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Nancy Chaires Espinoza recall, Elk Grove Unified School District, California (2021)
| Elk Grove Unified School District recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Nancy Chaires Espinoza from her position as the Trustee Area 6 representative on the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote in 2021. Recall supporters did not submit petitions by the deadline.[1]
The recall effort began in May 2021.[2] To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect signatures from more than 18,700 registered voters in the school district by November 17, 2021.[3]
Recall supporters said Espinoza listened to the teachers union over parents. The notice of intent to recall said, "Although the Health Department and the Governor issued guidance and executive orders concerning reopening schools, Chaires Espinoza used her own local authority to vote with the EGEA and keep kids out of school."[4]
In response to the recall, Espinoza said the allegations against her were false. "I'm one of seven individuals who jointly made difficult decisions in response to a global pandemic. I have always and will continue to put the interests of students first and to value parental input," Espinoza said.[5]
Espinoza assumed office in 2015. She automatically won re-election to a four-year term on the seven-member board in 2020 after she was the only candidate to file in the race.
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The notice of intent to recall listed the following grounds for recall:[4]
| “ | Trustee Chaires Espinoza is failing her represented constituents and students. During her 2016
campaign, Chaires Espinoza raised $69,999. Approximately 50% ($34,725) of campaign funding came from EGEA, a union representing teachers in the EGUSD. In addition, 91% ($63,675) of Chaires Espinoza's contributions came from political committees while only 4% from individual donors. These contributions from EGEA and political committees represent a significant conflict of interest and highlight her decision-making process to continually vote in favor of the teacher's union over the interest of students and constituents in her district. She has mocked and denied parent inclusion in school reopening plans and voted to limit parent and student voices during board meetings. Her actions are having an undeniably profound and negative consequence on students, especially students on IEPs. Although the Health Department and the Governor issued guidance and executive orders concerning reopening schools, Chaires Espinoza used her own local authority to vote with the EGEA and keep kids out of school. Elk Grove citizens deserve a trustee who upholds interests of her own constituents over the interests of a teacher's union. The community has lost trust and confidence in Trustee Chaires Espinoza's ability to objectively govern as a EGUSD Trustee.[6] |
” |
Recall opponents
Espinoza submitted the following response to the notice of intent to recall:[5]
| “ | It's been my honor to work on behalf of Elk Grove Unified School District students and families as your
School Board Member since 2014. I regret that people with ulterior motives are providing you with false information about me while distracting from the important work we have to do right now, and potentially forcing the district to pull approximately $1.5 million away from educating students to fund a special election. The allegations against me are completely false. Most campaign contributions come from organizations that set money aside for that purpose because individuals do not often have those resources in their family budgets. There is nothing unusual about my campaign contributors. This is a continuation of the harassment I've endured for over a decade for speaking out against a local politician for his attacks on local women leaders. Individual school board members have no authority on their own; I'm one of seven individuals who jointly made difficult decisions in response to a global pandemic. I have always and will continue to put the interests of students first and to value parental input. I stand by my record of always acting in the best interest of students. Please contact me if you have any questions: (916) 244-2402.[6] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recall supporters submitted the notice of intent to recall to the Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections Office in May 2021.[2] To get the recall on the ballot, they would have had to collect signatures from more than 18,700 registered voters in the school district by November 17, 2021.[3]
About the district
Elk Grove Unified School District is located in Sacramento County, California. It is classified as a large suburban school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 62,865 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 66 schools.[7]
During the 2018-2019 school year, 53.9% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 14.2% were English language learners, and 13.0% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[8]
| Racial Demographics, 2018-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Elk Grove Unified School District (%) | California K-12 students (%) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 30.8 | 11.7 |
| Black | 11.7 | 5.4 |
| Hispanic | 27.1 | 54.6 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1.7 | 0.5 |
| Two or More Races | 9.2 | 4.5 |
| White | 19.0 | 22.9 |
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.
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.
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
- Elk Grove Unified School District, California
- Elk Grove Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
- Elk Grove Unified School District elections (2018)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Elk Grove Unified School District
- Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Sacramento County Voter Registration and Outreach Manager Heather Ditty," December 6, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, "Current Recall Information," accessed June 4, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Elk Grove Citizen, "Parent coalition starts recall campaign against EG Unified trustee," June 18, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, "Notice of Intent to Circulate Recall Petition," accessed June 4, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections, "Response to Recall Petition," accessed June 4, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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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