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Scarborough School Department recall, Maine (2018)
| Scarborough School Department recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Cari Lyford Jodi Shea |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| May 8, 2018 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in Maine Maine recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
A recall election seeking to remove three of the seven members of the Scarborough School Department Board of Education in Maine was approved at the ballot on May 8, 2018.[1][2] Recall supporters targeted board members Donna Beeley, Cari Lyford, and Jodi Shea after David Creech, principal of Scarborough High School, resigned from his position effective June 30, 2018.[3]
Creech did not publicly say why he resigned, and school officials said his resignation could not be discussed because it was a personnel matter. Creech's wife and lawyer said he was forced to resign by Scarborough Superintendent Julie Kukenberger. When Creech tried to withdraw his resignation, Kukenberger did not accept the withdrawal and the school board did not agree to meet with him, according to the Press Herald. Recall supporters said they were seeking recall due to incompetent oversight of the superintendent. Beeley defended the school board and Kukenberger, saying, “Social media and news outlets have promoted a narrative that due to the confidentiality required has been one-sided."[3][4][5]
Beeley, Lyford, and Shea were three of the longest-serving members of the board, according to the Press Herald. They continued to serve on the board until May 16, 2018, when the results of the recall election were finalized. Beeley was next scheduled to be up for regular election in November 2018, and Lyford and Shea were scheduled to be up for regular election in November 2019.[1][3][6]
Recall vote
| Donna Beeley, Board Member, Scarborough School Department | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 3086 | 67.35% | ||
| Retain | 1496 | 32.65% | ||
| Election results via: Facebook, "Road to Renewal post May 9, 2018," accessed May 9, 2018 and WMTW 8 ABC, "Scarborough certifies recall of three school board members," May 17, 2018 | ||||
| Cari Lyford, Board Member, Scarborough School Department | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Recall | 3047 | 66.5% | ||
| Retain | 1535 | 33.5% | ||
| Election results via: Facebook, "Road to Renewal post May 9, 2018," accessed May 9, 2018 and WMTW 8 ABC, "Scarborough certifies recall of three school board members," May 17, 2018 | ||||
| Jodi Shea, Board Member, Scarborough School Department | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Recall | 3040 | 66.23% | ||
| Retain | 1550 | 33.77% | ||
| Election results via: Facebook, "Road to Renewal post May 9, 2018," accessed May 9, 2018 and WMTW 8 ABC, "Scarborough certifies recall of three school board members," May 17, 2018 | ||||
Recall supporters
The recall effort was led by Thor Nilsen and the Road to Renewal political action committee.[3][5] The Road to Renewal Facebook page described the group as follows:
| “ | Road to Renewal is a group of Scarborough, Maine citizens organized to address a crisis in our school system.
This crisis was brought on by actions and inactions of our Superintendent of Schools and specific members of our Board of Education. Here you can learn about actions, events, and activities that we are working on to remedy this crisis including the removal of our Superintendent of Schools and certain Board of Education members.[7] |
” |
| —Road to Renewal Facebook page (2018)[8] | ||
The recall petitions listed incompetence as the reason for recall. On the Road to Renewal Facebook page, recall supporters said, “The word ‘incompetence’ has been used in our petition. This is not a reflection of the individuals; rather, it is a reflection of their inability to provide critically important oversight over the superintendent.”[3]
According to the Press Herald, a post on the Facebook page said the recall effort's main goal was to call for Kukenberger's resignation and to have Creech reinstated. Paul Johnson, member of the Road to Renewal PAC, said, "For the past two years, the board of education and specifically Julie Kukenberger have been acting in the exact opposite way from what the public thinks is right." He also said, “Principal Creech’s resignation is just the last straw. It’s a big straw, but it’s just the last straw."[5][9]
On March 12, 2018, teachers at Scarborough High School voted 83-1 to express no confidence in Kukenberger. In the district as a whole, the vote was 185-91 with one-third of teachers not participating in the vote. The Scarborough Education Association did not publish a reason for the vote. According to the Press Herald, prior to the vote teachers were provided with a document outlining improvements made to the high school under Creech's leadership as well as concerns about Kukenberger's interactions with the community.[10][11]
Recall opponents
School officials said that Creech's resignation could not be discussed as it was a personnel matter. Lyford said she did not understand why only three members of the board were targeted for recall. “I have done nothing wrong. I have nothing to hide. I have shown up, I have worked weekends, I have studied issues from every point of view,” Lyford wrote on her personal Facebook page. “I’m going to ask you not to sign these petitions. It isn’t the right way to solve our issues.”[3]
Beeley said the board could not discuss Creech's resignation due to confidentiality requirements. “The general public is only able to hear one side of the story due to the confidentiality required in dealing with personnel matters in a school district,” Beeley said in a statement. “Social media and news outlets have promoted a narrative that due to the confidentiality required has been one-sided. That one-sided coverage paints a distorted picture for all involved.”[5]
Beeley also said it was "very unsettling to see the discord affecting our town as a result of an employment matter.” She said that the members of the board serve “countless hours in numerous subcommittees with one goal of making the best decisions possible in the best interest of students.” She also spoke in support of Kukenberger, saying she was “an impressive educational leader, smart and passionate about doing what’s best for children.”[5]
Board member Jacquelyn Perry said the ball was in Creech's hands. "He resigned. The board has no recourse.”[10]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Maine
The recall effort began on March 5, 2018. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to submit petitions with 2,622 signatures from registered voters in the town for each board member by March 26, 2018. The number of signatures was equal to 25 percent of the town voters who cast ballots in the last election for governor.[3] On the Road to Renewal Facebook page, recall supporters said they turned in nearly 3,300 signatures by the deadline.[12] The Scarborough Town Clerk certified the signatures on April 6, 2018. The Scarborough Town Council held a hearing on the recall effort on April 25, 2018.[13] The council scheduled the election for May 8, 2018.[2]
Voter turnout in the recall election had to be at least 30 percent of the turnout at the last gubernatorial election in order for the results of the election to hold, which was equal to a total of 3,147 votes. The recalls of all three members met that threshold, and the recalls were approved. Their replacements were elected in November 2018.[1][3][6][14]
See also
- Scarborough School Department, Maine
- Recall campaigns in Maine
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Scarborough School Department
- Scarborough Town Clerk
- Road to Renewal Facebook page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Facebook, "Road to Renewal post May 9, 2018," accessed May 9, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Forecaster, "Scarborough School Board members face May 8 recall," April 26, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Press Herald, "Scarborough group starts petitions to remove school board members," March 6, 2018
- ↑ Press Herald, "Hundreds turn out to support Scarborough High principal, but resignation stands," March 2, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Press Herald, "Scarborough school board chair says public doesn’t know whole story of principal’s resignation," March 8, 2018
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Press Herald, "Turnout strong in Scarborough school board recall vote," May 8, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Road to Renewal About page," accessed March 12, 2018
- ↑ 13 WGME, "Scarborough group continues push to recall 3 school board members," March 11, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Press Herald, "Scarborough High School teachers cast no-confidence vote against superintendent," March 12, 2018
- ↑ Press Herald, "Scarborough schools shaken by an administrative cage fight," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Road to Renewal post March 26, 2018," accessed March 28, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Road to Renewal post April 6, 2018," accessed April 6, 2018
- ↑ Press Herald, "No special election in Scarborough to replace ousted school board members," May 29, 2018
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