Robert Seeterlin
Robert Seeterlin was a member of the Waterford School District Board of Education, At-large in Michigan. Seeterlin assumed office in 2010. Seeterlin left office in 2016.
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Biography
Seeterlin earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Eastern Michigan University. He is the human resources director for Dearborn Public Schools.[1]
Elections
2016
Three of the seven seats on the Waterford School District school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Incumbents Robert Petrusha, Bob Piggott, and Robert Seeterlin filed for re-election. They faced challengers Mary Barghahn, Paul Greenawalt, Jon Knapp, and Eric Lindemier. Petrusha, Barghahn, and Piggott won in the general election.[2]
Results
| Waterford School District, At-Large General Election, 6-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Robert Petrusha Incumbent |
19.50% | 12,298 |
| Mary Barghahn |
17.23% | 10,867 |
| Bob Piggott Incumbent |
15.83% | 9,988 |
| Robert Seeterlin Incumbent | 14.48% | 9,132 |
| Jon Knapp | 13.71% | 8,650 |
| Eric Lindemier | 11.67% | 7,362 |
| Paul Greenawalt | 7.08% | 4,465 |
| Write-in votes | 0.5% | 318 |
| Total Votes | 63,080 | |
| Source: Oakland County Elections Division, "November 8, 2016 General Election," 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 $7,117.95 and spent a total of $5,067.09 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Petrusha (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Bob Piggott (incumbent) | $797.95 | $782.09 | $15.86 |
| Robert Seeterlin (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mary Barghahn | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Paul Greenawalt | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jon Knapp | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Eric Lindemier | $6,320.00 | $4,285.00 | $2,035.00 |
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Robert Seeterlin participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on September 6, 2016:
| “ | Continued improvement. We have improved leadership over the past few years. The new focus on student learning and accountability for student growth is making Waterford Schools a better district. Investments in capital improvements - Thanks to voter support - will put Waterford in a better position to help students in the years to come.[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Michigan. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| “ | Gaps should not be happening based on Economic disadvantage or Race. Public Education should be equally available to meet all needs.[7] | ” |
| —Robert Seeterlin (September 6, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. We need to fix the traditional public schools not increase inefficiencies by creating more schools than we need. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. In general yes but we over test. I prefer NWEA assessments to monitor growth and show proficiency. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| It is over rated as an issue and misunderstood. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. If you hire a teacher you owe it to them to provide the assistance necessary to succeed. Some struggle because they don't get adequate support. Others because they should not be teaching. We need to figure out why they struggle and determine which group the are in. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. The salary step schedule common in most Districts is unfair. Raise the bottom. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public money for Public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| To protect the students. That should be limited as mandatory expulsion is not always the best answer. Deal with the specific case. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers. Teachers who build positive relationships with students are critical to success. |
Additional themes
Seeterlin provided the following responses to the League of Women Voters Oakland Area regarding his top priorities for the district:
| “ |
1. Continue progress. New Superintendent is providing great leadership. Capital improvements over the past 5 years puts the District in a great position to provide services without worrying about building issues. More to come thanks to the 2016 voter approved $100 million bond approval. 2. Promote and encourage respect for staff. Continue efforts to promote adequate state funding for Waterford Students. The State needs to increase support for money directly to the classroom. State needs to fix the retirement funding issue and not penalize local districts for poor state policy in operating the public employee retirement system. 3. Improve student achievement so that all students can be successful. Increase opportunities for learning. Promote more Career and Technical Education. Change the mindset that all students need to go to a traditional college. Partner with 2 and 4 year colleges to offer opportunities for Waterford S[8][7] |
” |
| —Robert Seeterlin (2016) | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Waterford School District, "Waterford Board of Education," accessed October 24, 2016
- ↑ Oakland County Elections Division, "Unofficial Candidate List," August 19, 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
- ↑ Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, "Campaign Finance Reporting System," accessed October 30, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Robert Seeterlin's responses," September 6, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ League of Women Voters Oakland Area, "Voter Guide - November General Election," accessed October 24, 2016
| 2016 Waterford School District Elections | |
| Oakland County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Robert Petrusha • Incumbent, Bob Piggott • Incumbent, Robert Seeterlin • Mary Barghahn • Paul Greenawalt • Jon Knapp • Eric Lindemier |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
