RoSY submits recall petitions

 

The Reformation of Santa Ynez High School committee is moving forward as planned with their mission to recall all five members of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Board.

RoSY submitted its sample petition forms March 28, which included its recall statement as well as board members’ rebuttals.

Coleen Hefley of RoSY personally delivered the petition form to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office. The elections office will review the petition and then notify RoSY if the petition has been approved for circulated.

 

Because RoSY proposes to recall all five board members, Joe Dugan, Jeffery Little, Holly Lindberg, Sharron Steele and Jack Mochnick, five separate petitions will be circulation.

Hefley has requested to revise the petition forms to include larger type and larger signature boxes. RoSy wants to make them more user friendly, she said.

The petition submission follows a March 11 meeting at which the board refused to reinstate former principal Norm Clevenger, who was dismissed from SYVUHS and placed on paid administrative leave by Superintendent Dr. Fred Van Leuven Feb. 14. In reaction to the board’s decision at that meeting, community members served board members with recall notices that charged board members had “failed to listen” to the outcry of community input.

 

On March 19, board members turned in their rebuttals defending their actions and positions taken at the Feb. 19 and March 11 board meetings.

If the petition is cleared by the elections office within the next 10 days, RoSY will begin its petition drive.

“As soon as we have the petitions finalized and a meeting site coordinated, we will have our petition drive,” Hefley said.

The petition drive is expected to include a kick-off meeting, networking, and canvassing.

Hefley added that RoSY is hoping to get the petitions completed by April 15, when the school board next meets.

RoSY must get at least 20 percent of the registered voters elegible to vote in valley school board elections to sign the petition to qualify the recall for a ballot. The valley has about 12,000 registered voters.