Share3 Nebraska school board members face recall vote
The Associated PressThree members of a southwest Nebraska school board face a recall election, at least in part for their actions in backing a successful bond issue.
The petition circulators needed signatures from at least 175 registered voters in the district to force the vote. Hitchcock County Clerk Margaret Pollman said her office has validated the signatures and has sent notices to Board of Education members Mike Baker, Larry Ferguson and Gary Matson, as well as district Superintendent Mike Apple.
The school board must schedule the election within 30 to 45 days of receiving notification, the McCook Daily Gazette (http://bit.ly/neJ8EO) reported. Pollman said the earliest the election could be held is Nov. 8.
The petitions filed by the principal circulator, Shane Rippen, focused criticism heavily on the bond measure that passed by a 15-vote margin in May.
The $7.4 million in bond revenue will be used for a new building in Culbertson, where the elementary school is situated, a new classroom wing at the high school in Trenton and other work.
District voters rejected a $9.8 million bond issue last November.
The petitions accused Baker of having conflicts of interest because some of his family members work for the district. He's also accused of leading district residents astray during the bond campaign and distributing misinformation about the school bond options.
In Baker's response, he said he's always acted objectively about district issues and told the truth about the bond issue.
The petitions accuse Ferguson of "focusing his energy on pleasing the faculty, staff and administration" at one school instead of doing what is best for the whole district.
Ferguson said he's listed carefully to taxpayers, "regardless of whether they live in Trenton or Culbertson."
"Now, a minority of unhappy citizens is trying to undermine the decisions our communities made together," Ferguson said in his response.
Matson faces a recall election "because he has refused to listen to all the taxpayers of the district," the petition statement said. "He led the community of Culbertson astray when telling the patrons that he supported one school."
Matson said he listened to taxpayers and attended most of the bond issue community meetings held in Culbertson and Trenton. He said the bond plan was based on input from the community.
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Information from: McCook Daily Gazette, http://www.mccookgazette.com