Napa Valley Unified School District recall, California (2017)
| Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Elba Gonzalez-Mares Thomas Kensok Joe Schunk Icela Martin Robb Felder Jose Hurtado |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall all seven members of the Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote in 2017. The recall petitions were approved for circulation on June 22, 2017, but the recall supporters were unable to gather the 9,393 required signatures for each petition by the deadline on November 29, 2017.[1][2] Stacy Hill-Bratlien, Elba Gonzalez-Mares, Thomas Kensok, Joe Schunk, Icela Martin, Robb Felder, and Jose Hurtado were targeted for recall after the board voted to expel five students for alleged hazing activities on the football team. Recall supporters said the district mishandled the expulsions.[3]
Additional arguments made by proponents of the recall effort included the district’s $12.3 million deficit—which the district announced would require cuts in programs and staffing—and a debate surrounding a proposed change to the Napa High School mascot. In response to the effort, board members said that they were committed to being fiscally responsible and that they had been transparent throughout the budget process. They also pointed to the district's high graduation rate. They did not address the issues surrounding the student expulsions or the high school mascot.[3][4]
Hill-Bratlien, Kensok, and Felder (the Area 1, 3, and 6 representatives, respectively) were next scheduled to be up for election on November 6, 2018. Gonzalez-Mares, Schunk, Martin, and Hurtado (the Area 2, 4, 5, and 7 representatives, respectively) were next scheduled to be up for election on November 3, 2020. The seven members were elected at large to four-year terms on the board, though they ran for specific seats.[3][4]
Recall supporters
Recall supporters delivered their notice of intent to recall to the Napa Valley Unified Board of Education on May 4, 2017. The notice listed the following reasons for the recall effort:[3]
- Mishandling “Napa High Football team hazing issues, which led to the resignation of the entire football coaching staff;"
- “Complete lack of fiscal responsibility;” and
- Disregarding “substantial input from the public regarding the replacement of Napa High School’s Indian Symbol.”
The notice also said board members did not “listen to the wishes of a vast majority of the students and parents you claim to represent, reflecting an ignorance and arrogance that alone are grounds for your replacement.”[3]
Walt Price, a supporter of the recall, addressed board members when they were given the recall notice. He said board Chairman Jose Hurtado and Superintendent Patrick Sweeney had, in his words, “a silent agenda” to replace the high school's mascot. “I think you need to be replaced,” said Price, “and Dr. Sweeney needs to be fired.” Price also told the board, "We have the resolve to see this through to your end.”[3]
Prior to the recall effort, vote of no confidence petitions for Sweeney and Napa High School principal Annie Petrie were circulated. Sweeney's petition had collected 660 signatures as of May 22, 2017, and Petrie's had collected 270.[5][6]
- Click here to view the vote of no confidence petition for Sweeney.
- Click here to view the vote of no confidence petition for Petrie.
Recall opponents
Board members did not address the student expulsions or the high school mascot debate in their responses to the recall effort. Prior to being notified of the recall, however, board Chairman Jose Hurtado told the Napa Valley Register that he was not comfortable with the high school's mascot and "would probably vote to eliminate it.” In February 2017, a district committee recommended that the high school change its mascot, but the board had not voted on the change as of May 19, 2017.[3]
In their responses to the recall effort, the board members focused on the district's financial situation and its high graduation rate compared to the state rate. The district's graduation rate for the 2015-2016 school year was 92.2 percent, compared to the state's rate of 83.4 percent, according to Elizabeth Emmett, a spokeswoman for the district.[3]
The board members said they had conducted audits and been transparent throughout the budget process. “We have been committed to fiscal responsibility, acting as good stewards of limited resources to protect all the students in our diverse community,” said board member Robb Felder. He also said, “Our Board respects and listens to the Napa Valley community.”[3]
Board Vice President Joe Schunk said he had “a single minded focus on providing high quality education to all our NVUSD students with the support of our outstanding community."[3]
Board Clerk Thomas Kensok said that the “sponsors have personal agendas that do not address education,” and he urged voters not to sign the petitions.[3]
Background
Expulsion of five students
The Napa Valley Unified Board of Education voted to expel nine high school students during the 2016-2017 school year due an alleged hazing incident involving the junior varsity football team. Three students' expulsions were overturned by the Napa County Board of Education in May 2017.[7][8][9][10]
The incident allegedly occurred on October 31, 2016, when a "clothed teammate was touched inappropriately," according to ABC 7 News. The Napa Police Department investigated the incident and identified 16 student victims and 15 offenders. The police submitted the case to the Napa County District Attorney's Office, which filed charges against six high school football players on May 28, 2017.[7][8][10]
After the three student expulsions were overturned, Napa County Board of Education President Janna Waldinger said, “We are required to overturn a district expulsion when one or more state-mandated procedural rules are not strictly followed." She said county board members "determined that procedural errors occurred in the district’s handling of the students’ expulsions.”[9]
After the expulsions were overturned, the district released the following statement.[9]
| “ | We respect the NCOE Board of Education’s findings regarding procedural issues, and thank them for their careful review. We also appreciate the acknowledgment that their action is based solely on technicalities and procedure, not the basis of the expulsion action itself.
We feel that distinction is necessary to acknowledge that there are victims in this incident who deserve District and community support.[11] |
” |
| —Napa Valley Unified School District (2017)[9] | ||
Troy Mott resigned from his position as Napa High School's head football coach while the school board was considering the student expulsions, though he remained on the teaching staff as a physical education teacher. He served as head coach for 11 years and held the school's highest winning record.[12][13]
Mott said his resignation came down to different opinions on the football program's future. The school administration had required the entire coaching staff to re-apply for their jobs after the alleged hazing incident. “It gets down to how we were going to staff the football program,” said Mott. “It became apparent that I was not going to have the autonomy to choose my coaching staff. I have the most respect and loyalty for the men that I’ve coached with for upwards of the last 20 years.”[13]
Napa High School principal Annie Petrie said, “There was 100 percent trust in [Mott's] leadership, in the way he developed student-athletes as young people. Being the winningest coach is a big deal, but I think more important is the legacy with the kids and the character he’s built with these young men."[13]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Before they could begin the circulation process, recall supporters had to have their petitions approved by Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur. Four of the seven recall petitions—those targeting Felder, Bratlien, Kensok, and Hurtado—were approved for circulation on June 2, 2017. The other three recall petitions—those targeting Schunk, Martin, and Mares—were rejected due to extraneous numbers included on the petitions. Recall supporters had 10 days to submit revised petitions.[14] They submitted revised petitions on June 12, 2017, and they were approved on June 22, 2017.[1][15]
To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to collect 9,393 signatures on each petition by November 29, 2017, which they were unable to do. The petitions included arguments from supporters of the recall as well as responses from the targeted board members. “Any registered voter in the NVUSD can sign one or more petitions because the trustees run at large (they are only nominated by trustee area),” said Tuteur.[2][3]
About the district
The Napa Valley Unified School District is located in Napa County in north-central California. The county seat is Napa. Napa County was home to an estimated 142,166 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 84th-largest school district in the state in the 2014–2015 school year and served 18,497 students.[17]
Demographics
Napa County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 32.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31.4 percent of state residents. During that same time period, the median household income for Napa County was $71,379, compared to $61,818 statewide. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 10.1 percent, while it was 15.3 percent for the entire state.[16]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Napa County (%) | California (%) | |
| White | 84.5 | 72.9 | |
| Black or African American | 2.4 | 6.5 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.2 | 1.7 | |
| Asian | 8.3 | 14.7 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.4 | 0.5 | |
| Two or more races | 3.2 | 3.8 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 33.9 | 38.8 | |
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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Napa Valley Unified School District' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Napa Valley Unified School District, California
- Napa Valley Unified School District elections (2016)
- Napa Valley Unified School District elections (2014)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with John Tuteur, Napa County Registrar of Voters," June 28, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Napa Valley Register, "Bid to recall Napa school board members falls short," November 29, 2017
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Napa Valley Register, "NVUSD school board targeted for recall," May 19, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Napa Valley Unified School District, "Board of Education Members," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ change.org, "Vote of No Confidence for Superintendent of NVUSD, Dr. Patrick Sweeney," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ change.org, "Vote of No Confidence for Principal of Napa High School, Annie Petrie," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 ABC 7 News, "2 more football players expelled in Napa hazing scandal," March 30, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 ABC 7 News, "Napa High School sophomore's expulsion overturned after hazing scandal," May 5, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Napa Valley Register, "Napa High hazing expulsions overturned," June 1, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 ABC 7 News, "6 Napa High School football players charged in hazing scandal, 11 still under investigation," May 27, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ ABC 7 News, "Napa High School head football coach quits amid hazing scandal," March 18, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Napa Valley Register, "Napa High football coach Troy Mott resigns," March 15, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with John Tuteur, Napa County Registrar of Voters," June 2, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with John Tuteur, Napa County Registrar of Voters,"," June 13, 2017
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Napa County, California," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
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