A group that's hoping to recall three trustees on the Lucia Mar Unified School District Board of Education received approval from the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder to begin circulating recall petitions.
The group of parents, Central Coast Families for Education Reform (CCFER), claims the school board failed its students by not advocating for a return to in-person learning as soon as guidelines allowed and that the board is therefore responsible for their children's failing grades. In particular, the group says trustees Don Stewart, Dee Santos, and Colleen Martin have repeatedly approved decisions that go against students' best interests.
After CCFER initially announced its recall effort in May, the three trustees issued a joint statement saying they reopened classrooms as quickly as they could while following state and county guidelines.
CCFER now has 160 days to collect 8,302 signatures per trustee from registered voters in the school district in order for the recall to qualify for the ballot.
The school district says a recall would likely require a special election, which would cost approximately $350,000 out of the district’s general fund.
