Grossmont Union High School District recall, California (2025)
| Grossmont Union High School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Scott Eckert from his position as the Trustee Area 2 representative on the Grossmont Union High School District board of trustees in California began in April 2025.[1][2]
The recall effort started after the board voted 4-1 to approve 61 layoff notices in February 2025. The notices included assistant and vice principal positions, credentialed teacher positions, and almost all of the district's librarian positions. The vote came in response to a $2.5 million budget deficit for the district.[1][3]
Eckert was first elected to a four-year term on the board on November 5, 2024, defeating three other opponents with 37% of the vote in the race for the open seat.
Recall supporters
Recall supporters included the following reasons for recall on their website:[4]
| “ |
Grossmont School Board Trustee Scott Eckert has failed our students and our community. Parents in La Mesa, Grossmont, and the Casa de Oro-Mt. Helix areas have lost faith in Scott Eckert. Eckert promised to serve local students, parents, and teachers on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board of Trustees. Unfortunately, Eckert’s board decisions have gutted local public schools:
The San Diego Union-Tribune has also reported that Scott Eckert benefited from fake “ghost” candidates that drew votes away from his political opponent in the 2024 election. It’s time to remove Eckert from office! The effort to recall Eckert has widespread community support, including an official endorsement from the Grossmont Education Association, which represents over 950 professional educators at nine comprehensive high schools and other programs in East County.[5] |
” |
Recall opponents
The Grossmont Union High School District released the following statement on the recall effort:[6]
| “ | The Grossmont Union High School District respects the right of our community to engage in the political process. Whether or not a recall election ultimately qualifies for the ballot, the District remains focused on its core purpose: empowering each student to build the best future by providing the highest-quality education, ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment, and delivering the resources each student needs to succeed.
That same commitment guided the recently approved plans to address the District’s long-term financial challenges and reallocate resources to meet our students' evolving needs. These actions resolved $2.2 million in projected deficits and expanded mental health support for students, among other achievements. Public agencies are prohibited from using public funds to promote a position in an election campaign. The District will comply with all legal requirements and fairly and impartially provide the community with relevant facts, including the anticipated cost of a potential recall election. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters has informed the District that a Notice of Intention to Circulate a Recall Petition has been officially filed to recall the Area 2 Trustee. This is an initial procedural step. If the recall effort qualifies for the ballot, the Registrar estimates that a special election in Area 2 would cost the District between $900,000 and $1.5 million.[5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.[7]
Recall supporters served Eckert a notice of intent to recall at a school board meeting on April 24, 2025. To get the recall on the ballot, they must collect approximately 10,000 signatures by November 17, 2025.[1][2]
2025 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia has tracked 21 school board recall efforts against 39 board members in 2025. Recall elections against three board members were approved by voters on April 22, 2025, and June 10, 2025, removing all three from office. Recall elections against two other members are being held on November 4, 2025. Recall elections against three other members are being held on November 18, 2025.
The chart below details the status of 2025 recall efforts by individual school board member.
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Grossmont Union High School District, California
- Grossmont Union High School District, California, elections
- Grossmont Union High School District, California, elections (2024)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Grossmont Union High School District
- San Diego County Registrar of Voters
- Recall the Trustees website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Voice of San Diego, "Grossmont Union Trustees Finalize Layoffs as Community Mounts Recall Effort," April 25, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Cynthia Paes, San Diego County Elections Office," September 11, 2025
- ↑ Voice of San Diego, "The Learning Curve: Grossmont Union’s Layoffs Spark Outrage," March 5, 2025
- ↑ Recall the Trustees, "Recall Scott Eckert," accessed September 12, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ CBS 8, "Leaked texts spark recall campaign against four Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees," June 29, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall Procedures Guide 2023," accessed October 16, 2023
