Fifteen candidates seek five Grand Rapids school board seats as GRPS faces falling enrollment, low reading scores and a superintendent search

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids voters will find one of the longest lists on their Nov. 3 ballot in the race for the city’s school board, where 15 candidates are running for five four-year seats on the nine-member Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education.

A sixth seat, a partial term ending Dec. 31, 2028, has one name: Erika VanDyke, whom the board appointed in February to replace trustee Arick Davis after he resigned, MLive reported. The race is nonpartisan, and voters may choose up to five of the 15 candidates.

What’s at stake. The new board will help hire the district’s next leader. The board launched a national search in July, and Superintendent Leadriane Roby, hired in 2020, is stepping down when her contract ends in June 2027, according to MLive. The winners also inherit a district that has been shrinking for years. GRPS enrollment has fallen nearly 30% since 2010, leaving its buildings about half full; at least seven schools have closed, and three more are expected to close by 2028, Michigan Public reported. The district enrolled 13,437 students last school year, according to state data cited by MLive.

Results and costs. Only about a fifth of GRPS third graders met the state’s English language arts standard on the M-STEP in the 2024-25 school year, and more than 40% of students were chronically absent, The Grand Rapids Herald reported. Teacher pay and turnover have also been at issue: one teacher and one principal resigned publicly at board meetings at the end of the 2025 school year, citing low pay and a lack of support, and the district says 95% of teaching jobs were filled as of September, according to Michigan Public.

Who’s running. Three incumbents are seeking new terms: board President José Rodriguez and Vice President Aarie Wade, each running for a second term, and Kimberley Williams, seeking a third, MLive reported. Trustees Kymberlie Buczek and Sara Melton are not running again. The other 12 candidates on the ballot are Antoinette Chapman, Tommy Doles, William Hugh Dykstra, Amaad Hardy, Robert Hovenkamp, Carlos Kulas-Dominguez, Lisa Lint, Ismalis Nuñez, Diana Riley, Tino Scott, Josh Sherry and Diana L. Wallace.

A few backgrounds. Doles, 30, is a medical services officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and is an international programs specialist for International Needs US, MLive reported. Lint is a GRPS parent, a payroll accountant for the Kent County Road Commission and a chocolatier who owns her own business. Hardy is a business developer for the city of Grand Rapids and a former policy director at the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP. Hovenkamp, a state education data analyst endorsed by the teachers union, told the Herald the district must talk about its test and attendance numbers openly and should consolidate buildings so the savings go to classrooms. Chapman is a licensed counselor and a Central High School graduate.

Early voting. Grand Rapids opened early in-person voting on Tuesday, Oct. 20, MLive reported, ahead of the statewide early voting period. Registered city voters may use any of four sites: St. Peter and Paul School, 1430 Quarry NW; GRPS University, 1400 Fuller NE; Ottawa Hills High School, 2055 Rosewood SE; and New Hope Baptist Church, 130 Delaware SW, according to the city clerk.

Also on the ballot. Kent County voters also decide a 20-year jail tax increase and renewals for John Ball Zoo and the Public Museum, The Mitten Daily reported Oct. 17.

How to vote. Online and mail registration closed Monday, Oct. 19. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; check with your city or township clerk for early voting sites and hours. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Sources:
Michigan Public, “Meet the candidates for Grand Rapids Public School Board,” Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-20/grand-rapids-public-school-board-candidates-2026
MLive, “Meet the 16 candidates running for Grand Rapids school board,” Oct. 10, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2026/10/meet-the-16-candidates-running-for-grand-rapids-school-board.html
Ballotpedia, “Grand Rapids Public Schools, Michigan, elections” (candidate list cross-check), https://ballotpedia.org/Grand_Rapids_Public_Schools,_Michigan,_elections
The Grand Rapids Herald, “1 in 5 GRPS 3rd Graders Can Read at Grade Level, Data Analyst Candidate Wants to Change That,” Aug. 24, 2026, https://grherald.com/2026/08/24/1-in-5-grps-3rd-graders-can-read-at-grade-level-data-analyst-candidate-wants-to-change-that/
City of Grand Rapids Clerk’s Office, “Early Voting,” https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/departments/clerks-office/elections/early-voting/
MLive, “Grand Rapids early voting starts today: Here’s what to know,” Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2026/10/grand-rapids-early-voting-starts-today-heres-what-to-know.html
The Mitten Daily, Kent County jail, zoo and museum millages, Oct. 17, 2026, https://themittendaily.com/stories/grand-rapids-election-kent-county-jail-zoo-museum-millages-1017.html
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting; sample ballots at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Photo: rossograph, “Central High School-Grand Rapids.jpg,” Oct. 3, 2015, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_High_School-Grand_Rapids.jpg

Grand Rapids · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Grand Rapids · Election 2026 · School Board · Grand Rapids Public Schools · Education · Kent County