Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 recall, Idaho (2018)
| Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Janie Gebhardt Jacob Gertsch Paul Vitale David Mattson |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in Idaho Idaho recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall all five members of the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 board of trustees in Idaho did not go to a vote in 2018. Board members Jackie Cranor, Janie Gebhardt, Jacob Gertsch, Paul Vitale, and David Mattson were targeted for recall in February 2018 by a group of district parents after they voted to end the district's 20-year-old open enrollment policy that allowed students to choose which high school they attended.[1] The leader of the recall put the effort on hold before the deadline to submit recall petitions on April 23, 2018, and did not submit the petitions. He said the district had the opportunity to move forward together and that school officials had prioritized communication and building relationships.[2][3][4]
The five nonpartisan board members each represent different zones in the district. When Cranor, Gebhardt, and Mattson won re-election to the board in 2017, they each defeated at least one challenger.[5] Vitale won re-election by default in 2015 as no one ran to oppose him.[6] Gertsch was appointed to a four-year term on the board on September 15, 2015.[7]
Recall supporters
Earl Stoddard, a district parent and spokesman for the recall effort, started a petition on Change.org in January 2018 calling for the board to reverse its decision to end the open enrollment policy until more proposals could be considered. The petition received 1,600 signatures in 72 hours, according to the Idaho State Journal. Recall supporters began the official recall process in February 2018, taking out recall paperwork authorized by the Bannock County Clerk's Office.[1][8][9]
At a public hearing that went over proposed school boundary changes in January 2018, Stoddard said that parents should have been involved in the decision to end the open enrollment policy when the board first organized a committee to look into the issue in September 2017. He said he was concerned that that initial 18-member committee had included 15 district employees compared to three parents. "Unfortunately, this has the appearance of a district-driven committee that was given a district-conceived plan and rubber stamps for the process,” said Stoddard.[8]
Recall supporters said that students should have been allowed to choose which high school they went to because the schools offered different classes and opportunities. They also said that the board ended the policy without considering other options to help stabilize high school enrollment numbers and did not involve the community until the decision had been made. The video to the right was created by recall supporters and published on the SD 25 For the Kids Facebook page on February 10, 2018.[10]
On February 20, 2018, the board officially voted to adopt high school boundary lines and move the district to an open enrollment closed boundary system. The system determined which high school students attended by where they lived, but it also allowed students to apply for a transfer to a different school. The board also voted to include exceptions for middle school students whose siblings attended schools outside of their high school boundary zone.[11]
When he announced the recall effort was being suspended, Stoddard said:
| “ | “We as a group feel like the process that was used to arrive to the decisions to close school boundaries was significantly flawed. However, we blame not just the board and the administrations, but part of the blame lands on the community for not being a voice to the board over the last several years. This is opportunity to change that and see what we can all do better moving forward.[12] | ” |
| —Earl Stoddard (2018)[2] | ||
Recall opponents
A spokeswoman for the district declined to comment on the recall effort. Board Chairwoman Jackie Cranor had not responded to the effort as of February 13, 2018.[1]
At a public hearing on new school boundaries in January 2018, Cranor said the board voted to end open high school enrollment in the district due to sustainability.[8]
| “ | We cannot continue to do things the same way and meet our obligation to provide common opportunities for all high school students to participate in academics, co-curricular activities and athletics. Over time, the district’s practice of allowing eighth-grade school choice has led to unbalanced high school enrollment, negative exchanges between patrons of the parents, between community, parents, staff members and even between students. The practice also put undue pressure on young students to choose a particular school and created socioeconomic disparities between the high schools, which has negatively impacted activities and programs.[12] | ” |
| —Chairwoman Jackie Cranor (2018)[8] | ||
Cranor also said that the public had the opportunity to provide feedback when the board formed the 18-member committee to look into the issue in September 2017. “The most important thing for us as we consider the issue of school-of-choice and as we finalize our decision on boundaries is to fulfill our moral and public obligation to build and maintain a community of quality schools for all children," said Cranor.[8]
After the board adopted the new high school boundary lines on February 20, 2018, Cranor said it had been the right thing to do. “We don’t have any hidden agendas, we are just trying our very best to help families and to help kids work through this process because after 20 years it’s really hard,” said Cranor.[11]
Cranor said the board tried to compromise by including exceptions for middle school students whose siblings attended schools outside of their high school boundary zone. She also said, “You have to do what you know is right, take into account what the people say and try to bring them along. But in the end as the leader you still have to do what you know is right and step up and be a leader. I honestly think that’s what we’ve been trying to do.”[11][13]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Idaho
Recall supporters began the official recall process in February 2018. Recall supporters had to submit the signatures by April 23, 2018, to get the recall on the ballot. The effort was put on hold prior to that deadline.[1][3][11]
About the district
The Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 is located in Bannock County in southeastern Idaho. The county seat is Pocatello. Bannock County was home to an estimated 84,377 residents in 2016, according to estimates from the United States Census Bureau.[14] The district was the fourth-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 12,840 students.[15]
Demographics
Bannock County outperformed Idaho as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2012 and 2016. The United States Census Bureau found that 27.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.2 percent of state residents. The median household income in the county was $45,216, compared to $49,174 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 16.8 percent, while the statewide rate was 14.4 percent.[14]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Bannock County (%) | Idaho (%) |
| White | 91.4 | 93.3 |
| Black or African American | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 3.7 | 1.8 |
| Asian | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| Two or More Races | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.4 | 12.3 |
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.
See also
- Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25, Idaho
- Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 elections (2017)
- Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 elections (2015)
- Recall campaigns in Idaho
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25
- Bannock County Elections Office
- SD 25 For the Kids
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Idaho State Journal, "Petitions circulating to recall entire District 25 school board following tense meeting regarding boundaries, school choice," February 13, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Idaho State Journal, "School board recall suspended in effort to improve district, community relations," March 15, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Julie Hancock, Bannock County Elections Administrator," March 5, 2018
- ↑ Idaho State Journal, "Parents scrap District 25 school board recall," April 25, 2018
- ↑ Bannock County Elections, "Summary Report: Special Election May 16, 2017," accessed May 31, 2017
- ↑ Bannock County Elections Office, "Notice of Election," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25, "Regular Session Board Meeting Minutes," September 15, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Idaho State Journal, "Parents vent about school-of-choice elimination at school board meeting," January 23, 2018
- ↑ Change.org, "We want to be heard by the board of School District 25 of Pocatello, Idaho." accessed February 15, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Sd25 for the kids post on February 10, 2018," accessed February 15, 2018
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Idaho State Journal, "District 25 Board of Trustees makes final decision on high school boundary changes," February 20, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ East Idaho News, "Pocatello-Chubbuck approves new high school boundaries," February 21, 2018
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Bannock County, Idaho," accessed February 15, 2018
- ↑ 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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