Leah Lipska recall, Mount Horeb Area School District, Wisconsin (2020)

• Recall efforts
  • Recall efforts by state
  • Recall efforts by office
  • Recall efforts by year
  • Upcoming recall elections
• Local recalls
  • City council recalls
  • Mayoral recalls
  • County commission recalls
  • County official recalls
  • School board recalls
  • Sheriff recalls
  • Special district recalls
• State and federal recalls
  • State executive recalls
  • State legislator recalls
  • U.S. Congress recalls
• Laws governing recall
  • States that have pre-petition signature requirements for recalls
  • States that require grounds for recalls
• Analysis
  • What are recalls?
  • Recall terms
  • Analysis (2010-present)
  • 2025 mid-year analysis
  • 2024 year-end analysis
  • 2024 mid-year analysis
  • 2023 year-end analysis
  • 2023 mid-year analysis
  • 2022 year-end analysis
  • 2022 mid-year analysis
  • 2021 year-end analysis
  • 2021 mid-year analysis
  • 2020 year-end analysis
  • 2020 mid-year analysis
  • 2019 year-end analysis
  • 2019 mid-year analysis
  • 2018 year-end analysis
  • 2018 mid-year analysis
  • 2017 year-end analysis
  • 2017 mid-year analysis
  • 2016 year-end analysis
  • 2016 mid-year analysis

Mount Horeb Area School District recall
Officeholders
Leah Lipska
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in Wisconsin Wisconsin recall laws School board recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall Leah Lipska from her position on the seven-member Mount Horeb Area School District Board of Education in Wisconsin did not go to a vote in 2020. The effort started after the board voted 4-3 on October 5, 2020, to continue virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lipska was one of the board members who voted in favor of continuing virtual learning at that meeting, and she also voted in favor of starting the 2020-2021 school year in virtual learning before classes started. She took office in 2013.

To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.

Recall supporters

On their website, recall supporters listed the following reasons for recall:

“

Ms. Lipska failed to fulfill her duty as an elected official to represent the will of the constituents who voted for her. This is evidenced by numerous personal correspondence with a small group who pushed for 100% virtual. Although other school board members voted for 100% virtual, Ms. Lipska is different because there is written evidence of lack of transparency on her part by engaging in behind the scenes and informal discussions and collusion with a small group in support of their agenda for 100% virtual. A proper forum for these discussions would have been at school board meetings, which many parents and teachers participated in. Alternatively, this group of people could have written a letter to ALL school board members (which several teachers and parents did.) Ms. Lipska only engaged in discussions with people who wanted 100% virtual. At no point did she encourage people who wanted in person classes to join her or speak at school board meetings. She only encouraged those who wanted 100% virtual. In addition, she completely stopped correspondence after one person clarified she didn’t want all virtual. Ms. Lipska is on public record as asking the experts (PHMDC) if it's safe for k-2 to go back to school, in which they told her straight away that it was, and she still voted No.

”

Recall opponents

In response to criticism, Lipska published the following Facebook post:

“

Who is Leah Lipska? There have been some shots taken at my character over the last few months. A website was even created in an attempt to demonstrate that I do not care for the children of this district. There have been claims that I do not represent my constituents. I have been silent, but I can be silent no more. I, along with many of you, have lost countless nights of sleep for not only my own children but yours. I worry day in and day out if I am doing what is right for our community. What I can tell you is that I am doing my best, just like all of you. I am doing what I believe in my heart of hearts is the right thing to do for students, staff, and our community as a whole. There seems to be a concern from some in the community with my union activities. This should not be a shock to anyone. My original campaign documentation talked extensively about my union activity and most of my endorsements were union-related. I was a union president, a union steward, and a proud union sister for many years. I left State Service and as a result, the union, nearly 5 years ago. They were there for me through thick and thin and I miss them and that life so much. There is so much more to me than my union-ness though. I am a mother of four, a wife, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor, and a member of this community. I am the PTO president, a girl scout leader, and a soccer team manager. I am a quality assurance specialist for a software consulting company working 40+ hours a week. I am a school board member (since 2013). I am a recent college graduate. I am a live organ donor and gained a whole other family thanks to the small sacrifice of my kidney. It is not just one of these things that define me. While some may try to discredit my devotion to this community, I might remind them that almost five years ago I went into labor at a school board meeting. I stayed through that entire meeting to vote on a policy that was in a first reading. Had I left, they would not have been able to vote, and so I stayed. I stayed so that a marginalized group of students could be heard, valued, and loved. I strive to be open, honest, and to champion what I believe is best for all of our MHASD community. While we all may not agree on the best plan to move forward, we must move forward. If some feel that means my place on the board needs to be filled by someone else, so be it. My devotion to ALL kids, staff, and the community will not waiver. I will continue to fight for what I believe is right. I tell my kids to be the change they want to see in the world, so that is what I will keep doing. 'Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.' - RBG

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Wisconsin

Recall supporters filed the statement of intent to recall on October 7, 2020. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters would have had to submit the petitions within 60 days.

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.

Recalls related to the coronavirus

See also: Recalls related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and government responses to the pandemic

Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.

The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Related recalls

• Appleton Area School District recall, Wisconsin (2020)
• Robert Hesselbein and Minza Karim recall, Middleton-Cross Plains School District, Wisconsin (2020)
• Oconomowoc Area School District recall, Wisconsin (2020)

See also

• Mount Horeb Area School District, Wisconsin
• Recall campaigns in Wisconsin
• Political recall efforts, 2020
• School board recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Mount Horeb Area School District
• Recall Lipska website
• Recall Lipska Facebook page

Footnotes

Political recall elections

Recalls
by year

Upcoming recalls • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • Historical recalls • Recall statistics and analysis

Recalls
by office

Governors • State legislators • County officials • County commission • Sheriffs • Mayors • City officials • City council • School board • Special district

Recalls
by state

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • District of Columbia • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Recall
laws

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • District of Columbia • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Kansas • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming • States that require grounds for recalls • States that have pre-petition signature requirements for recalls