Senator Dayna Polehanki

Senator Dayna Polehanki is as big of a champion of public schools, teachers, and students as you will find. She is a two-time Teacher of the Year award winner and has nearly 20 years of experience in the classroom. She serves as the Majority Caucus Chair for the Michigan Senate Democrats and is in her second term.

Polehanki spent her first term in the Michigan Senate championing legislation to improve teacher attraction and retention efforts, brought record funding to students, helped get unemployment benefits to those who needed it most, and supported the creation of a behavioral health jail diversion program.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central Michigan University, has a major in English and teacher certification from Alma College, and a master’s degree in teaching from Marygrove College.

She lives in Livonia with her husband, Jim, and her dog, Frankie.