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Michael Todd recall, Liberty Elementary School District, Arizona (2025)

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Liberty Elementary School District recall
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Officeholders
Michael Todd
Recall status
Underway
Signature requirement
2,943 signatures
See also
Recall overview
Political recall efforts, 2025
Recalls in Arizona
Arizona recall laws
School board recalls
Recall reports

An effort to recall Michael Todd, a member of the Liberty Elementary School District Governing Board in Arizona, is underway.[1]

This is the fourth recall effort in the district since 2021, and the second in 2025. The effort in 2021 was against two board members and did not go to a vote. The effort in 2023 was against one board member and also did not go to a vote. The first effort in 2025 was against two board members and did not go to a vote.

Recall supporters

Kristina Guglielmo applied for the recall petition on October 3, 2025. The grounds for the recall effort read as follows:[2]

“

Michael Todd has repeatedly shown a lack of transparency, integrity, and commitment to student-first leadership. Under his direction, the district has suffered instability, financial mismanagement, and loss of community trust.
-Financial Mismanagement: Oversaw major budget shortfalls, forcing $2million in cuts last year and $3.5million this year from essentional programs. -Violation of Open Meeting Law: Approved $3.1million land purchase outside a public meeting, disregarding legal transparency. -Toxic Leadership: Micromanaged staff and created a hostile work environment, leading to over 100 resignations, including 63 teachers. -Unstable Direction: Orchestrated the removal and costly buyouts of three superintendents in three years, destabilizing the district and draining resources.
Despite having resigned earlier, Todd was reappointed to the board against parent and staff recommendations. His record shows poor judgement, disregard for law, and failure to prioritize students. Our schools deserve leadership that restores trust and stability.[3]

”

Recall opponents

Todd responded to the recall effort, writing that it was started "by a fringe group of disgruntled former employees and activists who are not interested in holding administrators and teachers to account for low student proficiency" and that, "Every policy and direction of this Board is to ensure the highest quality of education, accountability and safety of our students. I am committed to do everything necessary to make that happen. Recall campaigns cost me personally time and money as well as taking tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars from the district and the classroom."[4]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona

No specific grounds are required for recall in Arizona. To begin the recall process, supporters must file an application for a recall petition that must be approved by the relevant election office. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast for all candidates at the last election for the relevant office in 120 days.[5]

To get the recall against Todd on the ballot, organizers would need to collect 2,943 signatures by January 31, 2026.[2]

2025 recall efforts

See also: School board recalls

Ballotpedia has tracked 22 school board recall efforts against 40 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

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Recall Elections," accessed October 17, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "2025-25-003," accessed October 17, 2025
  3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ KJZZ, "Recall launched against the board president of Buckeye’s Liberty Elementary School District," October 4, 2025
  5. ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Recall," accessed October 16, 2023
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