Tecumseh Public Schools recall, Michigan (2018)

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Tecumseh Public Schools recall
Officeholders
Steven Linn Kimberly Amstutz-Wild Debbie Johnson-Berges Jim Rice
Recall status
Recall approved
Recall election date
November 6, 2018
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws School board recalls Recall reports

A recall election seeking to remove four of the seven members of the Tecumseh Public Schools Board of Education in Michigan was approved by voters on November 6, 2018. Steven Linn, Kimberly Amstutz-Wild, Debbie Johnson-Berges, and Jim Rice were voted out of office.

Linn was defeated by Milton Abbott, Amstutz-Wild was defeated by Suzanne Moore, Johnson-Berges was defeated by former board member Michael McNamara, and Rice was defeated by Kevin Johnson.

The recall effort began in April 2018. The four members were targeted for recall after the district implemented a project-based learning model for two STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) centers for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Parents opposed to how the learning model was implemented started the recall effort.

In response to the recall effort, Linn said, "Change can be painful and the 2017-18 school year brought many changes. The administration team recognizes there were areas that could have gone smoother last year and has made necessary improvements and is continuing to plan and prepare for 2018-19."

Recall vote

Kimberly Amstutz-Wild Recall Election, Tecumseh Public Schools, 2018
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Suzanne Moore	60.4%	4,258
	Nonpartisan	Kimberly Amstutz-Wild Incumbent	38.3%	2,700
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	1.3%	95
Total Votes				7,053
Source: Lenawee County Elections, "November 6, 2018 General Election OFFICIAL Results," accessed November 30, 2018

Steven Linn Recall Election, Tecumseh Public Schools, 2018
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Milton F. Abbott	58.9%	4,114
	Nonpartisan	Steven Linn Incumbent	39.8%	2,776
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	1.3%	93
Total Votes				6,983
Source: Lenawee County Elections, "November 6, 2018 General Election OFFICIAL Results," accessed November 30, 2018

Deborah J. Johnson-Berges Recall Election, Tecumseh Public Schools, 2018
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Michael James McNamara	61.1%	4,282
	Nonpartisan	Deborah J. Johnson-Berges Incumbent	37.7%	2,639
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	1.2%	85
Total Votes				7,006
Source: Lenawee County Elections, "November 6, 2018 General Election OFFICIAL Results," accessed November 30, 2018

Jim Rice Recall Election, Tecumseh Public Schools, 2018
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Kevin P. Johnson	57.9%	4,118
	Nonpartisan	Jim Rice Incumbent	40.8%	2,903
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	1.3%	90
Total Votes				7,111
Source: Lenawee County Elections, "November 6, 2018 General Election OFFICIAL Results," accessed November 30, 2018

Recall supporters

The recall effort was started by district parent Tim Simpson. He said members of the Concerned Parents of Tecumseh Facebook group were upset with how they were treated at a school board meeting on April 9, 2018, when board President Roger Hart read a statement of support of the project-based learning model. “That statement essentially said, ‘We’re not going to listen anymore.’ So we need to change the direction of our schools,” Simpson said. “We’re not asking for overall change and so forth, but they’re not even willing to work with us ... when they shut us down with that statement.”

The recall petition listed the following reasons for recall:

“	Referring to parents that express their opinion or concerns to the board as a small minority at the April 9th Board meeting. Not posting special meeting notices on the Tecumseh Public Schools website, which is a violation of the Open Meetings Act (Act 267 of 1976), the Open Meetings Act requires the board to post special meetings on its webpage 18 hours before the meeting. Adopting a policy of not answering citizens questions at the regular board meetings, and deflecting questions and telling citizens they will be contacted by a school administrator, this policy was discussed at a Nov. 6, 2017, Study Session.	”
—Tecumseh Public Schools recall petition (2018)

Recall opponents

In reaction to the recall effort, Superintendent Kelly Coffin said special meetings and study sessions were announced prior to the meetings. “There are minutes posted on our website of the study sessions. The minutes are posted after the board approves them in a consent agenda,” Coffin said.

Amstutz-Wild attended the clarity hearing for the recall petitions on May 2, 2018, and said she was prepared to argue over the veracity of the recall petitions' claims. When that was not considered at the hearing, she said she had no comment on the effort.

Linn said the recall effort was democracy at work. He also said he understood the recall supporters' concerns.

“	Change can be painful and the 2017-18 school year brought many changes. The administration team recognizes there were areas that could have gone smoother last year and has made necessary improvements and is continuing to plan and prepare for 2018-19. I feel we must continue to work together with a common goal of continuous improvement to move forward and do what's best for the children of our community. Please continue to share your thoughts and experiences, as each voice is extremely important as we work to advance education in the Tecumseh Public School District.	”
—Steven Linn (2018)

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan

District parent Tim Simpson filed the recall petitions with the Lenawee County clerk on April 17, 2018. On May 2, 2018, the petitions were approved for circulation. The targeted board members had until May 12, 2018, to file an appeal. Recall supporters were able to circulate the petitions after the appeal period passed. To get the recall on the ballot on November 6, 2018, they had to submit the petitions with 1,491 signatures per board member by August 3, 2018.

Recall supporters submitted the signatures early on July 10, 2018. The county clerk had 35 days to verify the signatures. A total of 1,658 signatures were verified for Linn, 1,609 signatures were verified for Rice, 1,653 signatures were verified for Amstutz-Wild, and 1,662 signatures were verified for Johnson-Berges. The recall election was scheduled for November 6, 2018. The deadline for candidates to file to run in the recall election was August 24, 2018.

2018 recall efforts

See also: School board recalls

A total of 33 school board recall efforts nationwide were covered by Ballotpedia in 2018. They included 74 board members. Twelve recall elections were held in 2018. The school board recall success rate was 29.7%.

Of the 12 efforts that made it to the ballot in 2018, eight were approved and the 20 targeted members were removed from office. Another two recall elections were defeated, and the targeted members kept their seats. One effort saw a mix of results: three members retained their seats, while the fourth was removed from his. Another recall election was held after the board member resigned. Her replacement was elected through the recall. The chart below details the status of 2018 recall efforts by individual school board member.

See also

• Tecumseh Public Schools, Michigan
• Tecumseh School Board recall, Michigan, 2009
• Recall campaigns in Michigan
• Political recall efforts, 2018
• School board recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Tecumseh Public Schools
• Lenawee County Clerk
• Concerned Parents of Tecumseh Facebook group