---
title: "Twelve Candidates Vie for Five Ann Arbor School Board Seats"
url: https://www.hereannarbor.com/2026/10/24/ann-arbor-school-board-race-12-candidates-five-seats/
date: 2026-10-24T06:53:59-04:00
modified: 2026-10-24T06:53:59-04:00
author: "Mateo G. Bello"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Ann Arbor"
attribution: "HERE Ann Arbor"
---

# Twelve Candidates Vie for Five Ann Arbor School Board Seats

> ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Twelve people are on the Nov. 3 ballot for five seats on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board, and city voters can begin casting ballots in person this weekend. Nine candidates are competing for four full four-year terms. Rima Mohammad, seeking a second term, is the lone incumbent in that field.

*Source: [HERE Ann Arbor](https://www.hereannarbor.com/2026/10/24/ann-arbor-school-board-race-12-candidates-five-seats/) — October 24, 2026 by Mateo G. Bello*

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Twelve people are on the Nov. 3 ballot for five seats on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board, and city voters can begin casting ballots in person this weekend.

Nine candidates are competing for four full four-year terms. Rima Mohammad, seeking a second term, is the lone incumbent in that field. The others are Brandon Smith, Carolyn Siebers, Aaron J. Puno, Becca Hogan, Kelley Ellis, Andy Spencer, Lynden Dibble and Jennifer Oldham. Dibble, 19, is the youngest person in the race.

Three more are running for a two-year partial term: Don Wilkerson, who left that seat earlier this year and now wants it back, John Benson and Kevin Hudson, a retired longtime district employee whose final job was class principal at Pioneer High.

District finances, the loss of veteran teachers to neighboring districts, gaps in test scores and the chance of school closings have dominated the campaign. Voters may pick up to four names for the full terms and one for the partial term.

City early voting sites, including the Traverwood, Malletts Creek and Westgate library branches, open Saturday, Oct. 24, for nine days of early voting. The UMMA and Duderstadt Center sites opened Oct. 21.