Joe Tollefson, a Plymouth Township resident and appointed school board trustee, is seeking a six-year term on the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Four candidates are competing for three seats in the nonpartisan contest: Tollefson, Aamina Ahmed, Craig Olzak and Dan Lemieux. Voters may choose up to three, according to Wayne County’s official candidate list.
Tollefson responded to the Plymouth-Canton Post candidate questionnaire on Oct. 5. Unless otherwise noted, the information and responses below come from that questionnaire.
Asked why he is running, Tollefson pointed to financial pressures on schools and the need for constructive leadership.
“We need engaged, constructive leaders who are champions of public education — and equitable access to it,” he said.
Candidate information
Residence and family: Tollefson lives in Plymouth Township with his family. His daughter is a first grader in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.
“P-CCS played a huge role in our move to the area in 2021,” he said. “We left Chicago to be closer to family and we are so happy that we landed in such a wonderful community.”
Education: Tollefson said he earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College.
Occupation: Tollefson is senior director of workforce partnerships at Propel America, according to the organization’s staff directory.
Party affiliation: The school board election is nonpartisan.
Experience and public service
The school board appointed Tollefson on July 9 to fill the vacancy created by Sheryl Picard’s resignation, according to the district’s announcement. His appointed term expires in December.
Tollefson is running for a full term beginning in 2027. A separate contest will fill the remaining two years of Picard’s term.
Tollefson described his career as helping young people connect with education, training and employment.
“I’ve spent my entire career supporting young people in finding their passion, confidence, and support systems to allow them to thrive,” he said.
He said his earlier work in Chicago involved career and technical education programs that placed more than 1,100 high school seniors into paid internships. He reported that those placements generated $11.8 million in student wages.
His current work focuses on helping young adults enter health care careers and helping employers develop hiring strategies.
“I have extensive experience working directly with students and families, educators, schools and district offices, as well as the business community,” he said. “I have managed teams, built and managed budgets, and supported board members.”
On the issues
Student confidence and belonging: Tollefson identified confidence and curiosity as important challenges for students, citing pressures ranging from online bullying to a changing job market.
“For students, I think the most pressing challenge is feeling confident and curious,” he said.
He wants students to have a stronger voice in district goals and decisions about their learning environment.
School funding: Tollefson identified funding as the biggest challenge facing schools. He said he would work with state lawmakers to increase funding and protect K-12 budgets.
He also supports seeking voter approval for a local sinking fund to support school facilities.
Balancing priorities: Tollefson said academic achievement, mental health, safety, teacher quality and extracurricular opportunities should be considered together.
“The fact is none of these priorities exists in a vacuum,” he said.
He emphasized that students need supportive learning environments and a range of opportunities, including clubs, athletics and career and technical education.
What sets him apart: Tollefson emphasized his professional experience supporting young people and his perspective as the parent of an elementary school student.
“I uniquely bring the perspective of a professional youth advocate that has supported CTE programming and kids in marginalized communities,” he said. “I also bring a generational perspective as a dad at the beginning of my daughter’s educational journey.”
Endorsements
In his questionnaire, Tollefson reported endorsements from the Plymouth Democratic Club and Canton Democratic Club.
His campaign endorsement page also lists support from organizations including the Michigan Education Association, United Auto Workers Region 1A and Canton and Plymouth Education Squad.
Advice that guides him
“If you want to do something, change something, or be something, just start doing it and things will start falling into place,” Tollefson wrote. “The best place to start is simply by doing.”
This profile draws primarily on Joe Tollefson’s responses to the Plymouth-Canton Post candidate questionnaire, with additional information from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, Wayne County election records, Propel America and his campaign website. Responses have been excerpted and paraphrased; direct quotations retain his wording.
