Butler, Sherisse- Detroit Public Schools Community District
Are you an incumbent?
No
Brief Intro of Candidate
Sherisse M. Butler is a change-catalyst. Her work with the city’s youth is driven by the values instilled in her by her grandparents. A native Detroiter and DPS graduate—a proud King Crusader, she never forgot how important it is to stop and reach back to the next generation.
In her role as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Detroit, Sherisse brings over two decades of experience. She drives change and impacts the lives of students right here in the city. Under her leadership:
City Year Detroit’s recruitment has grown over 75% and the organization received its first-ever state appropriation under her leadership. The organization has received $6M in public funding over two fiscal years—increasing services to AmeriCorps members and Detroit students.
Her leadership has expanded the reach and impact of workforce and leadership development training to over 100 young adults and CYD has expanded services to 6 new schools under her leadership.
Her expanded emphasis on evidence-based academic training on the science of reading and Mental Health First Aid has shown demonstrable gains in student outcomes. Over 80% of students are showing improvement in Math and ELA. City Year is one of the most impactful organizations in Detroit helping students to get back on track and graduate from high school on time!
Sherisse’s commitment to her hometown Detroit extends far beyond her professional role.
Previously, she served as Senior Director of Government and Community Affairs for Detroit Public Schools Community District where she led the District’s legislative engagement efforts in Lansing.
She has also worked in Community Relations for the Detroit Land Bank Authority where she found a passion for neighborhood revitalization.
She also has expanded her life’s mission to Detroit’s children having served as Youth Pastor at St. Paul AME Church, Board of Directors for Teen HYPE Youth Development and the Detroit Promise Zone Authority.
Before returning to Detroit, she lived in New York City where she started her career in education at Bank Street School for Children and Barnard College, Columbia University. She has been an after-school teacher, basketball coach, diversity, equity and inclusion coach and a residential life director providing leadership in education from early childhood to higher education.
Having received her bachelor’s and master’s Degrees at Columbia University in the City of New York, she decided to move back home in 2015 to be a part of the change that she wanted to see in her hometown. Sherisse believes it is her mission to kick in the doors of opportunity, build a table, and bring in more chairs to accommodate the voices of our young people.
A recipient of numerous awards including the Skillman Foundation’s Visionary Award, Michigan Chronicle’s 2024 Standout Black Nonprofit Leader and Crain’s 40 under 40, Sherisse firmly believes that education gives young people the ability to dream and realize any possibility in life.
Endorsements
No.
Top financials Contributors
Website and social media links
Grassroots supports, family members and small business owners
How would you engage and include parents, caregivers, community members and students in decision-making in your district around things like curriculum, budgeting and district policy?
The voices of our students, parents, educators, administrators and collective bargaining units matter. As a Board of Education, we must engage all stakeholders to inform budget and policy decisions for which board members are responsible. To be inclusive of all voices, the Board should issue a community survey at least twice a year, and host community listening sessions in each feeder pattern. Stakeholder priorities should be included in the larger budget decision making, while ensuring that academic support is central and the District is a responsible steward of dollars. The Board should also educate the community on the allowable uses of state and federal dollars. Many grant or line-item specific funds have restrictions. Similarly, the District should continue to advocate for more flexibility on large buckets of funding such as the at-risk dollars.
What are your thoughts on school discipline and the way it is exercised in your school district? What are your thoughts on restorative practices?
candidate not asked this question
What are your thoughts on how to improve student mental health
As stated of above, we are stronger together. Partnering with CBOs who are engaged in mental health and restorative work enables the teachers to teach and the school administrators to work on climate, culture and attendance.
From a policy perspective, the Board of Education should request a District-wide needs assessment for all students to understand the exposure to trauma and underlying mental health concerns of the student populations. Annually, parents/students can opt-into a baseline assessment of depression and adverse childhood experiences to get a true understanding of the need. This could be done in partnership with the Children's Center or Wayne State School of Social Work. Based on the data, the District's legislative agenda can advocate for specific funding amounts to ensure that all students are receiving a baseline level of SEL support. Additionally, advocating for funding to ensure that every school-based staff member is trained in Mental Health First Aid and Trails is another policy/priority that the board can enact to ensure that educators are equipped to understand mental health.
Finally, the Board can also advocate for a change in the attendance requirements that allow mental health days to be an allowable absences and more flexibility in the penalties for attendance.
What are your thoughts on ways to improve Black student achievement in your district and in Michigan schools overall?
Representation matters. There must be a concentrated effort to recruit and retain educators of color, specifically men of color.
Additionally, we must speak life to our children and affirm their dignity and brilliance. Academic achievement is deeply connected to lack of resources. Our students in high-need schools should receive additional learning supports and smaller class sizes. We must hire certified teachers in content areas who are not strained by large class sizes.
What are your thoughts on how to ensure that all students and their families, regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, religion, income status, etc., feel safe and included in your district?
Reinstitute and office of equity initiatives whose priority is to raise awareness through education; celebrate diversity through cultural awareness; address non-compliance and violation to civil rights matters.
What are your thoughts on how to recruit and retain staff, particularly staff of color, in your district with regard to pay, benefits, and working conditions?
The District should continue to prioritize making teacher salaries at or above neighboring school Districts. While salary increases can be responsibly maintained by our reoccurring dollars, when one-time money allows staff and teachers should receive retention bonuses.
The District must make a commitment to continue to improve the physical of all schools in every neighborhood. Every educator and student deserves a clean safe building.
While there are funding limitations, the District can offer employee physical and financial wellness programs that provide more in depth information on financial literacy, leverage credit, addressing debt and even purchasing a home and saving for retirement. A large scale-program program fueled by partnerships would empower staff to better deploy their salary and maximize take-home pay.