Last Saturday, the Republicans and Democrats held their state conventions to nominate candidates for state offices other than Governor. Between them, the two major parties nominated four candidates from Washtenaw County. Three of them were for the University of Michigan Board of Regents. The fourth Washtenaw County resident on a major party ticket was Eileen Weiser of Ann Arbor, who the Michigan Republican Party nominated for one of two positions on the State Board of Education. The Republicans also elevated Dr. Richard Zeile of Detroit to fill out their ticket.

To oppose Weiser and Zeile, the Michigan Democratic Party nominated incumbent Liz Bauer of Birmingham and Lupe Ramos-Montigny of Grand Rapids.

Joining the four major party candidates on the ballot are six minor party candidates, two each from the Green, Libertarian, and U.S. Taxpayer parties, for a total of ten.

Major Party Candidates

Weiser was elected to the State Board of Education in 1998 and served until 2006. She is currently serving a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board, a position she first held during 2003-2007 and was then reappointed to in 2008. Weiser also served from 1998 to 2001 as the executive director of the McKinley Foundation, a public community foundation founded in 1984 by her and her husband Ronald Weiser, a former Ambassador to Slovakia and current chair of the Michigan Republican Party. In 2007, she was appointed by the State Supreme Court to its Attorney Discipline Board and by the State Board of Education as Chair of its Professional Standards Commission for Teachers. She holds a Bachelors of Music from Michigan State University and a Masters of Music from the University of Michigan.

Like Weiser, Zeile is no stranger to elections for the State Board of Education, having run and lost for one of the two positions open in 2008. He also ran for state representative in 2002 and 2004, losing both times. While a theology student at Harvard University, he served on the Boston Electoral Commission during 1983-1984. He served as President of Woodward Academy and help organize Old Redford Academy. Zeile has a long string of degrees, including a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard, an M.A. in Education from the University of Michigan, a Specialist certificate in Educational Administration from Wayne State, and a Doctor of Theology from Detroit Ecumenical Seminary. He is currently Pastor and Headmaster of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Taylor.

Bauer currently serves on the State Board of Education, having been elected in 2002. She is also a self-employed international consultant in human rights and civil society, and a former executive director of the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. She holds a Bachelor's degree in religions from Mount Holyoke College, graduate studies in speech pathology at University of Minnesota, Master's degree in education for exceptional children at Ohio State University, and doctoral studies in education administration from Michigan State University.

Ramos-Montigny is a retired teacher. She was the Kent County Democratic Party Chair 2003-2004 and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. She currently serves as Second Vice-Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. She has an education degree from Grand Valley State University.

Minor Party Candidates

The Michigan Greens nominated Latham Redding of Detroit and Mary T. Wood of Warren. What little has been written about Redding shows more of an interest in environmental than educational issues, but Wood has been monitoring charter schools since 1999 and has been going to State School Board meetings since 2008 to raise issues regarding charter schools.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan's candidates are Bill Hall of Rockford and Dick Gach, formerly of Bloomfield Hills and now from Southfield.

This is Hall's second time around running for this position, as he was one of the Libertarians' candidates in 2008. Hall is a partner in Warner Norcross & Judd, one of Michigan's largest private law firms, specializing in real estate and election law. He was a Boy Scout leader for more than 14 years. He has a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and also attended Wabash College.

Gach is also no stranger to the Michigan ballot, having run as the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan in 1996, 1998, and 2000 in the 11th District seat, 2002 in the 12th District seat, and 2006 in the 8th District.

Running on the U.S. Taxpayers Party (UST) ticket are Karen Adams of Lake Odessa and Ron Monroe of Clarkston.

This is Adams' second time running for the State Board of Education, having been the UST candidate in 2008. She also ran for the University of Michigan Board of Trustees in 2006. She has a Bachelor's degree in religious education from Reform Bible College and homeschools her children.

This year is also Ron Monroe's second crack at this office, having run for it in 2002. He also ran for Oakland County Commissioner in 2008.