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Fairfax Elementary School District recall, California (2021)
| Fairfax Elementary School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Alma Rios Jose Luis Tapia |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall three of the five members of the Fairfax Elementary School District board of trustees did not go to a vote in 2021. Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the submission deadline.[1]
The recall effort began in May 2021. Palmer Moland, Alma Rios, and Jose Luis Tapia were named in the notices of intent to recall.[2][3] To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to submit petitions with 1,451 signatures by September 26, 2021.[1][4]
Recall supporters accused Moland, Rios, and Tapia of "poor leadership, self-interest and vengeful behavior." All three board members declined to comment on the recall effort.[2]
Moland and Rios both won four-year terms on the board on November 6, 2018, and Tapia won a four-year term on the board on November 3, 2020.
Recall supporters
Javier Moreno, a former board member, helped lead the recall effort.[2] Moreno lost his bid for re-election in the same 2020 election in which Tapia was elected. Moreno came in third in the at-large election to elect two board members.[5]
Moreno announced the effort at a board meeting on May 4, 2021, saying:[2]
| “ | In a matter of four months, this board has eroded the progress made all because of poor leadership, self-interest and vengeful behavior. Rather than listen to the concerns of the people who voted you in and the suggestions of those in the classroom who are doing the real work, board members Tapia, Moland and Rios continue to ignore the concerns of the community.[6] | ” |
Recall opponents
All three board members declined to comment on the recall effort. Moland did say he was working well with interim Superintendent Lora Brown. Brown stepped into the role after Michael Coleman's retirement in April 2021. "We are working together really well," Moland said. "We met for a couple hours and went over the agenda."[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recall supporters served the three board members notices of intent to recall on May 4, 2021.[2] The county approved the notice and the petitions, allowing recall supporters to circulate petitions. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to submit petitions with 1,451 signatures by September 26, 2021.[1][4]
About the district
Fairfax Elementary School District is located in Kern County, California. It is classified as a large suburban school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 2,682 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised four schools.[7]
During the 2018-2019 school year, 89.0% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 36.4% were English language learners, and 10.6% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[8]
| Racial Demographics, 2018-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Fairfax Elementary School District (%) | California K-12 students (%) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.9 | 11.7 |
| Black | 3.4 | 5.4 |
| Hispanic | 87.4 | 54.6 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | N/A | 0.5 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| White | 4.6 | 22.9 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
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
- Fairfax Elementary School District, California
- Fairfax Elementary School District, California, elections (2020)
- Fairfax Elementary School District elections (2018)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bakersfield Californian, "Petition to recall Fairfax school board members fails," September 24, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Bakersfield.com, "Three Fairfax School Board members, including board president, served recall notices," May 7, 2021
- ↑ Fairfax School District, "Board of Trustees," accessed June 1, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Laura M. Cantu, Division Chief, County Clerk - Elections, Kern County Auditor-Controller-County Clerk," July 1, 2021
- ↑ Kern County Elections, "November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election Official Final Results," accessed June 1, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
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