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Chris Waddle recall, Giltner Public Schools, Nebraska (2021-2022)
| Giltner Public Schools recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| February 15, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in Nebraska Nebraska recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
A recall election against Chris Waddle, president of the Giltner Public Schools Board of Education in Nebraska, was held on February 15, 2022.[1] A majority of voters cast ballots in favor of the recall, removing Waddle from office.[2]
The recall effort began in August 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to submit 119 signatures of school district residents to the Hamilton County Clerk's Office by October 12, 2021.[3]
Recall vote
Chris Waddle recall, 2022
Chris Waddle lost the Giltner Public Schools Board of Education recall election on February 15, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
62.1
|
167 | ||
No |
37.9
|
102 | |||
Total Votes |
269 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Jamie Bendorf, a resident of Giltner, Nebraska. On the recall petition filing form, Bendorf wrote, "Christopher Waddle doesn’t hold the best interest of the patrons in the Giltner School District."[3]
Bendorf also published the following statement about her reasons for the recall effort:[3]
| “ |
GPS has been a part of many deep family ties [...] The Village of Giltner has always been proud of that and that was never a question to begin with. Our long, strong history is what keeps kids here and brings the graduates back as they start their own families. I want all our kids to have the ability to be a part of what many of us grew up with. Filing a recall on Chris Waddle was not a decision made lightly [...] My reasons for the recall are based upon what I have been seeing at our school. I can tell you information isn’t lining up. There are more reasons becoming apparent as I am talking one on one with community members. I feel those members need to come forward and share their own stories. GPS has some of the best parents in our community and some high-quality opt-in families. But what concerns me the most is hearing about families who have left due to administration dismissing concerns, current GPS parents that are looking at other options for schooling out of district, or even worse the fact they are regretting sending their child or children here. I have personally heard each of these concerns [...] Waddle’s actions as board president have created a ripple effect in our community. Our school claims future numbers are going up, which is the cause for the need for a levy increase. One family leaving at a time won’t impact the school greatly, but how many families have to leave before it is a concern? Will it be too late to save our school if we wait and see? All I can ask for is parents to start asking questions, as well as to come to school board meetings and see if you can find the answers. I will end with this [...] Many parents across the country are frustrated with what has been happening with their kids. I recognize and understand that schools and boards have had to make some tough decisions this past year. None of us were prepared and we all are stressed with the hand we have been dealt. My husband, being on GPS board until recently, dealt first hand with the demands that were placed on schools by COVID. I saw what that did to him and the board at our local level. Remember to come to the board from an empowering perspective and not from anger. These are your community members.[4] |
” |
Recall opponents
Waddle submitted the following response to the recall petition:[3]
| “ | We have a strong administrative team, the finest teachers and staff, the highest enrollment of students in years and the district is in a good financial position for the future [...] These things happen when you have a school board with the right vision for the future. A recall under these conditions is not in the best interest of our school.[4] | ” |
Waddle also published the following statement in response to the recall effort:[3]
| “ |
Service on the board requires a member to have both the interest of the community and the district in mind as he or she votes on what is in the best interests of the school [...] Although there have been a great number of hard decisions in the past year, no single board member acts on their own. Other than working with the agenda and serving as the chair of the meetings, the school board president is not given any more authority to act than any other member has. It still takes four members before something can happen. The recent levy increase, of which all six members voted for, is tied directly to pay increases for our employees, program additions to our school and building back our reserve [...] Our teachers had fallen behind in pay compared to our peers and the law required us to act. We have some of the finest staff in the state and it is only right they are paid what they are worth. Additional programming such as web design, agriculture and others are initiatives asked for by our students and patrons and we have listened and acted. We are a very well-managed school led by Mr. Mumm and he has been a great addition to our team. Our board has made good decisions for the school and it has been my privilege to serve as the president and work with these individuals who bring their own perspectives and work collaboratively to solve issues to make our school better,” he concluded. “Our school is positioned well for the future. Our enrollment is the highest it has been in years and we truly are the school of choice in our area. The board welcomes any interested parties to attend our meetings and see the work we are doing.[4] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nebraska
The recall effort began when paperwork was filed on August 13, 2021. Waddle had 20 days to submit a response to the recall petition. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to submit 119 signatures of school district residents to the Hamilton County Clerk's Office by October 12, 2021. The number of signatures was equal to 35% of votes that were cast for the person who received the highest number of votes in the last election for the office.[3]
Recall supporters filed petition signatures by the deadline. The county clerk's office had 15 business days to verify the signatures.[5] The county clerk's office verified enough signatures to put the recall on the ballot. The board of education had 21 days to schedule the recall election.[6]
2022 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 54 school board recall efforts against 123 board members in 2022. Recall elections against school board members were held on January 11, 2022, January 18, 2022, January 24, 2022, February 15, 2022, March 29, 2022, April 4, 2022, and November 8, 2022. The school board recall success rate was 7.3%.
The chart below details the status of 2022 recall efforts by individual school board member.
2021 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.
The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Giltner Public Schools, Nebraska
- Recall campaigns in Nebraska
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Giltner Public Schools, "November 23, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Special Board of Education Meeting Minutes," accessed December 6, 2021
- ↑ Hamilton County Clerk, "Special Recall Election 02/15/2022," accessed February 16, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Aurora News-Register, "Giltner School Board president target of recall petition," September 21, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Hamilton County Clerk Jill M. DeMers," October 13, 2021
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Hamilton County Clerk Jill M. DeMers," November 4, 2021
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