On May 12, 2026, Milford School District residents in Area C will go to the polls to select their representative on the Board of Education. Nik Dutta-Roy is challenging Cindy McKenzie, who was appointed to the board when Dr. Adam Brownstein stepped down.
“I decided to run for school board for a couple of reasons,” Dutta-Roy said. “First, I wanted to take a dive into local politics. I wanted to be involved in policies that affect people’s lives. Second, I’ve gone through the public school system in this country and I’ve turned that education into a high-level engineering job. I want other people to get that same or similar experience to me and the best way for me to do that is to get involved.”
Dutta-Roy grew up in Houston, Texas, spending his formative years there. He decided to take a risk and attend college on the East Coast in 2014, earning a degree in chemical engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2019. Dutta-Roy currently works as a quality systems engineer for Qnity, formerly DuPont, at their plant in the Tralee Park/Newark area.
“I moved back to Delaware in the summer of 2024 to be close to my family as my parents live in Lewes,” Dutta-Roy said. “I hope to start my own family here one day. I live in Milford with my girlfriend.”
One of the challenges Dutta-Roy feels he will face in the race is that he does not have children in the district, so he is worried he will come off as an outsider. He is also aware his opponent is a former principal for a school in the district but hopes he can convince voters he is a better fit.
“If elected, I hope to try and tackle the literacy proficiency issue in the state,” Dutta-Roy said. “I am also hoping to find a way to improve disciplinary practices for our district. For me, those two issues are going to push our district to greater heights. For the long term, I want to get more kids involved in the STEM programs by trying to get collaboration with local universities and colleges int eh area.”
Dutta-Roy also hopes to advance financial literacy education, commending the work that Representative Hilolvsky has done with HB 203 to tackle the issue. He feels that there is the opportunity to push that agenda even more.
School Board elections are scheduled for May 12, 2026, from 7 AM to 8 PM. Anyone living in Milford School District over the age of 18 may vote. Only those living in Area C may vote for those candidates. In order to vote, residents must present a valid Delaware driver’s license or state-issued identification, work ID card with photo and home address or U.S. postal material with street address.
Absentee ballot information and polling places can be found on the Department of Elections website.
![](https://milford-times.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Graduate-Ad-Sample.jpg")
