Michigan School Board Incumbents Win Second Terms
Michigan families with children in public schools keep a board that sets state education policy and hires the state superintendent.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Administration
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Judith Pritchett and Tiffany Tilley won reelection to the Michigan State Board of Education on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2026, with 27% and 26% of the vote while the count was more than 88% complete. Each will serve a second eight-year term, and Democrats keep a 6-2 majority on the eight-member board.
Why it matters
The board hires and oversees the state superintendent, so its membership shapes the direction of the public schools Michigan families rely on for their children's learning. Continuity on the board means the policy priorities set over the past eight years, including science of reading training, carry into the next term.
Pritchett and Tilley each drew roughly a quarter of the vote while the count stood above 88% complete, ahead of Collins and Moeggenberg at 22% apiece. Both incumbents were first elected in 2018 and now begin a second eight-year term.
The players
Judith Pritchett
Former Macomb County school administrator who retired in 2017 and has served on the Michigan State Board of Education since 2018, endorsed by the Michigan Education Association.
Tiffany Tilley
Detroit-raised board member first elected in 2018 from the Washington Township district, endorsed by the Michigan Education Association and known for her science of reading resolution.
Terence Collins
Grosse Pointe school board member who finished third in the statewide board race with 22% of the vote.
Bree Moeggenberg
Mount Pleasant native who finished fourth in the statewide board race with 22% of the vote.
The details
The eight-member State Board of Education is elected statewide and sets policy that guides Michigan's school system, and it hires and oversees the state superintendent who runs the Michigan Department of Education. Pritchett spent more than 25 years in Macomb County schools before retiring in 2017 as chief academic officer of the Macomb Intermediate School District. Tilley's resolution urging science of reading training was adopted by the board in 2025.
Timeline
2017: Pritchett retires as chief academic officer of Macomb Intermediate School District.
2018: Pritchett and Tilley are first elected to the state board.
2025: The board adopts Tilley's resolution urging science of reading training.
Nov. 4, 2026: Pritchett and Tilley win reelection on Election Day.
The Home Front
Michigan's statewide elected school board is a structure that sets education policy for every district, so changes in its membership reach families in every county rather than one community. The reelection keeps the board on the eight-year term schedule established for its members when they first took office in 2018.
If your children attend a Michigan public school, the board's direction affects the curriculum and reading instruction they receive, so it is worth reviewing your district's reading program with your school. Families who want to follow state policy can track board meeting agendas through the Michigan Department of Education.
The takeaway
Statewide school board elections shape the reading and curriculum standards your child experiences in the classroom, so note which board members represent your area. Keeping a copy of your district's reading plan on file helps you follow any changes the board approves over the coming term.
Further reading
For broader context on how state education leadership is organized, see Administration in our education coverage for Michigan.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Michigan Daily.
Live Poll
Should Michigan schools make literacy their top academic priority?
