Volunteer, Board Veteran to Seek Election to HPISD Board
A longtime school volunteer and a veteran board member each plan to run for places on the Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees.
Michael Denton Jr., an HPISD graduate and parent with a 15-year record of service to the school district, has filed to run for Place 4 on the board. Bryce Benson has filed for re-election to Place 3 on the board.
“I just have a deep passion and appreciation for our district. I grew up here, and I’ve loved serving,” Denton said. “And that’s it. That’s where my heart is. I love this place.”
Denton is a 1989 Highland Park High School graduate. He is the father of a 2023 HP graduate, and two students at HPHS.
Denton recently served as chair of HPISD’s 2024 Bond Community Advisory Committee. He has served as president of the board of the Highland Park Education Foundation, and was a co-founder of the Lead for Tomorrow Endowment. As of Oct. 2024, the Lead for Tomorrow Campaign had raised $27 million to support HPISD.
Denton spent six years as president of the Park Cities Dads Club, Inc., a nonprofit which serves the children, families, and faculty of all HPISD schools. His involvement with the district also includes time as president of the Bradfield Dads Club, and as a member of multiple HPISD committees, such as the Safety and Security Committee, and Boundary Committee.
Denton’s priorities as a board member would include continuing to increase teacher compensation, recruiting high-quality teachers and educators, and ensuring academic rigor and a reliance on time-tested teaching methods.
If elected in May, Denton would replace board member Jae Ellis. Ellis has stated that he will not run against Denton if Denton runs for Place 4.

Benson serves as vice president of the board, chairman of the education services committee, and liaison to the Highland Park Education Foundation.
“Serving on the Board since 2021 has been an incredible honor and I am deeply committed to continuing the collective work the Board has been doing to uphold HPISD’s legacy of excellence in academics, arts and athletics for future generations,” Benson said in a written statement.
HPISD has achieved “key milestones” over the past four years, such as enhancing the district’s English Language Arts curriculum, increasing teacher and staff salaries by 13%, reducing HPISD’s reliance on technology, developing rigorous frameworks for teaching math and science, and passing a bond to address critical needs, Benson said in an email announcing his intent to run.
“While I am excited about the momentum we’ve built, I acknowledge that our work is not finished and look forward to the many opportunities to further perpetuate and elevate HPISD’s standards of excellence,” Benson wrote in his statement.
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this post included an incorrect spelling of board member Jae Ellis’ name. The post has been updated with the correct spelling.