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Brandywine Public School District, Michigan, elections

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Brandywine Public School District
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 1,321 (2023-2024)
Schools: 5 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Brandywine Public School District is a school district in Michigan (Berrien and Cass counties). During the 2024 school year, 1,321 students attended one of the district's five schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Brandywine Community Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Brandywine Community Schools, At-large (3 seats)

Ryan Candler, Jeremy M. Colby, Jessica Crouch, Shannon Daniels, and Holly Pomranka ran in the general election for Brandywine Community Schools, At-large on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
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Ryan Candler (Nonpartisan)
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Jeremy M. Colby (Nonpartisan)
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Jessica Crouch (Nonpartisan)
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Shannon Daniels (Nonpartisan)
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Holly Pomranka (Nonpartisan)

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Brandywine Community Schools, At-large

General election

Special general election for Brandywine Community Schools, At-large

John Jarpe ran in the special general election for Brandywine Community Schools, At-large on November 5, 2024.

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John Jarpe (Nonpartisan)

There are no incumbents in this race.

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Michigan are held on the first Tuesday after the First Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Recent or upcoming election dates for all local school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all local school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: July 21, 2026
  • General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

School board members in Michigan are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Michigan are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Michigan Election Law on school board candidate nominating petitions states, "(2)The nominating petition must be substantially in the form prescribed in section 544c, except that the petition must be nonpartisan." It also states, "At any regular election, the names of the several nonpartisan offices to be voted for shall be placed on a separate portion of the ballot containing no party designation in the following order: [...], and in a year in which an election for the office is held, local school district board member, metropolitan district officer, and district library board member."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303 and Section 168.699

Winning an election

The candidate or candidates that receive the most votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.307

Term length and staggering

All school districts other community school districts in Michigan have board member terms of either four or six years depending on the board by-laws. As of 2022, 60% of school districts in Michigan had six-year board member terms, and 40% -- including community school districts -- had four-year board member terms.

Community school districts in Michigan have four-year board member terms. Initial terms for the first board members of newly organized community school districts are two, four, or six years to stagger elections.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.11a and Michigan Statute Section 380.384

For community school districts in Michigan, as close to half of school board members as possible for each district are elected every two years, which means either three or four seats are up for election at each even-year election. At the first board member election after community school districts are first organized, all seven board member seats are elected. Two members are elected to two-year terms, three members are elected to four-year terms, and two members are elected to six-year terms, with higher vote totals dictating longer initial terms. After initial terms, all board members have four-year terms, which results in staggered elections: four seats up in one election and three seats up in the next election.

Michigan statute requires that at least one board member must be elected every two years at each regular even-year election. Specific seat staggering details for school districts other than community school districts are determined at the local level by the district board's bylaws. Most districts with four-year board member terms elect as close to half of board members as possible every two years. Most districts with six-year board member terms elect as close to one-third of board members as possible every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Michigan Statute Section 168.301

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Michigan are elected at large by all voters in the district.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303, Section 168.307, and Section 380.384 (3)

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file affidavits and nomination petitions or candidate filing fees by 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the November election. This means that the school board candidate filing deadline is in late July every even-numbered year.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 168.303


Newly elected school board members in Michigan officially take office on January 1 of the year following the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Michigan Statute Section 380.384 and Section 168.302

 

Recall elections

 
See also: States that allow school board recalls

Recall procedures

State Specific grounds required? Signature requirement Petition circulation time When recalls can start
Michigan No 25% of voters in the jurisdiction in the last gubernatorial election 60 days between collection of first signature and collection of last signature; recall petitions are eligible to collect signatures for 180 days For two-year terms, recalls cannot start until an official has been in office for six months, and they cannot start in the last six months of an officer's term

For four-year terms, recalls cannot start until an official has been in office for one year, and they cannot start in the last year of an officer's term


Recall efforts

2024
See also: Brandywine Public School District recall, Michigan (2024)

An effort to recall four of the six members of the Brandywine Public School District Board of Education in Michigan did not go to a vote in 2024. The recall petitions were rejected in a clarity hearing on June 24, 2025.[1][2]

The recall petitions were filed on June 7, 2024. Elaine McKee, Thomas Payne, Michelanne McCombs, and Angela Seastrom were named in the recall petitions.[3] Seastrom resigned from the board on June 14, 2024, after moving out of state.[1]

At the time the recall began, McKee was serving as president of the board, and Payne was serving as vice president.[2]


About the district

School board

The Brandywine Public School District consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Jessica Crouch2028
Holly Pomranka2028
Shannon Daniels20242028
Jeremy Colby2026
John Jarpe2026
Michelanne McCombs2026
Elaine McKee2026

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Brandywine Public School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Michigan House of Representatives District 37Brad PaquetteRepublican Party 100% 4%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $1,592,000 $1,237 9%
Local: $4,300,000 $3,341 24%
State: $11,854,000 $9,211 67%
Total: $17,746,000 $13,789
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $15,943,000 $12,387
Total Current Expenditures: $14,827,000 $11,520
Instructional Expenditures: $8,626,000 $6,702 54%
Student and Staff Support: $1,639,000 $1,273 10%
Administration: $1,813,000 $1,408 11%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $2,749,000 $2,135 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $663,000 $515
Construction: $363,000 $282
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $71,000 $55
Interest on Debt: $327,000 $254

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[5]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 25 PS <50 <=10 PS 30-39 26
2018-2019 32 <50 <=20 11-19 <50 40-49 33
2017-2018 28 PS <=20 11-19 <50 40-49 29
2016-2017 29 >=50 21-39 20-29 PS 20-29 30
2015-2016 31 PS <=20 11-19 PS 30-39 33
2014-2015 30 PS <=20 20-29 PS 20-29 31
2013-2014 35 >=50 21-39 11-19 PS 40-59 36
2012-2013 34 >=50 <=20 30-39 PS 40-59 34
2011-2012 32 >=50 <=20 11-19 PS 30-39 33
2010-2011 82 >=50 40-59 70-79 PS >=80 83

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 38 PS <50 11-19 PS 40-49 40
2018-2019 42 >=50 <=20 11-19 >=50 40-49 44
2017-2018 29 PS <=20 11-19 <50 30-39 30
2016-2017 38 >=50 21-39 20-29 PS 30-39 40
2015-2016 41 PS 21-39 20-29 PS 40-49 43
2014-2015 40 PS 21-39 20-29 PS 30-39 41
2013-2014 65 >=50 60-79 40-49 PS 40-59 67
2012-2013 60 >=50 40-59 50-59 PS 60-79 60
2011-2012 59 >=50 40-59 30-39 PS 60-69 61
2010-2011 81 >=50 60-79 70-79 PS >=80 82

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 70-74 PS >=50 PS PS >=50 70-74
2018-2019 65-69 PS >=50 PS 65-69
2017-2018 65-69 PS PS >=50 PS 65-69
2016-2017 75-79 PS PS PS PS >=50 75-79
2015-2016 75-79 PS PS PS >=50 75-79
2014-2015 75-79 PS >=50 >=50 PS PS 75-79
2013-2014 70-74 PS PS PS PS PS 70-74
2012-2013 70-74 PS >=50 PS >=50 70-74
2011-2012 70-74 PS PS PS 70-74
2010-2011 80-84 PS PS PS PS PS 80-84

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 1,321 1.3
2022-2023 1,304 1.3
2021-2022 1,287 0.9
2020-2021 1,276 -5.7
2019-2020 1,349 1.1
2018-2019 1,334 -3.9
2017-2018 1,386 1.4
2016-2017 1,367 0.6
2015-2016 1,359 0.8
2014-2015 1,348 -4.2
2013-2014 1,405 0.5
2012-2013 1,398 0.3
2011-2012 1,394 -2.7
2010-2011 1,431 -0.6
2009-2010 1,439 -1.3
2008-2009 1,457 -1.7
2007-2008 1,482 0.1
2006-2007 1,481 0.7
2005-2006 1,470 -0.5
2004-2005 1,478 -4.0
2003-2004 1,537 -7.8
2002-2003 1,657 2.2
2001-2002 1,621 -2.2
2000-2001 1,657 -2.2
1999-2000 1,693 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Brandywine Public School District (%) Michigan K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.3 0.6
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5 3.7
Black 3.3 18.2
Hispanic 6.3 9.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.1
Two or More Races 9.5 5.3
White 78.8 63.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Brandywine Public School District had 79.34 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.65.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 1.00
Kindergarten: 6.00
Elementary: 29.60
Secondary: 32.74
Total: 79.34

Brandywine Public School District employed 8.50 district administrators and 5.67 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 8.50
District Administrative Support: 0.00
School Administrators: 5.67
School Administrative Support: 12.59
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 18.92
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 2.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 3.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 1.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 2.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 1.00
Student Support Services: 3.72
Other Support Services: 39.47

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[8]

The Brandywine Public School District operates five schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Brandywine Elementary School3763-6
Brandywine Innovation Academy706-12
Brandywine Middle School1777-8
Brandywine Senior High School3789-12
Merritt Elementary School320PK-2


About school boards

Education legislation in Michigan

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Michigan
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External links

  • Office website
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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.leaderpub.com/2024/06/24/election-commission-rejects-recall-language-against-brandywine-board-members/ Leader Publications, "Election Commission rejects recall language against Brandywine board members," June 24, 2024]
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brandywine Community Schools, "Board Members," accessed June 21, 2024
    3. ↑ The Herald-Palladium, "Recall against Benton Harbor school board trustee rejected," June 18, 2024
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    6. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    7. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    8. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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