Susan Spelker
Susan Spelker was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Huron Valley Schools school board in Michigan. Spelker was defeated in the at-large general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Spelker earned her master's degree from the University of Michigan.[1]
Elections
2016
- See also: Huron Valley Schools elections (2016)
Four of the seven seats on the Huron Valley Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Jeffrey Long was the lone incumbent to file for re-election as Bonnie Brown, Lisa Blackwell, and Beth Lewis opted not to seek new terms. Long shared the ballot with challengers Julie Conn, Michael Mantua, Jim Pearson, Denise Pistana, Susan Spelker, Jeff Stander, Thomas Wiseman, and Sherry Zylka. Long, Pistana, Pearson, and Wiseman won in the general election.[2]
Results
| Huron Valley Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jeffrey Long Incumbent |
16.53% | 10,350 |
| Denise Pistana |
14.38% | 9,006 |
| Jim Pearson |
14.02% | 8,782 |
| Thomas Wiseman |
11.39% | 7,130 |
| Julie Conn | 10.58% | 6,625 |
| Sherry Zylka | 10.35% | 6,482 |
| Jeff Stander | 9.18% | 5,748 |
| Susan Spelker | 8.28% | 5,188 |
| Michael Mantua | 4.96% | 3,103 |
| Write-in votes | 0.33% | 209 |
| Total Votes | 62,623 | |
| 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 $4,450.00 and spent a total of $4,210.96 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Long (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Julie Conn | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Michael Mantua | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jim Pearson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Denise Pistana | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Susan Spelker | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jeff Stander | $1,875.00 | $1,716.27 | $158.73 |
| Thomas Wiseman | $2,575.00 | $2,494.69 | $80.31 |
| Sherry Zylka | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Susan Spelker 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 August 25, 2016:
| “ | I hope to get a millage passed that would generously fund our district.[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 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Right now it is imperative that we handle our district's budget.[7] | ” |
| —Susan Spelker (August 25, 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. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. I do not favor standardized testing. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I am not in favor of common core. |
| 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? |
| Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. all the teachers in our district have made concessions and each and every one of them deserves more than they are currently receiving. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Our district provides excellent education in a safe and nurturing environment. There is no need for private schools, other than individual interests. The state should keep its funding in the public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Unfortunately in extreme instances expulsion is necessary to keep every one safe. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers The teacher is the cornerstone of the class room. |
Additional themes
Spelker provided the following response to the League of Women Voters Oakland Area regarding her top three priorities for the district:
| “ |
Currently our board faces the same concerns most districts are facing. We are confronted with fiscal concerns, we are striving to maximize efficient use of resources, and must uphold and improve educational outcomes. As a board member I would do all a board member can. This is not an individual office, but rather a board where I will represent the community collaboratively, proactively in the interest of improving our district.[1][7] |
” |
| —Susan Spelker (2016) | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Susan Spelker Huron Valley Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 League of Women Voters Oakland Area, "Voter Guide - November General Election," accessed October 25, 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, "Susan Spelker's responses," August 25, 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.
| 2016 Huron Valley Schools Elections | |
| Oakland County, Michigan | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Jeffrey Long • Julie Conn • Michael Mantua • Jim Pearson • Denise Pistana • Susan Spelker • Jeff Stander • Thomas Wiseman • Sherry Zylka |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
