Jonathan Turner Appointed to Ferndale School Board
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 15, 2021)
Ferndale, MI – Out of eleven applicants for the position, Ferndale School Board voted Monday to appoint former Ferndale High School student Jonathan Turner to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Jim O’Donnell, who left due to a scheduling conflict with his graduate program classes. Turner is the son of School Board Vice President Sandra Dukhie.
In his application, Turner was asked why he was interested in serving on the board. There he said “Being a young black male, I feel that I can bring a whole new perspective to the board not only from a Diversity standpoint but it would also be beneficial in shortening the gap between the students and the board. I’ve been a part of the Ferndale school district my entire life and these past years I have been grateful to witness the exceptional progress that Ferndale has made, which has inspired me to take more involvement within my community.
“Not only do I have the insight of an engaged Ferndale student and a resident, I’ve seen the many growth opportunities for our schools and I strive to bring a new set of eyes to the board.”

He also stated in his application, “I’d say that one of my greatest skills is being empathetic and team oriented, I enjoy collaborating with my team to aim for the overall success of our goals while fulfilling my individual responsibilities. I strive on being an empathetic listener, I want to make sure that everyone feels safe to share and feel that they have been heard.”
Turner was the President of the Black History Club in 2017, and was active in teaching kids to code at camp in 2016-2018.  “My ultimate career goal is to become a social worker/behavior analyst and I believe that serving on the school board would be a great first step in learning how the education system is changed and formatted.”
Also on the Board are President Mike Davisson, Vice President Sandra Dukhie, Secretary Jackie Hart, Treasurer Jennifer LaTosch, and Trustees Sarah Elturk, and Anna Ibrahim. Ferndale Schools serves families in Ferndale, Oak Park, Royal Oak Township, and Pleasant Ridge.
In a post by the school district, President Davisson said, “We are very excited to welcome Jonathan to the Board of Education. Both his recent experience as a Ferndale student and ability to connect to our youth to ensure their voices are heard, made him a very strong candidate. I also want to thank the 8 outstanding candidates who took the time to be interviewed for this opening. Joining the Board of Education is a big responsibility and it was great to see so many passionate community members step forward and volunteer for this position.”
Learn more about the Ferndale School Board at https://www.ferndaleschools.org/district/board/