Recall efforts are expected to be initiated tonight against four Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District board members who had approved layoff notices early this year for teachers not certified to instruct English language learners.
Residents organizing the recall effort said they plan to present the district with an initial recall notification for board President Tracy Pittman and trustees Diane Howe, Barry Stillman and Ryan Darke.
The group is not seeking to recall trustee Anne Silberstein, who publicly denounced the layoff notices that were based on CLAD certification, said Nina Lemke, a parent helping to lead the recall.
About three dozen teachers - mostly veteran educators - were told in March they might lose their jobs because they did not have the Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development certificates. The district has since rescinded a majority of the layoff notices after further review of the district budget and administrative hearings with teachers. However, some community members remain upset.
"The community has lost trust in their elected school board members and are taking proactive steps to ensure quality education remains the centerpiece in the district," Lemke said.
District Superintendent Mark Geyer said 28 of 35 layoff notices were rescinded after an administrative judge said that although a majority of the notices were appropriate, teachers did not need CLAD certification to keep their jobs.
In a telephone interview Monday, Geyer said he was not aware of a recall effort targeting district board members. He said a successful recall would require collection of signatures from 20 percent of the registered voters in the district, which includes parts of Placer and Sacramento counties. If initial efforts by residents were successful, an election to vote on the recall would be held in both counties, he said.
The Dry Creek board will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. to consider the layoff notices. The meeting will be at Silverado Middle School, 2525 Country Club Drive, Roseville.
Call Lakiesha McGhee, (916) 773-7630.
