Retired Army vet appointed to Clintondale school board
A 20-year veteran of the United States Army has replaced a longtime board member on the Clintondale Board of Education in Clinton Township.
Wilbur Jones was appointed to the school board earlier this month. He fills a vacancy created by the resignation of former trustee Beverly Lewis-Moss.
“I see my role as someone who can utilize my knowledge as a teacher and my experience and leadership as a retired soldier to help drive change at the board level and support our new superintendent,” Jones said in a statement. “There is nothing more important to me than my community and the education the children receive. My retirement is not a time to rest for me. I gave to my country and now it is time for me to give more to my community.”
A 1982 graduate of Clintondale High School, he retired in 2003 from the Army, having completed tours in the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia, Germany and Kosovo.
Jones also retired in June 2023 as a teacher in the Pontiac Community Schools Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp. He is a deacon at Greater Life International Ministries in Clinton Township and earned a master’s degree from Liberty University.
School board President Jared Maynard said Jones’ “positive outlook, past experience and dedication to students will help move our district forward.”
He replaces Lewis-Moss, who resigned her seat following the Feb. 21 meeting. She did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on her departure.
Lewis-Moss was first elected in 2014 and served two years as board president.
She was a staunch supporter of former Superintendent Rod Broadnax, who resigned in December 2022.
Broadnax’s tenure was marked by a messy, monthslong fight between his supporters and detractors that was aired during school board meetings that centered largely on criticism over a San Diego junket and questions about his qualifications.
Supporters said a group of mostly white male former school officials who harbored anger over their departure from the district were racist in their view of the former school boss, who was Black.
During her time on the school board, Lewis-Moss received a certified board member award and award of merit from the Michigan Association of School Boards, among other accomplishments.