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Dominic Paretti
Dominic Paretti was an at-large representative on the Columbus City Schools school board in Ohio from 2014 to 2018. He resigned September 21, 2018, after a report said Paretti left his previous job as a legislative aide because of sexual harassment complaints.[1]
Biography
Paretti earned his bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of Cincinnati. He served as a legislative aide to State Representative Jay Goyal and previously served as a policy analyst. Paretti also works with the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission and the school board's external monitoring committee.[2]
Elections
2017
- See also: Columbus City Schools elections (2017)
Three of the seven seats on the Columbus City Schools Board of Education in Ohio were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents Michael Cole, Dominic Paretti, and Ramona Reyes defeated challengers Amy Harkins, Erin Upchurch, and Abby Vaile, who ran as a slate. The incumbents and the slate of challengers were affiliated with Democratic-leaning positions. Two Republican-affiliated candidates (Zach Amos and Seth Golding) ran but lost in the May 2 primary.[3][4]
Harkins, Upchurch, and Vaile ran together as the Yes We Can slate.[5]
Results
| Columbus City Schools, General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ramona Reyes Incumbent |
20.23% | 34,695 |
| Michael Cole Incumbent |
19.81% | 33,983 |
| Dominic Paretti Incumbent |
18.35% | 31,470 |
| Erin Upchurch | 15.55% | 26,679 |
| Amy Harkins | 13.93% | 23,902 |
| Abby Vaile | 12.13% | 20,798 |
| Total Votes | 171,527 | |
| Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election, Official Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
| Columbus City Schools, Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Cole Incumbent |
17.37% | 12,722 |
| Ramona Reyes Incumbent |
17.13% | 12,547 |
| Dominic Paretti Incumbent |
14.60% | 10,695 |
| Erin Upchurch |
12.25% | 8,971 |
| Amy Harkins |
12.08% | 8,848 |
| Abby Vaile |
10.49% | 7,684 |
| Zach Amos | 8.33% | 6,102 |
| Seth Golding | 7.74% | 5,672 |
| Total Votes | 73,241 | |
| Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 Primary Elections–Official Results," accessed May 22, 2017 | ||
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2013
- See also: Columbus City Schools elections (2013)
Paretti won election to the board on November 5, 2013, by placing third out of six candidates for three available seats.
Results
| Columbus Board of Education, At-large, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael D. Cole |
23.5% | 32,756 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ramona R. Reyes Incumbent |
18.6% | 26,016 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dominic Paretti |
16% | 22,380 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Wiles Incumbent | 14.9% | 20,791 | |
| Nonpartisan | Beverly J. Corner | 14% | 19,586 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hanifah Kambon Incumbent | 12.9% | 17,986 | |
| Total Votes | 139,515 | |||
| Source: Franklin County Board of Elections, "November 2013 General Election Official Results," accessed December 13, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
Paretti received the following endorsements for his 2013 campaign:[6]
- The Columbus Dispatch[7]
- Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE Local 4)
- Columbus School Employee Association (CSEA)
- Franklin County Democratic Party (FCDP)[8]
- Franklin County Young Democrats (FCYD)
- Columbus Education Association (CEA)
Campaign themes
2013
Paretti's campaign website listed themes for the 2013 election:[9]
|
"I am running for Columbus City Schools Board of education because I believe that our schools are a direct indicator of the health and vitality of our community as a whole. Our school system has faced unprecedented distractions over the last two years, and the data scrubbing scandal has shaken the community's faith in our school district. I am running because I believe that we need all of our board members to be more engaged, competent, and transparent. Our schools deserve an engaged board of education. Education does not begin or end in our classrooms, and it definitely does not end at the limits of our jurisdictions as a board. Education exists in our homes, our neighborhoods, our places of worship, our nonprofits and our business community. We need our board to focus on partnerships that leverage these peripheral organizations and institutions' resources to aid in student development and academic progress. There is no silver bullet for education; there is only persistence and patience with the implementation of academic policies that have individualized results on all our children. Excellent education should be offered to all of our children no matter whom they are or where they come from. We first need to restore transparency and swing the doors open at the board of education. No more private meetings closed off to the public. We also need to expand the number of public board work sessions and standing board committees. My philosophy is to get our children on the way in and on the way out, while implementing policies and services in the middle that help fill the gap. That is why I believe in establishing early childhood education to all students and dramatically increasing the number of students participating in post secondary enrollment options. Early Childhood Education: We all know that early childhood education has the greatest ability to increase a child's success academically. For too long we have accepted the notion that it is okay that some families can afford this opportunity, while others cannot. PSEO-Post Secondary Enrollment Options: Education for today's workforce demands more than a high-school diploma or GED, it demands skills that cannot be mastered in a traditional K-12 setting. We need our students to understand the demands of the real world while offering some options through the availability of dual high school/college credit hours. Our students can be receiving college credit towards traditional 4 year schools, two year schools, and technical degrees. All of our students should graduate and transition to college, a career in the military or starting their own business. Parental Involvement: Parental involvement is the number one factor that increases student success. I believe that we always need to encourage parental involvement programs and policies, and we need to continually experiment and implement different programs and policies that reflect our diverse community and neighborhoods. I believe that our technology upgrades will allow weekly parent emails summarizing a child's week at school. I believe that we should have parent rooms in schools where parent-volunteer resources are pooled and coordinated for greatest impact. I believe in continuing the hard work of Member Ramona Reyes' Parent Ambassadors and Parent Consultants programs. Nutritional Programs: Columbus City Schools students are 85% eligible for federal free and reduced lunch programs. We need to continue CCS' excellent food service delivery but consider applying for the Federal Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Option which would cover 90% of the cost of covering nutritious meals to 100% students. School Nurses: While I understand the direct fiscal costs associated with nursing units in each school, I worry about the tragic consequences of not having them as seen recently in Philadelphia. This incident involved a young student having an asthma attack and the school not having the adequate medical staff to avert this tragic loss. School nurses and smart education and health policies can help provide the needed primary care a child demands during growth and development. Summer Bridge Programs: Education shouldn't end at the beginning of summer. We need all our students participating in summer reading programs and activities. The best schools in the world are year round. Now that we have the ability to calculate a years worth of work in hours instead of days, we need to adjust our curriculum to enable continued summer academic enrichment. Our schools are anchor institutions in our community, and they should be open and utilized year round. |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
See also
- Ohio
- Columbus City Schools, Ohio
- Columbus City Schools elections (2017)
- Columbus City Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 10tv.com, "Columbus School Board member resigns, accused of sexual harassment by Statehouse colleagues," September 21, 2018
- ↑ Committee to Elect Dominic Paretti, "Meet Dominic," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 Primary Elections–Official Results," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Franklin County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election, Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Yes We Can Columbus, "Release: All 5 Yes We Can Columbus Endorsed Candidates Move Through To The General Election," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Committee to Elect Dominic Paretti, "Endorsements," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "For Columbus school board," October 30, 2013
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Democrats endorse 4 for 3 Columbus school-board seats," September 13, 2013
- ↑ Committee to Elect Dominic Paretti, "Vision," accessed October 31, 2013
| Columbus City Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Franklin County, Ohio | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Michael Cole • Incumbent, Dominic Paretti • Incumbent, Ramona Reyes • Zach Amos • Seth Golding • Amy Harkins • Erin Upchurch • Abby Vaile |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
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