Terence Collins, a Grosse Pointe resident and former GPPSS Board of Education (BOE) member, has been nominated by the Michigan Republican Party for the State of Michigan BOE.
Collins grew up in St. Clair Shores and has lived in Michigan his whole life. Since 2020, Collins has frequently been involved in local politics: he spent just over a year on the school board in GPPSS, serving from October of 2023 to December of 2024, and before that, Collins was a part of the Grosse Pointe Schools Finance and Facilities Committee.
During his time with GPPSS, Collins worked primarily on economic topics, such as the district’s budget and fiscal policy. He also had a hand in the reversal of the COVID-19 mask mandates for the district.
If elected for the Michigan BOE, Collins has his sights set on curriculum and economic changes: his message on the Michigan GOP website promises he will “return the focus [of public education] “to reading, writing and math, while ensuring that every tax dollar is spent wisely.”
Kim Tocco, GOP delegate for Michigan’s 13th District and Grosse Pointe Park resident, nominated Collins for the Michigan BOE, praising his economic “knowledge and determination to turn the school district around” during Collins’ time as a GPPSS trustee.
“Terry did a deep-dive into the school system’s finances and showed just how close the school system was to a financial disaster,” Tocco said in her nomination video for Collins. “[Collins] quickly helped the school board adopt a fiscally responsible budget. Without Terry’s expertise and commitment to the Grosse Pointe School System, it would still be in jeopardy.”
Since Collins was not reelected to the GPPSS BOE in 2024, his nomination came as a surprise to some community members, many of whom have questioned his history in academics.
“His background is totally in finance and [he] was defeated in [the] Grosse Pointe BOE,” a critical FaceBook commenter wrote under Terry’s nomination post.
“What is his experience WITH education??” another commenter writes under the post. “Stop sending us unqualified, uninformed candidates.”
Since the announcement of his campaign, Collins has repeated on FaceBook multiple statements he made at Michigan BOE meetings, announcing his aim on “academic achievement, starting with early literacy,” as Michigan was recently ranked 44th in the nation in reading.
“My message is simple:” Collins wrote in a FaceBook post recounting his Michigan BOE statements. “Refocus state guidance on academic achievement, starting with early literacy; respect parents’ rights to know what their children are being taught; and redirect time, money and attention away from bureaucracy and back into the classroom.”
The election on Nov. 3, 2026 will determine two of the eight seats on the Michigan BOE. Collins, accompanied by Bree Moeggenberg, are the two Republican candidates. They are running against Judith Pritchett, Tiffany Tilley and J.E. Windle, the three Democratic candidates.
