Priority 5 of 5
Transparency, accountability and community voice
Parents and Detroit residents deserve to know what is happening in their school district — before it has already happened.
Bobby will push for district decisions that families can actually follow, for input gathered before major decisions rather than after, and for a board member willing to ask difficult questions when results do not match what was promised.
Most district decisions are technically public and practically invisible. The agenda is posted, the meeting is held, and the people affected read about it afterwards — if at all.
That is not a conspiracy, it is a communication failure, and it is fixable. Publish the decision in language a parent can read. Ask before, not after. Say plainly when a target has been missed.
Bobby’s commitment is to be the board member who asks the uncomfortable question in public, and who explains the answer afterwards to the people who could not be in the room.
The goal: No parent should have to hear about a decision affecting their child’s education after it has already been made.
What that means in practice
- Make district decisions easier for families and residents to understand
- Clear information on major policy, budget, staffing and academic decisions
- Regular communication from district leadership on progress and problems
- Input from parents, educators, students and community before decisions are made
- Ask difficult questions when results do not match expectations
Why it matters to him
He has been on the receiving end of decisions made by people who never met the children the decision landed on. The remedy is not outrage — it is making the room easier to get into, and the decisions easier to follow.
See the workThis is bigger than one seat
Parents who show up are the whole strategy.