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Kim Hamilton and Mattie Thompson recall, Saginaw Public Schools, Michigan (2018)
| Saginaw Public School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Mattie Thompson |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Kim Hamilton and Mattie Thompson from their positions on the Saginaw Public Schools school board in Michigan did not go to a vote in 2018. Recall supporters said they were concerned with the board's 4-2 vote to not renew Superintendent Nathaniel McClain's contract on March 21, 2018. In response to the recall effort, Hamilton said, "I'm a board member who was elected to the board to make a difference in our kid's education. The decision that I made was for me keeping students first."[1][2][3]
Hamilton won a six-year term on the board in the general election on November 8, 2016.[4] Thompson won a six-year term on the board on November 4, 2014.[5] Two previous attempts to recall the two board members in 2018 did not go to a vote as the recall petitions were rejected by the county election commission in clarity hearings.[6][7]
Recall efforts were previously started against school board members in 2009 and 2014, but the efforts did not make it to the ballot. Hamilton and Thompson were not targets of those recall efforts.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Stephanie Cureton, a resident of Saginaw.[1][3] She said the board's vote to not renew McClain's contract and to rescind his previous contract extension was the reason she started the recall effort. She said the vote caused instability in the district.[2]
Recall opponents
In reaction to the third petition's approval for circulation, Hamilton said he would continue to do his job.[2]
| “ | We can't have it both ways. We can't want change and want things better and when those things happen we face recalls.
I'm a board member who was elected to the board to make a difference in our kid's education. The decision that I made was for me keeping students first.[8] |
” |
| —Kim Hamilton (2017)[2] | ||
Background
Board votes to not renew superintendent's contract
Hamilton and Thompson were joined in voting to not renew McClain's contract by board President Rudy Paterson and board Vice President Jason Thompson. Board members Tamara McRae and Ruth Ann Knapp voted against the measure, and board member Joyce Seals was absent from the vote. The board did not provide a reason for the vote to not renew McClain's contract. The board also voted to rescind a one-year contract extension McClain had previously been granted. McClain continued to serve in the position through June 30, 2018. He first took on the position in August 2015.[1][2][3]
Neither Paterson nor Jason Thompson could be targeted for recall as their terms were up for election in 2018.[1] Thompson won re-election in the general election on November 6, 2018. Paterson did not run for another term on the board.[9]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
At a clarity hearing on May 7, 2018, the first recall petition against Hamilton and Thompson was not approved for circulation.[7] A second petition was filed against the two board members on May 16, 2018. That petition was rejected at a clarity hearing on June 4, 2018.[3][6] The third recall petition submitted to the county was approved for circulation on June 18, 2018.[2] The targeted board members filed appeals against the petition, but a judge ruled against those appeals on July 27, 2018, allowing the recall effort to move forward.[10]
To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect 3,779 signatures per board member in 180 days. The number of signatures was equal to 25 percent of the votes cast in the 2014 gubernatorial election in each area the board members represent.[1][3][10][11]
2018 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
A total of 33 school board recall efforts nationwide were covered by Ballotpedia in 2018. They included 74 board members. Twelve recall elections were held in 2018. The school board recall success rate was 28.4%.
Of the 12 efforts that made it to the ballot in 2018, eight were approved and the 20 targeted members were removed from office. Another two recall elections were defeated, and the targeted members kept their seats. One effort saw a mix of results: three members retained their seats, while the fourth was removed from his. Another recall election was held after the board member resigned. Her replacement was elected through the recall. The chart below details the status of 2018 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Saginaw Public School District, Michigan
- Saginaw Public Schools recall, Michigan (2014)
- Saginaw Board of Education recall, Michigan, 2009
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 MLive, "Recall petitions filed against two Saginaw school board members," April 26, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 MLive, "Recall petition approved for Saginaw school board officers," June 18, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 MLive, "Recall petitions refiled against Saginaw school board members," May 17, 2018
- ↑ MLive, "Saginaw School Board candidates featured at upcoming NAACP voter forum," October 24, 2016
- ↑ MLive, "Mattie Thompson still on Saginaw school board; other winner to be determined," November 5, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 MLive, "Recall language denied again for Saginaw school board members," June 4, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 MLive, "Recall language against Saginaw school board members not approved," May 7, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Saginaw County Clerk, "Saginaw County Results," accessed December 14, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 MLive, "Judge says recall for two Saginaw school board members can move forward," July 27, 2018
- ↑ ABC 12, "Election commission approves recall language for Saginaw school board officers," June 19, 2018
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