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Robert Hesselbein and Minza Karim recall, Middleton-Cross Plains School District, Wisconsin (2020)
| Middleton-Cross Plains School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Minza Karim |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in Wisconsin Wisconsin recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Robert Hesselbein and Minza Karim from their positions on the Middleton-Cross Plains School District Board of Education in Wisconsin did not go to a vote in 2020. Recall supporters were not able to collect the 6,200 signatures required to put the recall on the ballot.[1]
The effort began after the board voted 5-4 on September 28, 2020, to keep students in virtual learning for the rest of the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The other option, which did not pass, would have allowed students in pre-school through second grade to return to in-person instruction starting on November 2, 2020.[2][3]
Hesselbein and Karim were two of the five members who voted in favor of continuing virtual learning. Recall supporters said the board members failed in their official duties by not voting for an alternative to virtual learning. Hesselbein and Karim both said they stood by their votes.[2][3]
The Middle-Cross Plains Board of Education contains nine members. Hesselbein is one of the four Area IV representatives of the board, and Karim is the Area III representative of the board. Both of them had terms ending in 2022.[4]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by the group Parents for Change.[2] Angela Rachidi, an organizer of the group, said that the board members' votes to continue virtual learning did not represent the wants and needs of the school district community. She also said that virtual learning did not support an equitable education.[3]
Rachidi said other schools in the area had succeeded in returning students to in-person learning. “Many other schools in the area have tried it, they’ve had a few bumps in the roads, but they worked through it. In the end, they are giving their children in their community all of the options that they need," she said.[3]
Recall opponents
Hesselbein said he stood by his vote. He said that though he understood families' frustrations, safety had to come first while COVID-19 cases were rising in the county and the state. “For some it’s an economic challenge, quality of education, but that doesn’t stop us from having to be responsible for the lives of those in our district, in our communities," Hesselbein said.[3]
Karim said, “My reason to stay in virtual learning is because of the COVID numbers rising statewide, field hospitals being built to add capacity for hospitals, for the sake of safety and health for the students, staff and the entire community. I was provided with two options and I felt this was the right choice to make.”[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Wisconsin
The recall effort started when the group Parents for Change filed paperwork on October 8, 2020. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters would have had to collect approximately 6,200 signatures in 60 days. The number of signatures was equal to 25% of the votes cast for governor in the school district in the 2018 election.[1][3]
About the district
The Middleton-Cross Plains School District serves the communities of Middleton and Cross Plains in Dane County, Wisconsin. The seat of county government is Madison. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the county was home to approximately 546,695 residents in 2019, according to the United States Census Bureau.[5]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Dane County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2014 and 2018. The United States Census Bureau found that 50.7% of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 29.5% for the state as a whole and 31.5% percent for the entire country.[5]
Median household income
From 2014 to 2018, the median household income in the county was $70,541, compared to $59,209 for the state as a whole. During that same period, the median household income for the entire United States was $60,293.[5]
Poverty rate
The poverty rate in Dane County was 10.8% from 2014 to 2018. During that same period, the poverty rate was 10.4% statewide, and it was 10.5% for the country as a whole.[5]
| Racial Demographics, 2019[5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Dane County (%) | Wisconsin (%) |
| White | 84.9 | 87.0 |
| Black or African American | 5.5 | 6.7 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| Asian | 6.3 | 3.0 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.7 | 2.0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6.5 | 7.1 |
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.
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.
Related recalls
- Appleton Area School District recall, Wisconsin (2020)
- Leah Lipska recall, Mount Horeb Area School District, Wisconsin (2020)
- Oconomowoc Area School District recall, Wisconsin (2020)
See also
- Middleton-Cross Plains School District, Wisconsin
- Middleton-Cross Plains School District, Wisconsin, elections (2020)
- Middleton-Cross Plains School District, Wisconsin, elections (2019)
- Middleton-Cross Plains School District elections (2018)
- Recall campaigns in Wisconsin
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune, "Board Recall Petition Fails," December 14, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 ABC 27 WKOW, "Recall effort targets two Middleton-Cross Plains school board members," October 8, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 NBC 15 WMTV, "Middleton parent group starts process to recall two school board members over decision to remain virtual," October 8, 2020
- ↑ Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, "Board Members," accessed October 14, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Wisconsin; Dane County, Wisconsin; United States," accessed October 14, 2020
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