Mohamed Al-Hamdani,

35, is a manager at the CareSource health care firm who served one year as a law clerk for Dayton Public Schools. His children are not yet school-age.

Al-Hamdani paraphrased the famous Hillary Clinton “it takes a village” line to say it takes a village to educate a child, citing the need for better family engagement and added social services in schools. He argued that school board micromanagement has choked the district.

He said he will listen to teachers and administrators in the first 100 days rather than come in with plans already formed. He did say early-childhood education is important in disadvantaged communities, and advocated for more staff training on mental health issues and trauma.

A member of the slate of candidates, which was endorsed by Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Al-Hamdani said the four would not show disagreement in public, doing more preparation behind closed doors. He did not address how that would fit with open meetings law.

Rather than demand more of DPS families now, the district needs to reach out to them first, showing that the schools care, Al-Hamdani said.

“Based on the challenges our teachers face, they ought to be probably the highest paid in this region,” he said. “What happened in the last negotiation showed a lack of respect. ... I’m not saying give them the moon, but show some respect.”