Tony Zani

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Tony Zani

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Transylvania University

Graduate

Utah State University

Other

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1997 - 2006

Personal

Profession

Teacher and literacy specialist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Tony Zani (independent) ran for election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 11. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Zani completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tony Zani earned a bachelor's degree from Transylvania University, a master's degree from Utah State University, and other certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. His professional experience includes working as a teacher and literacy specialist. He served in the U.S. Army from 1997 to 2006.

Elections

2020

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2020

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 11

Natalie Cline defeated Tony Zani in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 11 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natalie Cline (R)	69.0	80,720
		Tony Zani (Independent)	31.0	36,232

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 116,952
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 11

Natalie Cline defeated incumbent Mike Haynes in the Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 11 on April 25, 2020.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Mike Haynes (R)
✔		Natalie Cline (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Zani's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tony Zani completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zani's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Tony Zani is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Master's Degree in School Administration.  He has been a teacher for 20 years and currently works as a Literacy Specialist. Mr. Zani strongly believes that Utah should provide a world-class education to all of Utah's children.

As a state school board member, Tony is committed to seeking out the perspectives of all members of our community.  Transparent communication between school boards, educators, and families is critical to our students' success. Mr. Zani actively seeks out the views and needs of families and educators in District 11. Tony also ensures that families and educators know what the school board is doing on their behalf.

Tony is an Army veteran; he is committed to serving his country and community. Tony is proud of his service to our nation as a soldier and he is proud of his service to our community as a teacher. He will be proud to serve us as a member of the Utah State Board of Education.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Families and educators working together will make Utah's schools the best in the nation.
• Recruit and retain great teachers. Great teachers are a critical component of world-class schools.
• Eliminate the testing culture and excess regulations in order to pave the way for teachers to focus on great teaching.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Tony is passionate about ensuring a world-class education for all of Utah's children. We can do this by recruiting and retaining great teachers. Smaller classes, less testing, less regulation, competitive salaries, and improved access to National Board Certification are the best ways to ensure we keep great teachers in our classrooms.

Tony is passionate about the State School Board working to elevate our public school system. He wants the board to spend more time listening to families and educators. Tony wants the state board to spend more time honoring the great efforts of our students and teachers. The State School Board should spend less time creating new rules and regulations and more time elevating our students and teachers.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the hard-working students of Utah. I admire their dedication to learning and success. I look up to the knowledgeable and inspirational teachers of Utah. Our classrooms are led by great teachers; I admire the way Utah's teachers work hard to ensure our children get the best possible education. I look up to Utah's families. Utah's families are deeply dedicated to the success of our children. I admire the way we look out for each other's children and help each other's families. I admire the way we teach our children to be respectful, thoughtful, and hard-working. Utah has strong families and great teachers. Together we will ensure our schools and our classrooms can focus on great teaching and the highest levels of learning and student success.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should be open and honest in dealing with the public. We need officials that will reach out to all stakeholders and listen. School board members must listen to find out what our families, students, and educators need. School board members must be knowledgeable about best practices in education. Understanding what works in education helps school board members make the best decisions that will clear the way for teachers to focus on great teaching.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of school boards is the ensure that every child receives a great education. Every child deserves the best education we can provide. We can do this by ensuring every school is a great school. Real school choice means choosing from many great schools. The State School Board should work to reduce class sizes, reduce testing, and reduce regulations so that great teachers can focus on teaching. Our families and eductors are the heart of our education system, the school board should work to clear the path for them to do their best work. The state school board should support our families and educators, not try to regulate them.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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