to the boards of trustees of three universities, the Nov. 8 election put Democrats even more firmly in charge of education policy in the state.
Two Democrats captured the two seats that the eight-member State Board of Education had on the ballot this year.
And when newly reelected Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer fills a vacancy created by a Democrat member who resigned during the summer, the makeup of the board will be six Democrats and two Republicans.
Board Vice President Pamela Pugh, an outspoken advocate for the liberal educational agenda of equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, was re-elected for another eight-year term.
The other state board seat was won by Democrat Mitchell Robinson, a Michigan State University (MSU) associate music professor.
The Republican candidates, Tami Carlone and Linda Lee Tarver, each mounted aggressive campaigns advocating for parental rights, improved test scores, and a return to the basics in education.
Carlone, a certified public accountant and member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, pledged that if elected, she would stop the “Marxist indoctrination” of students, the teaching of what she calls perverse sexual ideologies, keep boys out of girls’ sports, and stop vaccine and mask mandates for schoolchildren.
Tarver, an African American businesswoman and a former member of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, was a sharp critic of the Detroit Public Schools for openly embracing critical race theory and of the U.S. Justice Department for equating concerned parents with domestic terrorists.
One of the big issues in the campaign arose when State Superintendent of Education Michael Rice came out in defense of teacher training videos that taught that, in certain circumstances, a teacher need not notify parents of issues pertaining to their child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or even if the student was contemplating self-harm.
On election night, unofficial results showed Pugh was the top vote-getter with 25.2 percent. Robinson was second with 24.2 percent. He narrowly defeated Carlone, who finished third, garnering 23.3 percent, followed by Tarver with 22.8 percent.
Two Democrats edged out two Republicans for seats on the MSU Board of Trustees by similarly tight margins.
The MSU board will now be composed of six Democrats and two Republicans—a loss of one seat for the GOP.
Democrats will retain their 6–2 majority on the University of Michigan Board of Regents as both of the two seats up for election were won narrowly by Democrats.
The Wayne State University Board of Governors will also continue to have a 6–2 Democrat majority, as two Democrats beat out their two Republican rivals by small margins.
The powerful teachers’ union, the Michigan Education Association (MEA), was heavily involved in education position campaigns at every level.
The MEA endorsed 330 candidates for local school boards and six candidates for local library boards.
According to Chalkbeat Detroit, parental rights groups, including Moms for Liberty and the Get Kids Back to School PAC, endorsed 121 local school board candidates.
In an email statement to The Epoch Times, Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice said of the election results in Michigan: “Out of the 43 Moms for Liberty endorsed school board candidates in Michigan, 18 won their seats.
“But what is remarkable is that 12 of the 18 candidates that won their races were running for the school board for the first time.”
