Deirdre Piper
Deirdre Piper was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Ann Arbor Board of Education in Michigan. The seat was up for general election on November 4, 2014. Deirdre Piper lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Deirdre Piper is a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Piper earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and her master's degree in reading education from Wayne State University. She is certified as an elementary teacher and reading specialist with the state of Michigan, and she has served as a substitute teacher in Ann Arbor Public Schools.[1]
Elections
2014
The election in Ann Arbor featured four at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Susan Baskett and Christine Stead ran against challengers Jeffery Harrold, Donna Lasinski, Patricia Ashford Manley, Jack Panitch, Deirdre Piper, Hunter Van Valkenburgh, Don Wilkerson and Roland Zullo for the seats. Baskett, Harrold, Van Valkenburgh and Zullo campaigned together as an unofficial slate.[2] Fellow board members Glenn Nelson and Irene Patalan did not file for re-election.
Incumbents Susan Baskett and Christine Stead and challengers Donna Lasinski and Patricia Ashford Manley won the four seats.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Susan Baskett Incumbent |
15.1% | 17,121 | |
| Nonpartisan | Donna Lasinski |
13.9% | 15,794 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine Stead Incumbent |
13.2% | 14,941 | |
| Nonpartisan | Patricia Ashford Manley |
12.2% | 13,845 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hunter Van Valkenburgh | 10.4% | 11,847 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeffery Harrold | 8.5% | 9,643 | |
| Nonpartisan | Roland Zullo | 7.2% | 8,183 | |
| Nonpartisan | Don Wilkerson | 7% | 7,908 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jack Panitch | 6.9% | 7,785 | |
| Nonpartisan | Deirdre Piper | 5.6% | 6,353 | |
| Total Votes | 113,420 | |||
| Source: Washtenaw County Elections Division, "Election Summary Report," accessed December 29, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Piper did not report any contributions or expenditures during the election, according to the Washtenaw County Elections Division.[3] In Michigan, a candidate committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 during the election cycle is eligible to receive a reporting waiver, which allows that committee not to file pre-election, post-election and annual campaign statements without legal penalty.[4]
Endorsements
Piper did not receive any official endorsements for her campaign.
Campaign themes
2014
Piper published her reason for running and a list of her beliefs on her campaign website:
| “ |
The most frequent question that people ask me is why I would run for school board. The idea never would have entered my mind until one string of egregious nearly-comedic errors. One of the pertinent facts here is that AAPS limits substitute teachers to 140 days of work per year. Another pertinent fact is that substitute teachers are not employees, but were long ago outsourced to an agency. So, once upon a time there was a teacher who was removed from the classroom in early December, about a third of the way through the school year. In a normal year, the district might have followed their policies and hired a new teacher for the classroom, but it was a harsh year among many harsh years so they did not want to hire someone only to turn around and lay them (and many others) off six months later. The principal honored me by allowing me to take over as the long-term sub for the rest of the year, but I had already worked so many days up to that point that I would have had to take five weeks off to fit in with the 140-day limit. The class was already in bad shape from their first months of school, I had already been in there for two weeks, and five weeks would have been so far from “best practice” that I would label it educational malfeasance. It was suggested that I could just work anyway, without getting paid for it. As a dedicated professional, how could I not? I already loved those kids. I could already see a positive change. You do what you have to do, but I was completely shocked that it was actually a violation of federal labor law, even for subcontracted non-employees. For a while, I absolutely pondered a lawsuit but while I could have won back pay (times two, for damages) I was not sure a mere lawsuit could prod the fundamental institutional change that was and is required.[5] |
” |
| —Deirdre Piper campaign website (2014)[1] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Deirdre + Piper + Ann + Arbor + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deirdre Piper for AA BOE, "About," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Hunter Van Valkenburgh for School Board," accessed October 16, 2014
- ↑ Washtenaw County Elections Division, "Campaign Finance," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ Genesee County, "Filing Requirements under Michigan's Campaign Finance Act," February 7, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2014 Ann Arbor Public Schools Elections | |
| Washtenaw County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Susan Baskett • Incumbent, Christine Stead • Jeffery Harrold • Donna Lasinski • Patricia Ashford Manley • Jack Panitch • Deirdre Piper • Hunter Van Valkenburgh • Don Wilkerson • Roland Zullo |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
