Recall Wynde? Regan? Anyone Else?
by Steve, July 3rd, 2007There is some good discussion over at Terry Olson’s blog about Doug Morgan’s swan song that turned at times into a paean to Vicki Phillips. (You really should pay attention to Terry, if you have any interest in PPS reform issues. He’s an actual educator and expert on school reform, unlike so many pushing market-oriented reform at PPS.)
I tossed off the casual remark “The election of Ruth Adkins and comments on this entry by die-hard public schools supporters indicate a fraying patience with ‘business’ as usual in our public schools. If the board still hasn’t got that message, perhaps it’s time for a recall campaign or two. Or Three.” Which prompted the question from “blueteeth”: Can we do that? Even without malfeasance or dereliction of duty?
And my answer: Yes we can. According to Article II, Section 18 of the Oregon Constitution, recall drives merely have to “set forth in the petition the reasons for the demand.” You need to gather signatures totaling 15% of voters in the last regular governor’s election. See also ORS Chapter 249.
Blueteeth suggested the trigger point for such a campaign would be the promotion of a Vicki Phillips minion, say Cathy Mincberg, to superintendent.
The obvious and most vulnerable member of the board is David Wynde, who nearly lost reelection to virtual unknown Michelle Schultz. He may not fare so well in a rematch. Bobbie Regan is also vulnerable, but doesn’t have such a convenient populist opponent waiting in the wings. Who else is vulnerable?
Is it foolhardy to even consider such a move? I don’t think so.
Whatever we do, it is important to keep up the pressure on the PPS board. We may think a message was sent by the election of Ruth Adkins and the near miss on Wynde, but it sure is smelling like business as usual over at BESC. Thanks again to Terry Olson for keeping such good tabs on things.
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
In my estimation, waiting for Mincberg to be named superintendent would be way too late. Then we’d be stuck with her.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Well, hey, thanks for the mention. I do know a little about school reform having actually worked on reform issues from within a real school –Evergreen in Hillsboro– for a good ten years. Bottom up reform it was too, starting with a small group of motivated and dedicated teachers, which is the only way, in my opinion, that change can truly be effected. That’s why I say that an educational leader, a good one anyway, is one who empowers teachers.
As for keeping tabs, I would defer to many of my acquaintances in the NSA who are far more informed than I am, people like Lynn Schore, Anne Trudeau, Nancy Smith and Nicole Breedlove. And of course, Ruth Adkins, who has to be a little more discreet now that she’s on the school board.
The Wacky household isn’t too shabby either.
July 4th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
I’d like to suggest that Regan would be MORE vulnerable than Wynde. It would have been interesting to see how she would have fared if there had been a challenger in the election. She lost only about 3% of the votes to write-ins, but that is an option that few consider, even when the only candidate is an unpopular incumbent.
Anyway, if you decide to pursue this, let me know so I can sign the petition!
July 6th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I agree about recall for Reagan, or whoever the new board leaders are if they don’t make some necessary changes immediately after being elected. (I think the board elects leaders at their meeting next week.)
Absolutely Mincberg has to go, and Carlin-Ames who I think was on the search team that brought Phillips to Portland before Phillips turned around and hired her as a PPS employee.
Also, the board needs to rethink the top-down Jefferson reorganization, which is heavy on adminstrators (and administrative costs) and light on curriculum and community support. And what is that nonsense about one of the “Jefferson Academies” not being located at Jefferson, or even in the Jefferson cluster? Pretending that the proposed 6-12 single sex high schools were generated by a community-based process is absurd. The board should abandon the plan to open Young Men’s and Young Women’s Academies, or should just separate that whole project from the Jefferson reorganization. Both Jefferson and the single sex schools would be better off, not to mention the students who are being jerked around by the whole misguided reform.