Thomas Ahart, Mike Esseily, and Moussa Hamka were named finalists to be the next superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools during a special Board of Education meeting on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Thomas Ahart is the former Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. Mike Esseily is currently Executive Director of Special Populations at Dearborn Public Schools. Moussa Hamka is Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at Grosse Pointe Public Schools.
Finalists are scheduled to visit the district on Wednesday, April 22, to see some schools, meet key stakeholders, and learn more about the Dearborn Public Schools community. Community meetings are scheduled for the afternoon of April 22 where the parents, residents and others can hear from the finalist and submit questions to ask.
An informal meet and greet for the candidates will be held on April 22 from 7:20 to 8:45 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. The community meet and greet will be held at the Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette St., Dearborn.
On Thursday, April 23, finalists interviews with the Board of Education will start at 6 p.m. The interviews will be shown live on the district’s YouTube Channel. District stakeholders can also learn more about the finalists by watching their initial interviews on YouTube. All interviews are now available for public viewing.
The Board of Education conducted initial interviews on Tuesday through Thursday, April 14 to 16. The public was able to offer feedback on each interviewee via a brief online form during the candidate interviews and for most of the following day. Hundreds of comments were then available for the Board of Education to review as they considered who to select as finalists at Saturday’s special meeting. A similar form will be available to gather community feedback on the finalists for the position.
After interviewing finalists on April 23, the Board has a special meeting set for May 4 at 6 p.m. to name their pick for the next superintendent. Once a candidate is selected, the board and the person would have to agree on a contract, which the board would approve later.
Former Superintendent Glenn Maleyko announced last fall that he was leaving the district after being hired to be the next State Superintendent in Michigan overseeing the Michigan Department of Education.