Kimberly Moran and Melissa Zuidema recall, Litchfield Elementary School District, Arizona (2021)
| Litchfield Elementary School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Melissa Zuidema |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Arizona Arizona recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall two of the five members of the Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board in Arizona did not go to a vote in 2021. Kimberly Moran and Melissa Zuidema were named in the recall petitions. Both petitions failed to qualify for the ballot.[1]
To get the recalls on the ballot, supporters would have had to file petitions with 6,856 signatures per board member. The petition against Zuidema had to be filed by August 27, 2021, and the petitions against Moran had to be filed by September 1, 2021.[2][3]
The recall effort started after the board voted to approve an equity statement in December 2020. The statement outlined how the district's administration could make the district more inclusive and successful, according to The Arizona Republic. After the vote, board member A. Jeremy Hoenack sent emails to district parents and community members, accusing his fellow board members of adopting Critical Race Theory.[4] Groups of community members who opposed and supported the district's equity statement and goals attended school board meetings throughout March and April 2021. In April 2021, the district announced it would revise its equity goals and seek feedback through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.[5]
Moran was automatically re-elected to a four-year term on the board in 2018. No one else filed to run for the seat, so the election was canceled. Zuidema was first elected to the board in a special election for a two-year term in 2018. She defeated incumbent Sean Husmoe with 56.7% of the vote. She won re-election to a four-year term in an at-large race for three seats on November 3, 2020.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Renee Card and Ryan Owens, parents of students in the district.[6] Card said she was opposed to the district's equity goals. "The problem that we have is trying to predetermine an equal outcome without equal opportunities," Card said.[5]
Arguments for recall against Moran
The application for a recall petition against Moran contained the following grounds:[7]
| “ |
The voters of Litchfield Elementary School District seek to recall governing board member Kimberly Moran for openly violating her legal obligations as prescribed in the following statues: 15-341. A2, A5 and 38-431.02 (H) Her open defiance of the Arizona Open Meeting Law has placed the district in legal jeopardy. These actions are statutory and moral violations of the trust placed in her by the voters. Ms. Moran has focused her attention on inserting divisive and highly partisan concepts into the curriculum, while test scores decline. These biased and unproven partisan concepts have forced parents to disenroll their students from LESD schools because of distrust in the board decision making process. Furthermore, her blatant disrespect to the parents in the district she represents and disregard for the purpose for which she was elected is reprehensible and will continue to cause further division and potential loss of funding from declining enrollment. It is for these reasons, Kimberly Moran must be removed from office.[8] |
” |
Arguments for recall against Zuidema
The application for a recall petition against Zuidema contained the following grounds:[9]
| “ |
The voters of the Litchfield Elementary School District, in the belief that 'public education' requires the support and involvement of the public, recognize the need for change in our Governing Board to restore confidence in the education of the children in our district. We believe every child is best served by providing educational opportunities that are not limited, or serving personal agendas, but represent the best we can offer, and our talented teachers can provide. This requires the support of an engaged administration and school board that respects every child, parent, teacher, and taxpayer. The actions of Melissa Zuidema have been a violation of the trust voters placed in her to hold to the standards required in the Arizona Revised Statutes as to responsibilities of public-school board members. Her active support and attention to advancing a highly partisan and divisive curriculum into our schools, while test scores decline and enrollment numbers drop, signal a need for accountability and demonstrate the need for her removal. These actions merit the recall of Melissa Zuidema.[8] |
” |
Recall opponents
In response to the recall effort, Moran said, "It's been challenging to receive emails or feedback from parents or students or community members who have very different sources of information that they believe to be factual."[4]
Moran said she was not deterred or demoralized. "When I get the sense that the criticism is rooted in hate and ugliness, that motivates me," Moran said, "because I do not want my children to grow up with that hate and ugliness."[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona
Recall supporters filed the application for a recall petition against Zuidema on April 29, 2021. They would have had to file petitions with 6,856 signatures by August 27, 2021, to get the recall on the ballot.[2]
Recall supporters filed an initial application for a recall petition against Moran on April 27, 2021, but it was rescinded. They filed a second application on May 4, 2021, which was approved for circulation. They would have had to file petitions with 6,856 signatures by September 1, 2021, to get the recall on the ballot.[2]
About the district
Litchfield Elementary School District is located in Maricopa County, Arizona. It is classified as a mid-sized suburban school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 11,566 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 18 schools.[10]
During the 2018-2019 school year, 30.7% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 3.3% were English language learners, and 11.0% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[11]
| Racial Demographics, 2018-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Litchfield Elementary School District (%) | Arizona K-12 students (%) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.8 | 4.5 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Black | 6.8 | 5.5 |
| Hispanic | 40.8 | 45.6 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Two or More Races | 4.6 | 3.3 |
| White | 43.3 | 37.8 |
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
- Litchfield Elementary School District, Arizona
- Litchfield Elementary School District, Arizona, elections (2020)
- Litchfield Elementary School District elections (2018)
- Recall campaigns in Arizona
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Litchfield Elementary School District
- Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Recall Elections," accessed September 2, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Recall Elections," accessed June 22, 2021
- ↑ Litchfield Elementary School District, "Board Members," accessed June 22, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Arizona Republic, "School board members across Arizona under fire for mask use, 'critical race theory' accusations," June 4, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Arizona Republic, "Litchfield Elementary School District will revise equity goals after backlash from some in community," April 23, 2021
- ↑ The Arizona Republic, "Racism, recalls, open meeting law complaints: Tensions high in Phoenix-area school district," May 21, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Application for Recall Petition Serial Number: Kimberly Moran," accessed June 22, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Application for Recall Petition Serial Number: Melissa Zuidema," accessed June 22, 2021
- ↑ 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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