Roland Zullo

Roland Zullo

Education

Graduate

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Ph.D

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Personal

Profession

Research scientist

Contact

Personal website

Roland Zullo 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. Roland Zullo lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

Biography

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Roland Zullo is a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Zullo earned his Ph.D. in labor relations from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is employed as an associate research scientist with the University of Michigan. He specializes in labor-management relations and governmental operations. Both of his children are enrolled in Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Elections

2014

See also: Ann Arbor Public Schools 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. 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

Ann Arbor Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014

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

Zullo did not report any contributions or expenditures during the election, according to the Washtenaw County Elections Division. 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.

Endorsements

Zullo received endorsements from the Ann Arbor Education Association, the Huron Valley Central Labor Council and the Washtenaw Community Action Team.

Campaign themes

2014

Zullo published his platform on his campaign website:

“	Once elected as a member of the Ann Arbor Public School Board, I pledge to: Apply my expertise in labor relations to build trust between teachers, support staff, and the administration. In the last round of contract negotiations, the teachers were presented with an ultimatum: accept a wage freeze or lose your contract. This bargaining tactic is used to undermine the legitimacy of a labor union, and only sows discontent among employees. We can do better. Use my research skills to evaluate administrative decisions and strategy. One area of debate in education is whether standardized tests accurately measure student growth, and whether “high stakes” testing is effective. We need to decide how and when to test our students in order to judge teachers or schools. We should explore a strategy of minimizing the emphasis on standard tests in order to devote more resources to the classroom. Creatively find solutions to the fiscal crisis imposed by the State of Michigan. For example, last spring I co-authored a proposal to retain the AAPS custodians by helping them create an employee-owned company. Our plan would have saved the district an estimated $1.4 million, while sustaining decent wages and health care benefits for the custodial staff. Sadly, in June, the Board voted 5 to 2 to reject our proposal. It is not enough to claim we are exceptional – we must be exceptional.	”
—Roland Zullo campaign website (2014)

What was at stake?

Issues in the election

Whitmore Lake Public Schools annexation

The November 4, 2014, ballot included a ballot question regarding whether Ann Arbor Public Schools should annex Whitmore Lake Public Schools. Although the ballot question passed in Whitmore Lake, it did not pass in Ann Arbor and was therefore unsuccessful.

If passed, the annexation would have taken place on July 1, 2015. Annexation would have entailed the Ann Arbor district taking on Whitmore Lake's nearly 1,000 students, three school facilities and $60 million in debt. Ann Arbor Public Schools had approximately $175 million in debt and the two figures would have been combined. The increase in Ann Arbor's student enrollment would have resulted in approximately $1.8 million more in annual state funding for the district. The property tax for Ann Arbor residents would have risen by 0.25 mill, but the property tax for Whitmore Lake residents would have fallen by 0.37 mill.

All 10 candidates who ran for school board answered an Mlive survey regarding their position on the proposed annexation. Five candidates opposed the proposal, four candidates supported it and one candidate did not take a position.

Positions on annexation
Candidate	Position on annexation	Explanation
Susan Baskett	Oppose	"I was opposed to it before when we voted, and I'm still opposed to it. There doesn't seem to be much of a benefit to Ann Arbor children and their families."
Christine Stead	Support	"This is an opportunity to grow, maintain high quality education and make AAPS stronger. If the state can address the foundation allowance issue, this will be a very compelling opportunity for Ann Arbor and Whitmore Lake to become one district, yet again. I am for this. It's an opportunity to get new buildings in the cheapest possible way. It makes a lot of sense."
Jeffery Harrold	Oppose	"I am not in favor of the Whitmore Lake annexation, as there are too many unanswered questions at this time. We don't know what our new foundation grant will be and we don't know how existing special education services will be impacted by the annexation. There are also no guarantees that we will receive the applied for state grant to help cover the cost of annexation. The only thing that seems certain is that taxes will increase for current AAPS taxpayers while they will decrease for Whitmore Lake residents."
Donna Lasinski	Support	"The first responsibility of a trustee on the Ann Arbor School Board of Education is to the students of Ann Arbor. [...] The annexation of Whitmore Lake Public Schools, with the current legislation in place, offers an opportunity for our students to come out a little bit ahead financially in the short run and to expand program choice and financial opportunities in the medium to long run. However, there are legislative risks and population growth risk that could significantly impact the long-term benefits."
Patricia Ashford Manley	Oppose	"Against because I do not see any benefit for our district except the possibility of a 'few' dollars. We will take on more debt, increase Ann Arbor taxes and nothing that goes for our student achievement or programs."
Jack Panitch	Support	"Beginning in several years there will be a reduction in the K-12 population, a reduction that we will have trouble surviving in our current footprint. Incorporating Whitmore Lake provides us key additional populations to draw from and gives us a fighting chance to avoid shrinking ... . Shrinking means there would be no avoiding the gut-wrenching community discussions we went through before Dr. Swift arrived. ... This is the kind of forward thinking we have to have to survive."
Deirdre Piper	Oppose	"In my opinion, the two school boards rushed to place the merger proposals on the ballot on only a wing and a prayer. Although I am a proponent of creative solutions, no one has convinced me that this is the right thing for Ann Arbor schools. There is a time to look after your own self-interest so, while this would be a boon to Whitmore Lake's problems, I cannot get beyond the fact that it will 1) raise my taxes but 2) not guarantee that my third grader will not have 29 or more kids in his class again next year."
Hunter Van Valkenburgh	Oppose	"Originally, the estimate of how much it was going to cost was close to $4 million. The state is giving us $1.4 million. I don't know where money is coming from. It will amount to a bailout of the Whitmore Lake district at a great cost to Ann Arbor. I don't think it's a wise move this year."
Don Wilkerson	Not sure	"While we don't have complete information, it appears that we have all the information that will be available when we vote. ... With this in mind, I have not fully made my voting decision, as there is a broader discussion between the communities coming, and I hope that more information will be available before I head to the polls. What I can say at this point is that I'm not opposed to annexation."
Roland Zullo	Support	"I've learned quite a bit. At first, my thoughts were a case of large wealthy district with many districts helping out a smaller, struggling neighbor. I've learned about tradeoffs. Basically, I'm for it, although what I'd like to see is the annexation not cost Ann Arbor Public Schools anything. If the state is trying to encourage consolidation, then districts that do consolidate shouldn't be penalized for it. It's somewhat conditional. I'm in favor of helping out our neighboring district."

Recent news

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Roland Zullo News Feed

See also

• Ann Arbor Public Schools, Michigan
• Ann Arbor Public Schools elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Ann Arbor Public Schools
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page