Lisa Hammel recall, Mountain Valley School District, Colorado (2016)
| Mountain Valley School District Board recall |
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An effort to recall Lisa Hammel from her position on the Mountain Valley School Board was launched in March 2016, but it was ultimately abandoned. In the months before the recall process was started, Hammel questioned Superintendent Corey Doss' performance, tried to verify the district's financial status, and questioned staff members' expenditures, according to the Center Post-Dispatch.[1]
Recall supporters
The recall process was started by a committee of three people: David Winter, Elizabeth Shimamoto and Carla Gillette.[1] Terry Gillette, a local business owner and husband to recall leader Carla Gillette, said he would run for Hammel's position if the recall made it to the ballot.[2] He published the following letter to the editor in the Valley Courier detailing his reasons to support the recall:
| " | A petition for the recall of school board member Lisa Hammel has been filed by a committee of Saguache residents for the following reasons:
'During Lisa Hammel’s tenure on the Mountain Valley School Board of Education, she has behaved in a manner which goes against board policy, costing the school district money unnecessarily, has been outspoken about her feelings that the school is not good enough, and has made disparaging remarks regarding teachers and staff to the point of possible harassment. Based on the last year of school board minutes and observations, Ms. Hammel has been unable to take redirection or alter her action based on feedback. Her action and behaviors are, at this point, negativity affecting the morale and perspective of the administration, teachers, staff, and students and community members.' I have written this letter after a number of residents have approached me to run for this position, if this recall is successful. It is not a decision I would make without first looking into the validity of this recall. As stated above, there are school board minutes and other public records that substantiate the claims above. Additionally, I have met with a number of the faculty and teachers who can’t help but feel their jobs are in jeopardy and their family member are also being harassed by this individual. Having seen this type of controversy in school systems in the past, I can say with certainty, if steps are not taken to correct the situation, the school will lose key staff and teachers as well. A recall election is a significant cost to the school. However, the cost is far greater to replace key staff and/or teachers. We have one of the lowest paid superintendents in the state and it would surely cost more than the recall if we had to rehire these positions. It is even more difficult to replace people who are passionate about their job. With the budget we have to pay them, it is all but impossible. A radical change in school staff can take years for a school to recover from, and some never do. As I understand it, our enrolment is up 25 percent from 10 years ago. The district has already paid for outside professionals to come in and work with the school board with regard to proper function and behavior. The cost is $50-$75 per hour; it was done twice before and was approved at the last school board meeting to be done again. Ms. Hammel was censured previously for inappropriate behavior on the board and her recent article in the Center paper shows her unwillingness to change. A request was made for Ms. Hammel to resign at the last school board meeting. However she has declined. This would have avoided the need for a recall, which would have resulted in the least cost and disruption to the school. There is no other alternative at this time to correct the issues but to proceed with the recall process. Respectfully, Terry M. Gillette Taxpayer[3] |
” |
| —Terry M. Gillette (March 29, 2016)[4] | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado
The initial paperwork to start the recall process was filed with the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder’s Office in March 2016. The county clerk estimated the recall election would cost the district between $8,000 and $10,000 if it went to the ballot.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Lisa Hammel' 'Mountain Valley School District' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Mountain Valley School District, Colorado
- Recall campaigns in Colorado
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Center Post-Dispatch, "Recall petition filed on MVS BOE member," March 9, 2016
- ↑ Center Post-Dispatch, "Mtn. Valley board hears recall petition comments," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Valley Courier, "Letter to the editor: Recall committee explains reasons," March 29, 2016
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