Wyandotte School Board candidates Ayana King (left) and Jason Young are interviewed March 17 during the Board of Education meeting at 639 Oak St.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – Ayana King, founder and CEO of Maximum Communications, was selected March 17 by the Wyandotte Public Schools Board of Education to fill the vacancy left by Cindy Kinney’s resignation.
King will serve through Dec. 31, when Kinney’s term would have expired.
Kinney resigned Feb. 25 following backlash over a controversial social media posting.
Two candidates, King and Jason Young, who worked in higher education for more than 20 years, were the finalists interviewed out of 17 applications reviewed.
King, a consultant and coach who facilitates workshops and webinars, helps organizations lead and empower diverse, inclusive and innovative teams.
Her strengths also include public speaking, strategic planning and online learning content design.
During her interview, King said the educational issues that she feels are most important are student mental health and safety.
She said she weighs facts and data before forming an opinion on a topic.
King said if she were approached by a community member about an issue, she would encourage them to talk to the teacher and school principal before taking the matter to the school board.
“There needs to be a healthy respect for direct communication for whom you have an issue,” she said. “I do not want to get embroiled in trying to remove people from their jobs or have people unfairly targeted because there is a disagreement, so I think fundamentally my answer is always going to be ‘take it to the source.’”
The next school board meeting, during which King will be sworn in, will be held at 7 p.m. March 24 in the City Council chambers at city hall, 3200 Biddle Ave.
The Wyandotte Board of Education interviews school board candidates Ayana King (fifth from left) and Jason Young (seventh from left) during the March 17 meeting at the school board offices at 639 Oak St.