Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District recall, Alaska (2025)
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Jordan Tabb Katherine Tatsuda |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| November 18, 2025 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Alaska Alaska recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Judy Guthrie, Jordan Tabb, and Katherine Tatsuda from their positions on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education in Alaska began in June 2025.[1] The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Clerk certified the completed recall petitions on September 5, 2025, allowing the recall to be placed on the ballot. The Borough Assembly set the recall election date for November 18, 2025. Voters retained Guthrie, Tabb, and Tatsuda.[2][3][4]
The recall petitions against the three board members alleged that they violated state laws and board policies related to financial expenditures and hiring requirements, and that they did not provide proper oversight of former Superintendent Michael Robbins. Robbins stepped down at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.[5]
Recall vote
Guthrie recall question
Judy Guthrie recall, 2025
Judy Guthrie won the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, At-large recall election on November 18, 2025.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
38.1
|
396 | |||
| ✔ | No |
61.9
|
643 | ||
Total Votes |
1,039 | ||||
|
|
Tabb recall question
Jordan Tabb recall, 2025
Jordan Tabb won the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, At-large recall election on November 18, 2025.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
35.6
|
368 | |||
| ✔ | No |
64.4
|
667 | ||
Total Votes |
1,035 | ||||
|
|
Tatsuda recall question
Katherine Tatsuda recall, 2025
Katherine Tatsuda won the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, At-large recall election on November 18, 2025.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
38.0
|
396 | |||
| ✔ | No |
62.0
|
646 | ||
Total Votes |
1,042 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The petitions against Guthrie, Tabb, and Tatsuda included the following reasons for recall:[5]
| “ | The Board approved and failed to prevent expenditures that exceeded authorized budget limits, resulting in a fiscal year 2024 deficit of $379,786. This violated state law and Board Policy 3100, which requires a balanced budget. The lack of oversight continues: on June 11, 2025, the Board approved contracts exceeding the adopted budget by $371,629 without identifying additional income or adopting a corresponding budget amendment.[6] | ” |
The petitions also stated that the board members approved the hiring of individuals who only held emergency certifications to work in the district, despite the option of more qualified applicants. The petitions said this did not comply with Board Policy 4111.[5]
Recall opponents
Ballotpedia did not identify a public response to the recall effort.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Alaska
Alaska allows the following grounds for recall: "misconduct in office, incompetence, or failure to perform prescribed duties." To start the recall process, supporters must file an application for a recall petition containing the signatures of 10 voters who are sponsoring the petition. If a municipal clerk determines the application meets the requisite requirements, the petition will be approved to circulate. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures within 60 days of the recall petition getting approved. For an at-large officeholder, the petition must be signed by a number of voters equal to 25% of the votes cast for that office at the last regular election. For an officeholder who represents a specific district, the petition must be signed by a number of the voters residing in the district equal to 25% of the votes cast in the district for that office at the last regular election.[7]
The recall petitions against Guthrie, Tabb, and Tatsuda were approved for circulation on June 27, 2025. To get the recalls on the ballot, supporters had to collect 530 signatures per board member.[1]
2025 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 30 school board recall efforts against 57 board members in 2025. Recall elections in 2025 removed four members from office and retained four members in office. The school board recall success rate was 13.3%.
The chart below details the status of 2025 recall efforts by individual school board member.
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2025 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, Alaska
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, Alaska, elections
- Trevor Shaw recall, Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, Alaska (2018)
- Recall campaigns in Alaska
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough Clerk
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ketchikan Daily News, "Petitions filed to oust School Board members," July 4, 2025
- ↑ Ketchikan Daily News, "Recall set for ballot in November," September 6, 2025
- ↑ Ketchikan Gateway Borough, "Resolution No. 3145," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ Ketchikan Gateway Borough, "Ketchikan Gateway Borough Special Election November 18, 2025," accessed November 24, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Must Read Alaska, "Signature issue: Ketchikan Clerk approves recall petitions against three school board members," July 9, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alaska State Statutes, "Title 29. Municipal Government; Chapter 26. Elections; Article 3. Recall." accessed October 16, 2023
