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Hunter Van Valkenburgh
Hunter Van Valkenburgh was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Ann Arbor Public Schools school board in Michigan. Van Valkenburgh was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
Van Valkenburgh was a 2014 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. Hunter Van Valkenburgh lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Van Valkenburgh is a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Van Valkenburgh worked as a high school instructor before becoming an attorney. He specializes in family law, estate planning and probate court work. His wife is an educator in the district and both of their children attend Ann Arbor Public Schools.[1]
Elections
2016
Three of the seven seats on the Ann Arbor Public Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Simone Lightfoot and Deb Mexicotte filed for re-election, while Andy Thomas opted not to seek a new term. Lightfoot and Mexicotte ran against challengers Jeff Gaynor, Rebecca Lazarus, Jeremy Glick, Harmony Mitchell, Don Wilkerson, and Hunter Van Valkenburgh. Gaynor, Lightfoot, and Mitchell won in the election.[2]
Results
| Ann Arbor Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jeff Gaynor |
16.04% | 22,258 |
| Simone Lightfoot Incumbent |
15.48% | 21,487 |
| Harmony Mitchell |
14.78% | 20,507 |
| Deb Mexicotte Incumbent | 14.07% | 19,524 |
| Hunter Van Valkenburgh | 12.66% | 17,566 |
| Rebecca Lazarus | 11.40% | 15,822 |
| Don Wilkerson | 7.88% | 10,940 |
| Jeremy Glick | 7.00% | 9,718 |
| Write-in votes | 0.68% | 940 |
| Total Votes | 138,762 | |
| Source: Washtenaw County, Michigan, "Official Election Results," accessed November 22, 2016 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Michigan were required to file pre-election campaign finance reports with their county election offices by October 28, 2016. Post-election reports were due by December 8, 2016.[3]
In Michigan, candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from corporations or labor organizations. Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, candidates must form a candidate committee. Following the creation of the committee, candidates have an additional 10 days to register the committee with the school district filing official by filing a statement of organization. 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.[4]
October 28 filing
Candidates received a total of $15,654.22 and spent a total of $8,378.46 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Wasthenaw County Clerk/Register.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simone Lightfoot (incumbent) | $4,143.57 | $3,282.62 | $1,005.98 |
| Deb Mexicotte (incumbent) | $2,262.30 | $450.00 | $1,812.30 |
| Jeff Gaynor | $1,361.12 | $0.00 | $1,361.12 |
| Jeremy Glick | $3,815.00 | $3,281.60 | $553.40 |
| Rebecca Lazarus | $1,350.00 | $1,364.24 | -$14.24 |
| Harmony Mitchell | $1,361.12 | $0.00 | $1,361.12 |
| Don Wilkerson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Hunter Van Valkenburgh | $1,361.11 | $0.00 | $1,361.11 |
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.[6] 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
Van Valkenburgh did not report any contributions or expenditures during the election, according to the Washtenaw County Elections Division.[7] 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.[8]
Endorsements
Van Valkenburgh received endorsements from:[9]
- State Representative Jeff Irwin (D-34)
- Ann Arbor Education Association
- AAEA Office Personnel
- AAEA Para Professionals
- Ann Arbor District Librarians Association
- Ann Arbor District Library Staff Associates
- The 3C Coordinating Council (MEA/NEA)
- Washtenaw Community Action Team
- Ann Arbor Democratic Party
Campaign themes
2014
Van Valkenburgh published his platform on his campaign website:
| “ | If I’m Elected...
Where I Stand on the Issues I am an attorney, a former high school teacher, the husband of an Ann Arbor teacher, and the father of two eighth graders here in Ann Arbor. I am running for Trustee of the Ann Arbor Board of Education to set a better course for the Board’s decisions on budget priorities, on provision of ancillary services, and on standardized testing. I feel that the district has been heading in the wrong direction in these and other areas. My top priority is to direct resources to teachers and support staff to educate students, rather than wasting time and money with redundant testing. I also want to solve our problems in-house to the greatest extent possible and avoid spending money on outside contractors. I can bring my understanding of the law to know the difference between what the school district can do and what it has to do. My legal practice has also honed my skills in mediating between parties who might have diverging interests. In addition, my teaching experience helps me understand classroom dynamics and the challenges faced by educators. Budget Priorities Legislators in Lansing are trying to destroy public education by forcing budget cuts on districts. With public school funding being slowly strangled by the state government, it is a herculean task to continue to educate our children as well as we have in the past, but with fewer resources. While this can mean unavoidable cuts sometimes, it is important that the Board focus the budget on maximizing the quality and quantity of instructional time for each of our students. It is also crucial for the Board to be aware of where and for what purpose the available money is allocated. There have been instances where Board members did not know the purpose of certain expenditures that ran in the millions of dollars. I pledge to stay on top of those expenses and try to extract as much value as possible from each dollar spent. Furthermore, if there has to be pain from budget cuts, it should be shared pain. Privatization and Outsourcing The decision in June 2014 to award a contract for custodial services to an out-of-state firm owned by a multinational private equity firm was a big mistake that did not take all factors into account. I would have supported the existing custodial workers’ union in their request to form their own company to bid for the contract. The Board’s decision to privatize custodial services will result in sending local tax money to the coffers of a foreign corporation. Keeping the money in the community would have a more holistic benefit, as the money would be spent locally, thereby enhancing the property and sales tax base that pays for the school budget. The Board’s actions, as well as the previous decisions to privatize the food and transportation services, seem to spring from limited thinking about the bottom line that does not take the overall health of the community into account. It is particularly tragic in light of the creative solution proposed by the workers themselves. If elected, my goals will include keeping our tax money in the community to the greatest extent possible and looking to the people already working for the district to provide new ideas for saving the district money if we are forced to cut funding. Standardized Testing Students in Ann Arbor schools take a number of standardized tests that take up time better spent on instruction by their teachers. While one test, the MEAP, is mandated, others are optional and are used for diagnostic purposes or–even worse–as an inappropriate means to evaluate teachers. The Measure of Academic Progress, sold by the Northwest Evaluation Association, is one such test that AAPS has proposed as a teacher evaluation tool, even though its authors specifically disclaim its value for that purpose. The test takes up many hours of student time per year and ties up computer facilities that could be used for actual teaching. Our district is blessed with talented teachers who already know how to evaluate their students’ knowledge at the beginning of a school year in order to tailor instruction. That is what we pay them for. If elected to the board, I promise to push for a re-evaluation of the testing regime and its costs in dollars and teaching time. The Annexation of the Whitmore Lake School District I attended the joint meeting of the school boards of Ann Arbor and Whitmore Lake, where each board voted to put a measure on their respective ballots in November to allow Ann Arbor Public Schools to annex Whitmore Lake School District. If both communities approve the measures, then the two districts will combine all of their property, resources, and debt into a larger Ann Arbor Public Schools. All the teachers and other unionized staff will combine into larger bargaining units. This move has potential benefits and potential pitfalls, and how it turns out in the medium and long run will depend entirely upon how the politicians in Lansing react to the potential merger. On the positive side, the unions that represent Ann Arbor teachers and other staff will see increases in their membership, and the employees that currently work in Whitmore Lake will see their pay increase to bring them into parity with Ann Arbor salaries. The superintendent and other top administrative staff from Whitmore Lake will no longer be needed, which will result in less administrative superstructure per student, an efficiency gain. That savings could be turned into more teacher positions and smaller class sizes, if things go well otherwise. Additionally, there may be savings from combining some maintenance functions, especially at the supervisory level. For students, the combination of schools could result in richer class offerings as the merged districts adopt what the other offers for equity purposes. And if you are thinking regionally, this move could prevent the financial failure of the Whitmore Lake district, and its subsequent turnover to an emergency financial manager or the Educational “Achievement” Authority. In other words, it is good for the larger community not to have failing schools in our midst. The rub, of course, is how the transition and the merged district are going to be funded. The state has offered a $100 increase in the per-pupil allowance, although it is not known if that is only for the first year or henceforth. There is also a grant program from the Michigan Department of Education of up to $4.3M, which would be a one-time grant to fund the merger. According to the staff of Ann Arbor schools and the joint committee studying this issue, most of the increase in per pupil allowance and of the grant would be spent on increasing staff salaries from Whitmore Lake, and in the process of hiring specialists to effect the financial merger and to upgrade facilities in each district to match the other. Thus it is not a windfall for Ann Arbor, and the uncertainty of what will happen with the per-pupil increase makes the decision a risky one. Another issue is what happens to the debt burden of each district and to property taxes. As proposed, the annexation would merge the debts of the two districts, and—it is hoped—refinance the debt owed by Whitmore Lake to the Michigan Department of Education. It would eliminate some parts of the millage for voters in each district and raise others. The net effect would be a reduction of taxes by .2 mills in Whitmore Lake and an increase of .5 mills for Ann Arbor taxpayers. That is $20 or $50 dollars, respectively for a house worth $200,000 in market value. It is impossible to take an unequivocal position on this proposal. If it works out, and the state will adequately fund the transition and keep the per pupil allowance at the higher rate, it will be more tax money (although still not enough) flowing to the larger district with potential for improvement in all of its schools. If the legislature decides that the per pupil increase was only meant to be temporary, then in the second year Ann Arbor will find itself with a larger burden of staff salaries and less money to pay for it. It will amount to a bail-out of the Whitmore Lake district at a great cost to Ann Arbor. As a candidate, I am opposed to the Annexation unless the state legislature guarantees the increased funding we are being promised and restructures Whitmore Lake’s debt to make a tax increase on Ann Arbor residents unnecessary. There is a perverse element in this whole issue, in that consolidation of schools into larger districts is being encouraged and incentivized by the same people in Lansing who are promoting atomization of districts through the creation of charter schools. The charter school movement has created over 200 new “districts” in the state that have all the inefficiencies one would expect from small enterprises, with high supervisory and other costs per student, etc. It is difficult to discern what is behind the move to consolidate, unless it is to make neater packages for private service companies to snatch up as politicians leave the new traditional districts with little other choice by restricting future funding. Preventing such disasters will require making changes in who is legislating in Lansing. Update: The transition grant from the state has been awarded at $1.4M. Given that the initial estimates by the superintendent for transition costs was $4.1M, it does not seem that this will work for the benefit of our district, and my opposition to the annexation is only reinforced.[10] |
” |
| —Hunter Van Valkenburgh campaign website (2014)[11] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Hunter Van Valkenburgh Ann Arbor Public Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Ann Arbor Public Schools, Michigan
- Ann Arbor Public Schools elections (2016)
- Ann Arbor Public Schools elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Hunter Van Valkenburgh ~ Candidate for Trustee, Ann Arbor Board of Education, "About Me," accessed October 16, 2014
- ↑ Washtenaw County Elections Division, "Official List of Candidates-November 8, 2016 General Election," August 26, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Bureau of Elections, "2016 and 2017 Campaign Finance Filing Schedule," January 12, 2016
- ↑ Genesee County, "Filing Requirements under Michigan's Campaign Finance Act," February 7, 2014
- ↑ Washtenaw County Clerk/Register, "Campaign Finance," accessed October 30, 2016
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Hunter Van Valkenburgh ~ Candidate for Trustee, Ann Arbor Board of Education, "Supporters," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Hunter Van Valkenburgh ~ Candidate for Trustee, Ann Arbor Board of Education, "Where I Stand on the Issues," accessed October 15, 2014
| 2016 Ann Arbor Public Schools Elections | |
| Washtenaw County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Simone Lightfoot • Incumbent, Deb Mexicotte • Jeff Gaynor • Rebecca Lazarus • Jeremy Glick • Harmony Mitchell • Don Wilkerson • Hunter Van Valkenburgh |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
| 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 |
