Southfield Board President Ashanti Bland to Resign Nov. 17; Board to Appoint Replacement

Ashanti Bland, president of the Southfield Public School District Board of Education, told trustees at the Nov. 11 regular meeting that she will resign effective Nov. 17 to begin serving on the Southfield City Council.

Bland outlined a transition timeline: trustees will hold a committee-of-the-whole meeting to plan the appointment process; the district will run an online banner advertisement in the Southfield Sun and on district channels; applications must be submitted via the district portal by 5 p.m. on Nov. 25. Interviews are planned for early December, and the appointed trustee would be sworn in at the board’s Dec. 9 regular meeting to serve until the board’s organizational meeting in January 2026.

Bland described the seat as public service and urged prospective applicants to be prepared for the work and time commitment. She said the vice president will serve as interim president under the board’s bylaws unless the board elects another member to serve until January.

The board did not take a formal vote on the appointment process at the meeting; Bland said the board would post materials and notify trustees by email before Thanksgiving about legal and procedural steps related to the transition.