The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education has announced how it will proceed with filling two vacant seats.
Interview dates are set for Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 and Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 starting at 6 p.m. each night. Candidates will have five minute interviews. The board received 39 applications for the two vacant positions. One person already confirmed they do not live in the district and are not eligible to fill a vacancy.
All the interviews will be held in the boardroom at the district’s Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette St., Dearborn. The sessions are open to the public to watch and will be streamed on the district’s YouTube Channel.
The Board of Education has until Sept. 10 to fill the first vacancy.
Trustee Irene Watts resigned from the board on Aug. 11 after she and her family moved out of the district. Then Trustee Hussein Berry resigned on Aug. 18 saying he had planned to step down later, but did not want the board to have to go through the interview process twice.
The remaining five board members have 30 days from a trustee’s recognition to appoint someone to fill that vacancy. Whoever is appointed to the board would serve until November 2026 when the newly elected trustees will take those seats.
Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education members also serve as trustees for Henry Ford College. The Board of Education sets district and college policies and budgets, hires and evaluates both 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 the day-to-day operations of the schools or college.
Trustees are currently looking for a new president for Henry Ford College and discussing the possibility of putting an infrastructure bond for the district on a future ballot. On Aug. 26, 2025, Dearborn Schools Superintendent Glenn Maleyko also was selected to be the next State Superintendent. His departure date has not been set, but the board will likely need to appoint an interim while they search for a new superintendent. Board members are not full-time employees, but do receive an annual pay of $9,940 with the Board President receiving an additional $1,000 a year.
The 38 candidates who said they lived in the district are shown below. All of them listed addresses in Dearborn, although the district also includes a section of Dearborn Heights.
- Habib Abbas
- Fathi Abdelsalam
- Amira Abuhmoud
- Mona Alaouie
- Silva Alawieh
- Ali Abazeed
- Adeeb Albaadanni
- Munir Almuraisy
- Sarah Baydoun
- Ali K. Bazzi
- Noha Beydoun
- Linda Charara
- Joseph Cichon
- Hassan Elhajdiab
- Khodr Farhat
- Donovan Golich
- Ally (Ibithal) Hamie
- Mohamed Ali Hammoud
- Tina Harb
- Steven Hernandez
- James Jouney
- Angela N. Khater
- Samah Khatib
- Ali Khraizat
- Maali Luqman
- Ayham MishMishan
- Abdallah Moughni
- Shama Mounzer
- Joseph Murray
- Wahbeh Nuseibeh
- Manar Saidi
- Albert Ossum Saleh
- Redhwan Saleh
- Ramsey Najim Saymuah
- Fathi Sharif
- Nasri Sobh
- James Thorpe
- Mark Trzeciak
To serve on the Board of Education, a candidate must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and a registered voter within the district. Candidates will also undergo background checks, like all other district employees.