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Fix the Fundamentals

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Rochester
Is Losing
Its Lead.

Families move to Rochester for the schools. But between 2019 and 2023, Rochester students lost 0.63 grade levels in math, while similar Michigan districts lost just 0.07, and the district is spending down its savings. Here's the record, who the union wants on the board, and how Rochester gets back to the fundamentals.

See Rochester's Report Card See Your Ballot

Rochester's
Report Card.

The Education Recovery Scorecard, from researchers at Harvard and Stanford, puts every district's test results on one scale: grade levels above or below the national average. It lets us compare Rochester with the Michigan districts most like it.1

Rochester Community Schools

Grades 3–8. Grade levels above the national average, 2019 vs. 2023.

N.I.
Subject20192023Teacher's note
MathRochester lost 0.63 grade levels. Similar districts lost 0.07. +2.27grade levels +1.64grade levels Similar districts barely moved.1
ReadingRochester lost 0.28 grade levels. Similar districts lost 0.08. +2.03grade levels +1.75grade levels More than 3× the drop.1
Math, 2022 to 2023Rochester kept sliding after COVID +1.802022 +1.642023 Still falling while the state recovered.1
General fund2025–26 amended budget $48.3Mreserves, start $44.3Mreserves, end $3.96M deficit.2
Teacher's comment

Rochester used to be well ahead of districts like it. By 2023, that math lead was gone. See me.

Similar districts, as chosen by the Scorecard for size, demographics and income: Plymouth-Canton, Walled Lake, Forest Hills, Northville and Zeeland.1

The math lead that disappeared

Grades 3–8 math, grade levels above the national average

+2.4 +2.0 +1.6 2019 2022 2023 +2.27 +1.80 +1.70 +1.56 +1.64 +1.63 Rochester Similar districts
Education Recovery Scorecard, Rochester Community School District report.1 Statewide, Michigan third-grade reading fell to 38.2% proficient in 2026, the lowest on record. See Michigan's report card.

Lansing Changed the Rules.
Rochester Signed On.

In 2023, an MEA-backed law put teacher evaluations, layoffs and placement back on the bargaining table.4 A year later, the Rochester board approved a 5–2 teachers' contract with “mutually agreeable language on formerly prohibited subjects of bargaining such as teacher evaluations, layoffs and recalls” and teacher placement. The contract adds $33 million for teachers over three years.3

$33MAdded over three years in the 2024 teachers' contract.3
−0.63Grade levels Rochester students had already lost in math before that contract.1

The Union Already Picked
Most of This Board.

In 2024, Rochester's three school-employee unions jointly recommended a board slate: Barb Anness, Michelle Bueltel, Julie Alspach, Jayson Blake and Richard Kaczanowski.5 Four of them sit on the board today.6 This year the MEA recommends three more. They run together as “Rochester Forward,” calling themselves “the only REA teacher-endorsed candidates.”7

6-year term

Sherry Wynn Perdue

MEA-recommended
  • Appointed to the board in March 2026 on a 4–2 vote by the four trustees from the union's 2024 slate.8
  • In June, moved to extend the superintendent's contract through 2029, setting his 2028–29 pay at $267,500. It passed 5–2.9
6-year term

Jamie Rawcliffe

MEA-recommended
  • A favorite of the same majority in March: all four listed her for an interview, and Trustee Julie Alspach nominated her for the seat.9
  • Running alongside Wynn Perdue on the union's slate.7
Partial term, ends 2028

Laurin Gracey-Parker

MEA-recommended
  • Has never served on the Rochester board.6
  • The third member of the union's 2026 slate, running against Deanna Harless for the partial term.7

What you won't find on their campaign website

Test scoresMathSATDeficitPhonics

Rochester Forward's site, all pages, checked October 20, 2026.7

If all three win, union-recommended trustees will hold five of seven seats on the Rochester board.6

How Rochester Gets Back
to the Fundamentals.

Rochester has great teachers, involved parents and a proud record. What it needs is a board focused on the basics. Here's what will fix Rochester Community Schools.

Teach every child to read

  • Phonics-based instruction grounded in the science of reading in every Rochester elementary
  • Real reading requirements in the early grades, with interventions and safeguards before a child moves on
  • Find struggling readers early and get them to grade level

Win back the math lead

  • Measurable benchmarks in reading, writing and math, reported every year
  • Foundational skills ahead of unproven trends and experimental methods

Hold the district accountable

  • Clear performance goals Rochester parents can actually read
  • Plain-English reporting on where every dollar goes
  • Judge budgets by student results, not by how much they grew

Put parents in charge

  • More choice for families
  • Open access to curriculum, materials and classroom policies
  • A real voice for parents in board decisions

Let teachers teach

  • Less paperwork and fewer reporting requirements
  • Evidence-based methods and real recognition for great teaching
  • Safe, orderly classrooms where students can learn

Local control, not Lansing

  • Rochester's elected board, not state mandates, sets local priorities
  • High expectations, with local flexibility on how to meet them
  • Classroom resources before administrative growth

Careers, not just college

  • Skilled trades, apprenticeships and career-technical programs
  • Partnerships with Oakland County colleges and employers
  • Clear paths from high school to well-paying careers

Stop the deficit spending

  • Fund programs that show measurable gains for students
  • Cut wasteful spending and administrative costs
  • Classroom instruction and tutoring before bureaucracy

Don't abandon students with disabilities at 26

  • Keep learning, life-skills and day programs going past age cutoffs
  • Ease the burden on Rochester families and caregivers when services end

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The Fix Is on the
Back of Your Ballot.

Rochester has two school board races on the back of your ballot. Here are the candidates endorsed by the Oakland County Republican Party.10

Board Member · 6-Year Term

Vote for not more than 2

Lawrence HalushkaRCS dad of five graduates, business owner, coach
Lisa HalushkaAttorney; former school board president and superintendent

Endorsed by the Oakland County Republican Party

Board Member · Partial Term

Ends 12/31/2028 · Vote for not more than 1

Deanna HarlessRCS mom of two, former teacher, financial planner

Endorsed by the Oakland County Republican Party

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Sources

  1. Education Recovery Scorecard (Harvard CEPR / Stanford EOP), Rochester Community School District report
  2. Rochester Community Schools, 2025–26 General Fund amended budget
  3. “Rochester Community Schools approves teacher contract,” CBS Detroit, 9/3/2024
  4. House Bill 4354 of 2023 (Public Act 115); House Fiscal Agency analysis (MEA testified in support)
  5. “Rochester unions seek positive change in picking strong school board slate,” MEA Voice, 7/26/2024
  6. Rochester Community Schools, Board of Education roster; “Voters fill RCS school board seats,” C&G News, 11/6/2024
  7. “MEA announces full list of candidate recommendations for Election 2026,” MEA, 9/23/2026; RCSForward.com
  8. “Sherry Wynn Perdue joins RCS Board of Education,” C&G News, 4/7/2026; RCS Board of Education minutes, March 23, 2026
  9. Rochester Community Schools Board of Education minutes, March 9, March 23 and June 22, 2026 (March minutes attached to the April 13 agenda; June 22 minutes to the August 17 agenda; contract addendum to the June 22 agenda)
  10. Oakland County Clerk, Official Candidate List, Nov. 3, 2026 General Election; candidate biographies, LevelUpRCS.com