Four seek two Farmington school board seats

Four candidates are competing for two seats on the Farmington Public Schools Board of Education on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Incumbents Cheryl Blau and Ron Recinto face challengers Verna Felder and Santoria Shepherd in the nonpartisan, at-large race. Each seat carries a six-year term, and voters may select up to two candidates. The top two vote-getters win.

The board race shares the ballot with a $171 million bond proposition that would fund school improvements including STEAM and Maker Space programs, safety upgrades, energy conservation and technology infrastructure across the district. Under the ballot language, the total annual debt millage needed to retire all outstanding and proposed bonds is expected to remain at or below 3.20 mills, the rate levied in 2026.

Who's running

Blau, a current board trustee, lives in Farmington and filed on June 30. Recinto, also a sitting trustee, lives in Farmington Hills and filed on June 18.

On the challenger side, Felder lives in Farmington Hills and filed on Feb. 20. Shepherd, also of Farmington Hills, filed Jan. 14, the earliest filing date among the four candidates, according to the Oakland County candidate list.

All four candidates are listed as nonpartisan.

What's at stake

Farmington Public Schools serves Farmington, Farmington Hills and a portion of West Bloomfield Township. The two winners will help shape district policy on curriculum, budgets, school safety and facilities for the next six years.

The bond proposal on the same ballot asks voters whether the district should borrow up to $171 million and issue general obligation bonds for school improvements. The estimated first-year levy would be 0.95 mills, or $0.95 per $1,000 of taxable value, and the estimated average annual millage over the life of the bonds would be 1.32 mills. State law requires bond proceeds be audited and bars their use for salaries or operating expenses.