Del Norte County Unified School District recall, California (2020)
| Del Norte County Unified School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Angela Greenough Frank Magarino Jamie Forkner |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall four members of the Del Norte County Unified School District school board in California did not go to a vote in 2020. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect approximately 3,000 signatures per board member.[1]
The effort began in January 2020 and sought to recall board members Don McArthur, Angela Greenough, Frank Magarino, and Jamie Forkner after an impasse between the school district and the Del Norte Teachers Association over the teachers' 2019-2020 contract had gone on for 11 months.[1][2]
The Del Norte school board has a total of five seats, but one seat was vacant when the recall effort began. Former member Roger Daley resigned in January 2020. Magarino's seat was set to be on the ballot on November 3, 2020. The seats of the other three members were on the ballot in 2022.[1]
A recall effort was also started against Del Norte County Superintendent of Schools Jeff Harris. Click here to read more about that recall effort.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Mike Mealue, a former teacher in the school district. Mealue said he did not want to go through with the recall, but he said he started it because the district's reserve budget might have been the largest he had ever seen. The district had a reserve budget of 9%. At the time of the recall effort, the state required school districts to have a reserve of 3%, according to Mealue. "You need to have reserves in case of emergencies. You need to be solvent," Mealue said. "You also have to prioritize people over everything else. If you have good teachers in the classroom, students benefit."[1]
"In my opinion, the current impasse has nothing to do with money. It is about ego and power," Mealue told the board members at a school board meeting on January 9, 2020.[3]
Recall opponents
Angela Greenough responded to the recall effort.[1]
| “ | I continue to advocate for transparency in our schools and effective communication with the community, striving to ensure that all voices are heard … I strive to stay accessible in person, via phone, email, or social media. I actively listen and gather information to ensure that I make the most informed decisions, knowing that they impact our families and community.[4] | ” |
| —Angela Greenough[1] | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
The recall effort began on January 9, 2020, when Mike Mealue served notices of intent to recall to the four board members. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect approximately 3,000 signatures from registered voters in the county per board member.[1]
Due to the recall timeline, it would not have been able to be added to the 2020 primary or general election. Because of that, County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup estimated that a recall election would have cost between $40,000 and $60,000.[1]
2020 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 29 school board recall efforts against 64 board members in 2020. Four recall elections were held in 2020. The school board recall success rate was 7.8%.
The chart below details the status of 2020 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Del Norte County Unified School District, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Wild Rivers Outpost, "Former Teacher Seeks To Recall DNUSD Board, Superintendent of Schools; District States It Doesn't Have To Impose A Last, Best and Final," January 17, 2020
- ↑ Del Norte Unified School District, "About Us: School Board," accessed February 17, 2020
- ↑ Del Norte Triplicate, "School board recall threatened," January 17, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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