Zuki Ellis
Zuki Ellis was an at-large member of the Saint Paul Board of Education in Minnesota. She assumed office in 2015. She left office on December 31, 2023.
Ellis ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Saint Paul Board of Education in Minnesota. She lost in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Biography
Zuki Ellis resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ellis graduated from Highland Park Senior High School and earned her bachelor's degree in ethnic studies and social science from Metropolitan State University in 2011. Her career experience includes working as a parent trainer with the St. Paul Federation of Teachers Parent Teacher Home Visit Project.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carlo Franco (Nonpartisan)  | 20.6 | 26,893 |
| ✔ | Chauntyll Allen (Nonpartisan) | 19.0 | 24,816 | |
| ✔ |  | Erica Valliant (Nonpartisan) | 16.9 | 22,084 |
| ✔ |  | Yusef Carrillo (Nonpartisan) | 16.8 | 21,977 |
 | Zuki Ellis (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 17,979 | |
| Gita Rijal Zeitler (Nonpartisan) | 7.6 | 9,900 | ||
| Abdi Omer (Nonpartisan) | 4.4 | 5,691 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 1,246 | ||
| Total votes: 130,586 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ellis received the following endorsements.
- State Sen. Erin Murphy (D)
- State Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten (D)
- State Rep. Kaohly Her (D)
- State Rep. Athena Hollins (D)
- Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter III
- Saint Paul Sch. Brd. Memb. Jeanelle Foster (Nonpartisan)
- St. Paul Sch. Brd. Memb. Halla Henderson (Nonpartisan)
- Saint Paul City Cncl. Memb. Mitra Jalali (Nonpartisan)
- Ramsey County Commissioner Trista Martinson (Nonpartisan)
- Saint Paul Sch. Brd. Memb. Jim Vue (Nonpartisan)
- Stonewall Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
- AFSCME Minnesota Council 5
- OutFront Minnesota Action
- Women Winning
2022
See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota State Senate District 65
Incumbent Sandra Pappas defeated Paul Holmgren in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 65 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sandra Pappas (D) | 80.1 | 20,228 |
 | Paul Holmgren (R) | 19.6 | 4,960 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 58 | ||
| Total votes: 25,246 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 65
Incumbent Sandra Pappas defeated Sheigh Freeberg and Zuki Ellis in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 65 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sandra Pappas | 65.6 | 4,842 |
 | Sheigh Freeberg | 22.6 | 1,672 | |
| Zuki Ellis | 11.8 | 872 | |
| Total votes: 7,386 | |||
| = 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 primary election
Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 65
Paul Holmgren advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 65 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Holmgren | 100.0 | 931 |
| Total votes: 931 | |||
| = 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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Campaign finance
2019
See also: Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Saint Paul Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Marchese (Nonpartisan) | 17.1 | 23,845 |
| ✔ | | Zuki Ellis (Nonpartisan) | 17.0 | 23,753 |
| ✔ |  | Jessica Kopp (Nonpartisan) | 14.3 | 20,021 |
| ✔ | Chauntyll Allen (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 19,209 | |
| Charlie Castro (Nonpartisan) | 8.6 | 11,950 | ||
 | Jennifer McPherson (Nonpartisan) | 7.6 | 10,557 | |
 | Omar Syed (Nonpartisan) | 7.0 | 9,833 | |
 | Tiffany Fearing (Nonpartisan) | 5.7 | 8,024 | |
| Ryan Williams (Nonpartisan) | 5.0 | 6,920 | ||
| Elijah Norris-Holliday (Nonpartisan) | 3.1 | 4,325 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 1,147 | ||
| Total votes: 139,584 | |||
| = 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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2015
The election in Saint Paul featured four of the seven seats on the board up for at-large general election on November 3, 2015.
The seats of incumbents Anne Carroll, Mary Doran, Keith Hardy, and Louise Seeba were up for election. Hardy, who was the only incumbent who filed for re-election, faced challengers Aaron Anthony Benner, Greg Copeland, Zuki Ellis, Linda Freeman, Steve Marchese, Scott Raskiewicz, Jon Schumacher, and Mary Vanderwert for the four at-large seats.
Ellis, Marchese, Schumacher, and Vanderwert won the four seats. All four were endorsed by the Saint Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and they campaigned together as an unofficial candidate slate.[2]
Benner informally ended his campaign on September 16, 2015, but he still appeared on the ballot since the formal withdrawal deadline was August 13, 2015. He stated that if he had won, he would not take office. Copeland previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board in 2013.
Results
| Saint Paul Public Schools, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mary Vanderwert |
20.3% | 17,777 |
| Zuki Ellis |
17.4% | 15,290 |
| Jon Schumacher |
16.7% | 14,652 |
| Steve Marchese |
16.6% | 14,524 |
| Keith Hardy Incumbent | 9.7% | 8,548 |
| Linda Freeman | 6.7% | 5,914 |
| Greg Copeland | 5.1% | 4,468 |
| Scott Raskiewicz | 3.2% | 2,810 |
| Aaron Anthony Benner | 3.0% | 2,660 |
| Write-in votes | 1.19% | 1,047 |
| Total Votes | 87,690 | |
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Local Results in Ramsey County," accessed November 4, 2015 These election results are not official and will be updated when certified results are available. You can submit certified results by contacting us. |
||
Funding
Ellis reported $13,755.00 in contributions and $11,212.29 in expenditures to the Ramsey County Election Office, which left her campaign with $2,542.71 on hand during the election.[3]
Endorsements
Ellis received endorsements from the Saint Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, DFL Feminist Caucus, womenwinning, Stonewall DFL, Saint Paul Federation of Teachers Local 28, Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Minnesota Council 5 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 110.[4]
Campaign themes
2023
Zuki Ellis did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Ellis completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
2022
Zuki Ellis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Zuki Ellis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Ellis completed a survey conducted by the Pioneer Press:
| “ | Why are you qualified to hold this office?
I've been involved with SPPS for over a decade as a mother of three SPPS students, and as a volunteer with PTOs, site councils, and the Parent Teacher Home Visit project. I've built strong relationships with our district's families, teachers, and community, and want to use those relationships to make sure everyone invested in our schools feels heard and engaged by their school board. What will be your top priorities if elected? My top three priorities are staffing levels, special education and improving the district's communication with the community. We need to make sure we have enough support staff (EAs, TAs, ELL/Special Education staff) in our schools so all of our children have the resources to succeed. We also need to be better about seeking community input on major decisions like mainstreaming and the iPad rollout.[5] |
” |
| —Pioneer Press survey (2015)[6] | ||
Candidate website
Ellis published the following on her campaign website:
| “ | Why I'm Running
I am running because, as a parent, I feel that the current Board is not acknowledging or listening to the concerns of families and the community. I’ve been an advocate, organizer and an ally for our teachers and our support staff within the district ; and I know the power of listening to students, the community, parents, teachers, and how beneficial it can be for everyone when all parties have a seat at the table. My Positions Describe how you would or do manage the superintendent? Just as the Board itself must be accountable as elected officials, I will hold the superintendent accountable to the Board and to the community at large. I want her to be more open about the data and analysis she uses to justify the decisions she makes, and how those decision affect every student within the St. Paul School District Describe three programs or policies of St. Paul Public Schools that you are proud of? I’m proud that we have the parent-teacher home visit project, and how it has increased the connection between teacher, student and families. I’m also very proud of the recent passing of the Gender Inclusion policy. Hopefully, as a sitting member of the School Board I will be able to add one more program that the citizens of St. Paul and I can hold up as a model for the rest of the state. Describe three programs or policies of St. Paul Public Schools that could be improved? I believe the rollout and integration of the the iPad program could have been managed a little better with a clear focus on how community dollars would be spent on this program. Another program I believe could have been implemented better is the “mainstreaming” of ELL and Special Education students, done without either enough supports in place for our students to succeed or for our teachers in classrooms. The third concern I would address is not really a program but I would work to focus the board to better communication and transparency with families, educators, students, and the community to a much higher degree than is currently displayed by the school board. Do you support the current practice of mainstreaming special education students? Why or why not? For both Special Education and ELL students, the word “mainstreaming” has been used to disguise blatant neglect for individual student progress, and I cannot support the way it has been carried out. By cutting entire programs for the sake of “mainstreaming” students, without any regard for the needs of individual students, the district has shown a total disregard for those students' potential to succeed. (They're called Individual Education Plans for a reason.) By providing additional support staff in the classroom, we can make steps toward making sure students are still getting the individual attention they need and deserve, and that our teachers are able to fully address the needs of all students. I am trained as a parent leader volunteer by PACER, and will bring my own experiences and expertise in working on and building individualized education programs to the table, as well as devoting time, energy, and resources to ensure that all students are fully supported in the classroom. Do you support the current practice of mainstreaming ELL students? Why or why not? I don’t support the integration of ELL students into the larger classroom in the way it has been executed district wide . We need to be looking at the effectiveness of this program based on the needs of individual students. We need to support students by meeting them where they are at in their educational journey, not where it would be convenient for them to be placed. Frankly, if we can't do that, we're intentionally neglecting the students in our district in a profound way. In June of 2013, the school district signed an $8.2 million/year contract with Apple to provide iPads to all St. Paul students. Do you believe this program has improved students’ educational opportunities and has been a good use of resources? Why or why not? This approach has not been the best use of our resources. We don’t have the capacity to sustain this program -- the continued maintenance and repairs on the iPads themselves, or for proper training for their use and integration into the classroom for teachers and support staff. I think without a concrete plan, training and integration the iPads should be optional for teachers, not mandatory. How do you feel about the extension of the superintendent’s contract? I am troubled that Ms. Silva’s contract was extended considering her work performance was average and she will recieve a sizable bonus as well. She’s completely unapologetic about everything she does, even when plans have failed or gone wrong, or have unintended effects that directly impact classroom learning; it is chalked up to a “rough year.” Staff morale is low, we are losing families and experienced educators from our district, this needs to addressed and corrected as soon as possible. In my interactions with her as a Board member, I hope to at least be able to make her more accountable to and communicative with our community. What qualifications are important for a St. Paul Public Schools superintendent to possess? The most basic qualification for a superintendent of public schools is that they don’t see the school system a corporation. A superintendent should have a vision as to how we can use all the tools of our modern society in a proactive way. We don’t need someone who thinks of themselves and refers to themselves as a CEO. Our district does not need a person who disrespects our students and teachers with private sector language like “human capital” and “market shares.” We need someone who is willing to listen before they take action, who accepts input from the public. We are a public school district. We need someone who is able to acknowledge when they are wrong and have the courage to stand up and be held accountable. Do you support the current discipline policy or lack thereof? Why or why not? There is no discipline policy. If there is, where is it written down? What does it look like? Why don’t I, as a parent of a current student, have a copy of it? There’s been no consistency of discipline in the schools. Students are met with either no action or a complete overreaction depending on ones location within the district. We need to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to disciplinary issues. We need a full-time social worker in every school, rather than a few spread thin throughout the whole district. Discipline policies should be written down, provided to students and parents in hard copy. We should invest more time in the home visit project and the stronger interpersonal connection it can create between teachers, students and families. I have personally seen a deeper level of trust built in these relationships between teachers and parents through this project. The “Strong Schools, Strong Communities 2.0” strategic plan, proposed by Valeria Silva, was approved by the board on March 18, 2014. Do you believe this plan has overall been a success or failure, and why? This plan has most certainly not been a success, as stated in a recent interview in the (April) Villager. Superintendent Silva admitted that challenges have hampered the plan (2013-2014). A dramatic resegregation of schools, obvious with a glance at the district map, builds neither stronger schools nor communities. This plan is an example of how ineffective Superintendent Silva has been and of her blatant refusal to listen and be receptive to the taxpayers of St. Paul in a truly ethical way. Over the last several years, district wide busing has been drastically reduced. Do you support this policy? Why or why not? Although a district should always be open to ways to reduce or eliminate costs for the citizens of St. Paul,I absolutely do not support this policy. The cuts in districtwide bussing have been a huge factor in the resegregation of the district mentioned above. It’s a policy that seems to be designed to prevent people from seeking out schools that could better meet their child’s needs, by limiting the choices by area they are in by drastically reducing their education options. The implementation of this policy has not been implemented in a fair and balanced way, the current process disproportionately impacts students from low-income families who may have no other way of getting to school other than by District bus. How will you prioritize budget items? Because of the way in which the last referendum was spent, I believe it’s going to be hard to advocate for additional money from St Paul taxpayers, which means we will have to be stricter with our budgeting priorities. I will make sure that we’re not wasting resources on administrative overhead, and are instead spending District dollars where they need to be targeted most, in the classroom. This means prioritizing the safety and maintenance of our facilities, and on resources for the classroom and the district at large. Not only material resources, but on having trained librarians and nurses in every school, a full-time social worker in every school. I also put great importance on reducing class sizes and adding support for teachers with large classes. Additionally, the district should be examining ways to build partnerships with local businesses, and to focus on programs that give students needed skills for success in and opportunities for both future jobs and higher education.[5] |
” |
| —Zuki Ellis campaign website (2015)[1] | ||
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zuki Ellis for School Board, "About," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Ellis, Marchese, Schumacher, Vanderwert: We're of varied background and opinion, and we'll keep doing our homework," April 25, 2015
- ↑ Ramsey County Election Office, "Campaign Finance Reports - 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
- ↑ Zuki Ellis for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed October 19, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Your 2015 Pioneer Press voter's guide," October 9, 2015
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