Entire school board recalled - Groveland, Calif.

[tomm2thumbs]

Source: LA Times

Furor over firing of a teacher spurred effort to remove all five members of small district near Yosemite.

The tiny Tuolumne County school district has a history of political infighting and unrest that came to a head in September, when the board voted not to reinstate a popular math teacher over allegations that he committed plagiarism in a course he took at Cal State Fresno.

He was later cleared of the charges, but not rehired. Upset students boycotted classes the next day and launched a campaign to recall the board, gathering signatures to bring the matter to a vote with the help of their parents and others in the community.

<snip>

In a quarter-century spent tracking school board politics in California, Mark Petracca, chairman of the UC Irvine political science department, said he "can't think of a case" in which a community tried to unseat an entire school board at once and doesn't think that the Big Oak Flat-Groveland effort will embolden other unhappy districts.

"It's a hard thing to do," Petracca said. "If it were an easy thing, it would be done more often."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-school-board-recall20-2009may20,0,2406523.story

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Interesting that it appears the kids involved got this ball rolling. Never underestimate the power of a teenager.

[LibDemAlways]

1. Good for those kids. It's comforting to read that kids somewhere

are apparently applying what they are learning in school about democracy and free elections, and that the adult voters are willing to listen and get involved as well.

My husband's ancestors once owned a blacksmith shop in Big Oak Flat, right near Groveland. They were gold rush pioneers and, from what I've read, tough as nails and no-nonsense. Sounds like that pioneering spirit is still alive in that area.

My local school board in So Cal is a bunch of hacks who keep getting re-elected based on name-recognition. It got so bad a few years ago that a very elderly sick man who'd served on the board forever wouldn't give up his seat even when he was in a convalescent home near death. He ran and won. When he died right after the election, his wife suggested that the seat be permanently kept open in his honor!

Anyhow, thanks for posting that. I enjoyed reading about it.

[glitch]

2. Question Authority -- Bravo students of Groveland! nt

[harmonicon]

3. now this is democracy in action - way to go!

[Froward69]

4. Lord knows Teachers are

NOT supposed to be popular... :eyes:

[progressoid]

5. Kids actually like teachers.

And going to school

And learning.

Well, some kids do.