Governance
The Board of Education is the elected body that sets policy, approves budgets, and oversees the Superintendent. The district also operates under a published Code of Ethics, a Strategic Plan, and a Superintendent evaluation framework. This page gathers what those documents actually say, organized so parents can use them.
The Board of Education
The Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education has seven elected members. Each member serves a six-year term. Board members do not receive compensation for their service.
Current members
How the Board Operates
Board operations are governed by Michigan's Open Meetings Act, the Board's own Bylaws, and a set of policies adopted by the Board itself. The structure below comes from the BPS Board of Education Bylaws (2026).
The Board's Code of Ethics
Each Board member signs the following Code of Ethics. The full text is reproduced below, exactly as it appears in the BPS Board Bylaws. Items 9 and 12 are the items most directly relevant to how the Board engages with parents and the community.
District Leadership
The Board hires and evaluates one employee: the Superintendent. The Superintendent then leads the district's day-to-day operations, supported by a cabinet of assistant superintendents and directors.
| Role | Reports To | Current Holder |
|---|---|---|
| Superintendent | Board of Education | Dr. Embekka Roberson |
| Deputy Superintendent (also FOIA Coordinator) |
Superintendent | Cory Heitsch |
| Chief Financial & Operations Officer | Superintendent | Kyle Jen |
| Assistant Superintendent, Student Learning & Inclusion (includes curriculum and instruction) |
Superintendent | April Imperio |
| Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources | Superintendent | Dr. Susan Smith |
| Director of Finance | Chief Financial & Operations Officer | Status unclear (as of June 2026) |
| Accounting Manager | Director of Finance | Status unclear (as of June 2026) |
| Purchasing Coordinator | Chief Financial & Operations Officer | Status unclear (as of June 2026) |
What this structure means
The Board's only direct employee is the Superintendent. Every other position above reports up to her. Building principals, teachers, and support staff report through this structure. Parent concerns escalate through building leadership first, then to central administration, then in rare cases to the Board.
Oakland Schools (the ISD)
Birmingham Public Schools is one of 28 local school districts in Oakland County, all of which receive services from Oakland Schools, the Intermediate School District (ISD). Many parents assume the ISD oversees BPS. It doesn't. Oakland Schools is a service provider, not a governing body. The distinction matters when families think about who actually makes decisions about their children's education.
What Oakland Schools is
Oakland Schools is one of Michigan's 56 intermediate school districts, established by the Michigan Legislature in 1962. It is itself a public school district with its own elected Board of Education, its own superintendent, and its own tax-supported budget funded primarily through an Oakland County property millage. It is headquartered in Waterford Township and serves the 28 local school districts within Oakland County.
Like every Michigan ISD, Oakland Schools exists to deliver services that are more efficient to provide regionally than for each local district to provide on its own.
What it does and does not do
- Operate Oakland Schools Technical Campuses (OSTC) for career and technical education
- Provide special education services and consultation, especially for low-incidence disabilities
- Deliver technology services and shared infrastructure to local districts
- Coordinate professional development for teachers and administrators
- Run the Virtual Learning Academy Consortium (VLAC) and early college programs
- Support student mental health, PBIS, MTSS, and Whole Child Collaborative work
- Provide business services and group purchasing to reduce costs
- Review local district audits for compliance with state requirements
- Distribute certain state and federal funds to local districts
- Govern or oversee the BPS Board of Education
- Hire, fire, or evaluate the BPS Superintendent
- Adopt the BPS budget or approve BPS spending
- Choose curriculum or instructional materials for BPS
- Set BPS discipline, attendance, or academic policies
- Make decisions about BPS school buildings, closures, or bond proposals
- Hire BPS teachers, principals, or administrators
- Set the BPS school calendar
- Investigate or discipline BPS board members
The financial relationship
Oakland Schools is the source of the "Intermediate" line in the BPS budget. For FY 2025-26, that line is $10.4 million, or about 7 percent of total BPS revenue. The funds primarily support special education services and shared programs. Decisions about how BPS spends these funds are made by the BPS Board and administration, not by Oakland Schools.
How the Superintendent is Evaluated
Michigan law (MCL 380.1249b) requires every school district to annually evaluate its Superintendent using a published evaluation framework. BPS uses a tool developed by Collins & Blaha, P.C., adopted in August 2024. The framework has six components.
What's public and what isn't
The evaluation framework and the Board's overall rating of the Superintendent are subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The individual forms used by each Board member during the evaluation process are not. The framework, research base, and rubric are required to be posted on the district website each year.
Strategic Plan Commitments
The current BPS Strategic Plan covers 2022 through 2027 and was developed with input from students, parents, staff, and community. It identifies four strategic priorities and a set of aims under each one. Every board resolution that involves spending links back to one of these priorities.
Increase College and Career Readiness
Improve Learning Communities
Includes specific goals like increasing M-STEP proficiency by 20% in grades 3-8 and increasing SAT proficiency by 20%.
Increase Authentic Engagement with All Stakeholders
Create Equitable Access to Extracurricular Resources
Includes the goal that 90% of students will report feeling safe, valued, and prepared for learning.
Prioritize Social and Emotional Well-Being of Staff
Provide High-Quality Professional Learning
Includes the goal that 90% of staff will report feeling safe, valued, and supported at work.
Increase Financial Accountability
Generate Revenue Through Viable Sources
Includes the goals of growing enrollment to 8,000 students, balancing the budget, and connecting 90% of budget line items to Strategic Plan priorities.
Core Values Stated in the Plan
The 2027 cycle is approaching
The current Strategic Plan ends in 2027, which means the planning process for the next five-year cycle starts soon. The next plan will set the direction for student achievement, staff support, community engagement, and financial stewardship through the early 2030s.
Where to Find More
The district publishes governance documents in several places. The links below go directly to the source pages.
Meet the Board
The district's page introducing each of the seven Board members, with photos and individual bios.
View on BPS →2026 Board Election
The district's information page for the November 2026 Board of Education election, including which seats are up and how to file as a candidate.
View on BPS →BoardDocs
The district's official board meeting platform. Includes agendas, board packets, meeting minutes, and the full board policy library.
View BoardDocs →BPS Strategic Plan
The full 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, including all priorities, aims, and goals.
View on BPS →Central Administration
The district's central administration page, listing the Superintendent's cabinet and key administrative leadership.
View department page →District Directory
Contact information for district leadership, building principals, and department heads across BPS.
View directory →Oakland Schools (ISD)
The Intermediate School District serving Oakland County. Operates technical campuses, special education services, technology services, and shared programs for BPS and 27 other local districts.
View Oakland Schools →More to come
PAACT is gathering additional governance information.