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Michael Spiroff
Michael Spiroff was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Wentzville Board of Education in Missouri. Spiroff lost the general election on April 7, 2015.
Spiroff previously ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat on the board on April 3, 2012.
Spiroff participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. To read his responses, check out his 2015 campaign themes.
Biography
Michael Spiroff is a resident of St. Charles County, Mo. Spiroff earned a B.S. degree in mathematics from Purdue University and a master's degree in finance from St. Louis University. He is employed as a manager with Verizon.[1]
Elections
2015
The election in Wentzville featured two of the seven seats on the board up for general election on April 7, 2015. Incumbents Sheryl Cox and Sandy Garber ran for re-election against challengers Natalie DeWeese, Michael Feinstein, Rebecca Flannagan, Michael Spiroff and Lezlie Stephens for the two at-large seats. DeWeese and Feinstein defeated five other candidates to win the election.
Results
| Wentzville R-IV School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Michael Feinstein |
21.3% | 3,289 | |
| Nonpartisan | Natalie DeWeese |
21% | 3,241 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandy Garber Incumbent | 16.8% | 2,597 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sheryl Cox Incumbent | 12.4% | 1,916 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lezlie Stephens | 11.1% | 1,713 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Spiroff | 9% | 1,395 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rebecca Flannagan | 7.7% | 1,194 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 93 | |
| Total Votes | 15,438 | |||
| Source: St. Charles County Election Authority, "Election Summary Report," April 20, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Spiroff reported no contributions or expenditures to the Missouri Ethics Commission during the election.[2]
Endorsements
Spiroff did not receive any official endorsements during the election.
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Sheryl Cox Incumbent |
22.4% | 1,908 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandy Garber |
18% | 1,535 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Hurst Incumbent | 17.3% | 1,477 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shannon Sprock | 15.7% | 1,343 | |
| Nonpartisan | Aaron Schaper | 14.7% | 1,256 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Spiroff | 11.9% | 1,012 | |
| Total Votes | 8,531 | |||
| Source: St. Charles County Election Authority, "Summary Report," accessed February 11, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Spiroff participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My top priority is to coordinate efforts to control the growth in the Wentzville School District. Controlled growth is imperative in order to optimize the wishes of every parent, teacher, union, taxpayer, and administrator concerned with the outcome of this election. Control the growth and, in turn, improve the financial and operational resources for everyone involved. The current environment requires bond measures or tax levies to help with the explosive growth; however, this only serves as a short-term solution until the next bond issue or tax levy, if the growth continues unchecked. In other words, Propositions F, G, H, & I will face more and more resistance to the point the community feels the increase in taxes outweighs the benefit. The long-term solution is controlled growth. Just as the Federal Reserve lowers and raises interest rates to stimulate and control growth, respectively, the mayors of the cities within the Wentzville School District can do the same. For instance, one approach is a dynamic builder’s tax on new construction. Increase the builder’s tax to slow growth. Decrease the builder’s tax to stimulate growth. Since July 2013, there have been 27 new subdivisions platted within the District. In my view, the Wentzville School Board must hold the superintendent and local leaders accountable for cooperative measures to control the growth at a pace best suited for the District and city infrastructure as a whole.[3] | ” |
| —Michael Spiroff (2015)[4] | ||
Ranking the issues
Spiroff was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Missouri. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
Spiroff was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "I am neither for nor against Common Core. The key here is consistency. Pick and stick with a directional curriculum and, whatever the best choice, take and make the curriculum our own! Vacillation between one curriculum and another curriculum is expensive and inefficient and, in my view, no different than making the most of the homes in which we live rather than moving every time we decide we no longer like the color of the walls." | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| "No" | |
| Candidate did not answer this question. | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "The key is to accurately diagnose the reasons for the failing school. Diagnosis before treatment! In other words, the District should not jump to treatment with enormous investment in large-scale strategies and programs to solve problems that are not the source of the failure. So, the first step is to observe the failing school. The second step is to interpret the reasons for failure. The third step is to intervene with smart solutions to the source of the failure." | |
| "Yes" | |
| "The first order of business is to set up the teachers to succeed, not set up the teachers to fail. Success depends on consistent curriculum and manageable classroom size. Only then can you truly measure teacher performance." | |
| "Community-school board relations are contingent upon educational, operational, and financial optimization." |
Voter guide profiles
Spiroff completed a voter guide profile for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
| “ | What are your top priorities for the district?
My first priority is the student. To that end, my top priorities are best-in-class educators, evolutionary buildings and grounds and operational and financial optimization to improve upon and perpetuate the fiscal foundation of the community that supports the Wentzville School District. Why are you qualified to serve in this office? I am 15 years happily married with a son who attends Wentzville South Middle School. I have a bachelor’s of science in mathematics from Purdue University and a master’s degree in finance from St. Louis University. Meanwhile, my experience at Verizon focuses on operational optimization.[3] |
” |
| —Michael Spiroff (2015)[5] | ||
Spiroff completed a voter guide profile for the 70 West Sentinel:
| “ | Why are you are running for office?
My reason for running for the Wentzville School District Board of Education is to promote the best interests of the students and, in so doing, improve upon and perpetuate the fiscal foundation of the community that supports the Wentzville School District. If you are challenging an incumbent, what qualifies you for the position more than the incumbent? First and foremost is new perspective. Both incumbents up for re-election have served on the board for multiple terms. I feel that I can help the Wentzville School Board to accommodate that growth in the short-term and coordinate with local leaders on the methods and means to control growth over the long term. This requires educational, operational, and financial optimization. My experience can better serve the Wentzville School Board to balance these oftentimes contradictory disciplines. What are you top three priorities if you are elected? 1. Excellent salaries and benefits that attract the best teachers, and, in turn, produce the best students, which, in turn, attracts educated families and successful businesses that ultimately mitigates the local tax burden. 2. Evolutionary buildings and grounds that optimize operations and reduce classroom size and, again, attract the best teachers, produce the best students, attract educated families and successful businesses, and ultimately mitigates the local tax burden. 3. Professional development that improves upon the best teachers and complements smart curriculum to produce the best students most capable to lead in an economy forever more based on technology. What do you think residents see as the biggest problem in the Wentzville School District? The explosive growth and how best to manage that growth beyond repeated tax increases. What do you think students and parents see as the biggest problem in the Wentzville School District? The explosive growth, the accommodative measures necessary to support that growth, and indecision on directional curriculum. What do you think is the district’s best asset? The district’s best asset is the student. Healthy communities and school districts thrive upon quality student education.[3] |
” |
| —Michael Spiroff (2015)[1] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michael Spiroff Wentzville School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 70 West Sentinel, "Michael Spiroff: Candidate for Board of Education, Wentzville School District," accessed April 6, 2015
- ↑ Missouri Ethics Commission, "Candidates By Election Search," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Michael Spiroff responses," March 27, 2015
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Voters Guide," accessed April 4, 2015
| 2015 Wentzville R-IV School District Elections | |
| St. Charles County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 7, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Sheryl Cox • Incumbent, Sandy Garber • Natalie DeWeese • Michael Feinstein • Rebecca Flannagan • Michael Spiroff • Lezlie Stephens |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
