Maxie Johnson

Maxie Johnson was elected to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees to represent District 5 in May 2019. District 5 is a large and diverse district that spans West Dallas, Oak Lawn, Uptown, and a large portion of South Oak Cliff.  District 5 shares a great portion of the District 4 city boundaries. Trustee Johnson has resided in and been an active and engaged community member throughout the district for decades.

Johnson serves as pastor at New Morning Star Baptist Church in West Dallas.  He is a proud graduate of Dallas ISD’s A. Maceo Smith High School and the parent of two sons and a daughter who all graduated from South Oak Cliff High School.  Johnson has devoted countless hours to the advancement of the Southern Sector by advocating for equitable resources, a safer community, and accountability.  Johnson serves as a member of the District 4 Super Block, formerly served as PTA president and Vice Chair of the Site Base Decision Making Committee for South Oak Cliff. As a community organizer Johnson stood with the South Oak Cliff Alumni Association, student leaders - including standing with his son David, to successfully advocate and procure $52 million dollars in funding for improvements and renovations of the campus.  Under Johnson's leadership, his focus on educational growth, economic development, community involvement, and increased resources in the Southern Sector has led to documented improvements in each of these areas. 

In addition to his civic engagement, Maxie Johnson is a musical extraordinaire; who plays a mean alto saxophone and is recognized as one of the best in the City of Dallas. He has played on many Gospel recordings and is in the process of releasing a single in August 2021.

Maxie Johnson has proven himself as someone who can take action and improve conditions as a leader in our city.  He is deeply invested in the quality of our community shown through his work in the community for more than 15 years. His grassroots work as a community liaison, community organizer, football and baseball coach exemplify his dedication to families and students.  Maxie started the only elementary drum line in Dallas ISD to give kids the opportunity to have another pathway to higher education. Most of the students graduated and went to Division 1 colleges on music scholarships. Some have graduated with their bachelor’s degree and a few are working on their doctorate degrees.

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His vision and passion for the community and kids has caused many on the wrong path to change and become accountable and successful individuals.  Maxie Johnson lost his oldest son in 2019 due to senseless gun violence, and he tirelessly continues to advocate for kids in the Southern Sector. Maxie Johnson is known for saying; “Educational inequity lead to poverty and poverty leads to violence. If we want to fix the poverty and violence, we must educate our kids and our community.” Even through tragedy he continues to work to empower kids, his community, and their families to work toward common goals.