Dearborn School Board Seeking Applicants For Vacant Seat

DEARBORN, MI — Dearborn Public Schools is seeking applications from residents hoping to fill a partial board term after Trustee Fadwa Hammoud resigned from her position this week.

Hammoud, a 2003 Fordson graduate, has served on the board for more than three years. In January, she was appointed to serve as Michigan Solicitor General and has since decided to resign her board seat to avoid any potential conflict of interest between the two positions.

In her resignation letter to Board President Mary Petlichkoff, Hammoud thanked the Board for its dedication to the community.

“Precisely because my success has been possible due to the help of others, like yourself, I live with the perpetual desire to give back to the great people of our state,” Hammoud wrote. “That desire is at the heart of my lifelong commitment to public service, and I am eager to continue that work, armed with the courage you and the rest of the
Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford College family instilled in me.”

As Solicitor General, Hammoud is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases for the State of Michigan, including those from the Flint water crisis. She previously served as a Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. She was appointed to the Board of Education in July 2015 to fill a vacancy and then elected as trustee in November 2016. When she resigned, she was serving as Board Secretary.

Dearborn Schools Supt. Glenn Maleyko thanked her for her service.

“I want to thank Trustee Hammoud for her dedicated service to the Dearborn community and now to the entire state of Michigan. We are always proud to see the success not only of a community member, but a proud product of Dearborn Public Schools, and we know she will serve the state well,” said Maleyko.

How to apply for the position

The Board has 30 days from Hammoud’s resignation date to appoint a new School Board Trustee.

Anyone living in the Dearborn Public Schools district can apply for the vacant seat. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, March 26. Those interested should hand deliver or send a letter of interest, resume, and three references to the Dearborn Public Schools Administration Building, 18700 Audette, Room 6. All materials must be in the Administration Building by 4:30 p.m. on March 26.

The Board will review all submitted applications, and all of those eligible to serve will be interviewed. The Board will determine an interview schedule based on the number of applications submitted. To serve on the school board a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, and a resident in the district.

The applicant selected will serve on the Board until the next general election in November 2020. Trustees serve as the board for both Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford College.

The Board of Education sets district policy and budget, hires and evaluates the superintendent and college president, approves union contracts and pay scales, and oversees construction and other major building issues. Trustees are not directly involved in day-to-day operations of the schools or college.

Interested applicants can view previous school board meetings on the Dearborn Public Schools YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/dpscommdept.