A coalition of parents have filed petitions to recall all seven members of the Corvallis School Board. If the petitions gain enough support by early April, a special election for new board members could take place.
The recall effort is being spearheaded by Save Corvallis Schools, a nonpartisan coalition of parents seeking increased transparency and community involvement with the public education system. The coalition formed after the recent announcement of school closures, and has grown to highlight a variety of issues regarding the Corvallis School Board.
William Rottenkolber, a member of Save Corvallis Schools and the Chief Petitioner for the recall effort, said parents in the coalition are frustrated with how input from the public is currently received by the board.
“Well, I think ultimately we're trying to change the culture of the district, but we found that the current school board is really not interested in changing, and they're really not interested in hearing the public's comment,” said Rottenkolber. “They say that they want us engaged, and then they're not very transparent, they're not very forthcoming, and honestly, we've been told that they're not interested in what we have to say.”
The Frequently Asked Questions section of the Save Corvallis School’s website states multiple decisions made by the school board have motivated the recall, not just the upcoming school closures.
Issues cited in the petitions include the recent decision to close Leticia Carlson Elementary School and Cheldelin Middle School, communication surrounding the closure of The Osborn Aquatic Center, changes in math curriculum, and increases in the superintendent’s salary while the Corvallis School District faces a budget crunch.
Rottenkolber said by coming together to form Save Corvallis Schools, parents in the coalition have become more informed about what is happening within the district.
“I think it's really easy to just dismiss the public as being uninformed. I think it's become harder for this board to dismiss Save Corvallis Schools as we've really dug into the facts,” said Rottenkolber.
The Chair of the Corvallis School Board, Luhui Whitebear, said she’s concerned that the recall petitions are going to disturb current progress being made by the district.
“I think that the recall efforts are distracting from the good work that teachers and staff are doing to prepare for the changes that are coming next year in our district,” said Whitebear.
“There is actually some great work happening.”
Whitebear also said if the recall is successful and the district moves into a special election, it will incur extra costs that have not been budgeted for. A special election could also disrupt the timeline for next year’s school budget to be approved and for staff contracts to be negotiated.
The recall petitions will not affect previous decisions made by the board, including the school closures, said Whitebear.
In a statement to The Corvallis Advocate, Oregon School Employees Union President Mary Marshall and Corvallis Education Association President Christa Schmeder wrote that a full board recall would create further instability during a time of major transition for the district.
“Instead of focusing on the complex implementation of our new K-8 models,” the union leaders wrote, “district leadership is forced to divert time, energy, and taxpayer resources toward managing election logistics and governance uncertainty.”
At the Feb. 19 school board meeting, a panel of educators from across the district outlined new instructional models for next year accounting for the school closures.
Each member of the school board has an individual recall petition filed that states reasons for recall. Active registered voters who reside in the Corvallis School District can sign any of the petitions and are not required to sign all seven. Each petition needs 4,577 valid signatures by April 5 to qualify for the ballot. Signatures will be verified by the Benton County Elections Office.
