DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education has selected six candidates to move forward in its search for the district’s next superintendent, narrowing a pool of 23 applicants during a special meeting held April 9.

The candidates — representing a mix of internal leadership, regional administrators and out-of-state experience — were interviewed over three evenings, April 14–16, with sessions beginning at 6 p.m. and open to the public.

Board President Jamal Aljahmi emphasized that no decisions have been made and that the process will remain fair and transparent.

“Our goal is to pick the best candidate possible, and it will be a fair process,” Aljahmi said.

Six candidates reflect mix of local and national experience

The six candidates selected for interviews include:

• Thomas Ahart, former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa
• Mike Esseily, executive director of special populations, Dearborn Public Schools
• Fatme Faraj, executive director of student achievement, Dearborn Public Schools
• Ali Hamka, assistant superintendent of human resources, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
• Moussa Hamka, assistant superintendent of human resources, Grosse Pointe Public Schools
• Tracy Reed, superintendent, Reynoldsburg City Schools, Ohio

Two candidates are internal to Dearborn Public Schools, two come from neighboring districts and two bring out-of-state leadership experience.

Public input built into selection process

Each candidate participated in interviews lasting up to 90 minutes, with two candidates scheduled per evening.

The district has incorporated a public feedback component into the process. Residents attending in person or watching via the district’s YouTube channel were able to submit input through a QR-code-based survey, sharing their impressions, concerns and suggested questions for finalists.

Trustees will review that feedback before selecting finalists.

This approach reflects a broader trend among large school districts to increase transparency and community engagement in superintendent searches, particularly in diverse communities like Dearborn.

Timeline moves toward an early May decision

Following the initial interviews, the board will meet on April 18 to select finalists.

Finalists are scheduled to visit the district on April 22 and 23, where they will tour schools, meet with stakeholder groups and participate in public meet-and-greet sessions. Final interviews will take place the evening of April 23.

The Board of Education is expected to make its final selection on May 4.

The new superintendent will replace Interim Superintendent Lamis Srour at a time when Dearborn Public Schools — one of Michigan’s largest districts — continues to expand enrollment and navigate growing demands tied to infrastructure, student services and multilingual education.

Process adjustments and transparency measures

Board members entered closed session for more than two hours during the April 9 meeting to review applications before selecting interview candidates.

The board also adjusted the original timeline, moving finalist interviews up by one day to streamline the process and allow stakeholders to meet all finalists in a shorter window.

To ensure fairness, the district announced that interview recordings from April 14–16 would be temporarily removed until all candidates had completed their interviews, preventing later candidates from viewing earlier sessions.

All meetings remain open to the public and will be streamed online.

High-stakes decision for the district

The selection of a new superintendent is one of the most consequential decisions facing the district, which serves more than 20,000 students across Dearborn.

Community expectations remain high, particularly around academic performance, equity, infrastructure investment and engagement with Dearborn’s diverse population — including one of the largest Arab American student populations in the country.

As the process moves forward, the coming weeks are expected to draw significant public attention, with community input playing a key role in shaping the board’s final decision.