Conflicts of Interest—AAPS School Board Candidates

by P.D. Lesko

Please Note: I am acquainted with Hunter Van Valkenburgh, as well as his wife Aina Bernier.  Monica Harrold, the wife of Board of Education candidate Jeffrey Harrold, was the principal at Northside Elementary, which my kids attended.

THERE ARE TWO candidates running for the Ann Arbor Board of Education whose spouses are employed by the Ann Arbor Public Schools. On the one hand, it’s easy to view such candidates as people who see the nature of the beast from an unique vantage point. Who better to understand what it’s like to teach in the district than a teacher or administrator? A teacher or administrator’s spouse would, then, potentially benefit from her/his spouse’s perspective and insight.

Now, what if such a candidate’s top priority is to “direct resources to teachers and support staff to educate students, rather than wasting time and money with redundant testing?” In other words, this candidate proposes to allocate more money to teachers, including her/his own spouse. In reality, no Board of Education member could, ethically, vote to send more money her/his own way, albeit indirectly.

Could such a Board of Education member ever be truly objective in a negotiation in which teacher salary or benefit concessions were on the table? The teachers’ contract is the responsibility, ultimately, of the Board of Education, as is the contract between the AAPS and its Superintendent. Over the past half a dozen years, the AAPS Board of Education has asked teachers for concessions in order to make ends meet. Could any Board of Education member be objective about slashing her/his own family’s income? I don’t believe so.

Unlike candidate Hunter Van Valkenburgh, Jeffrey Harrold’s campaign platform isn’t focused on “resources.” Rather, Harrold is interested in the discipline gap. He wants to “work to reduce suspensions by making restorative justice the first choice when a student has harmed the community.” Harrold’s wife, Monica, was the principal of Northside Elementary. Under Harrold’s tenure, enrollment fell. Northside is one of half a dozen elementary schools in the district in which fewer than 10 percent of students have scored advanced in MEAP-tested subjects since 2009.

While Mr. Harrold’s campaign website makes it clear he is concerned about the discipline gap, his platform is silent on the district’s long-standing achievement gap—a gap that was pronounced at the elementary school overseen by his spouse. While his spouse isn’t a teacher, Mr. Harrold, if elected, would still be put in the position of allocating resources and making cuts that could, potentially, impact his own family’s income.

Shaping the budget, in fact, is one of the most important responsibilities the members of the Board of Education have. Neither Van Valkenburgh or Harrold would, ethically, be able to engage in shaping the district’s budget. They would face withering and justified criticism and pointed questions from the public if they attempted to vote on the district’s budget. Why? For starters, the majority of the money allocated and spent each year funds AAPS employee salaries and benefits.

I have to say how very important it is that there are contested elections. Board of Education members are unpaid and, in many ways, under-appreciated for the dedication they bring to these volunteer positions. Hunter Van Valkenburgh and Jeffrey Harrold are running for high-minded reasons; they want to make the AAPS a better place for the students, parents, teachers and staff. However, to date, no one in the media has questioned or challenged these two candidates about their respective conflicts of interest.