Push for RSU 21 recall has Kennebunk in a roil

KENNEBUNK – Those people hunting to oust two Kennebunk RSU 21 administrators have a 4:30 p.m. deadline on Thursday, Dec. 30, to submit recall petitions to Town Clerk Merton Brown.

Brown has calculated the proponents would need to have 665 signatures of registered Kennebunk voters – 10 per cent of all those who solid ballots in the past gubernatorial election – to put the recall of college board director Timothy Stentiford and chair Arthur LeBlanc to the voters.

Some in Kennebunk want to remember two elected RSU 21 board users other individuals say a remember is not warranted. Residents really should know in a few times of the Dec. 30 deadline for petitions to be submitted to the city clerk regardless of whether they’ll be headed to the polls. Dan King picture

The male who structured the recall, Norman Archer, stated signature gathering is likely properly and he believes supporters will meet up with the threshold for a recall election.

Archer, who served on the board for 5 years, from 2007 to 2012 and as chair for two of them, reported he’s been observing a need for transform on the board for some time, and started meeting and speaking with others this spring.

A group named Never Slide for the Remember suggests the remember is unneeded and is urging inhabitants not to sign the petitions. Do not Slide for the Recall member Dan Sayre claimed he believes the professional-remember contingent is trying to find a February vote, when turnout is traditionally low. Even though LeBlanc’s phrase expires in 2023, Stentiford’s expires in June. “It will improve their odds of changing Tim with an individual who would be unlikely to acquire in June,” Sayre explained.

Archer mentioned he started out asking issues at university board meetings about a 12 months ago and obtained number of answers – and in one case when he did, the solution came 6 months afterwards. And he claimed, he has watched mothers and fathers “routinely being shut down when they attempted to ask thoughts.” He explained board customers take care of instructors in a comparable vogue.

“This all commenced with only inquiring inquiries,” mentioned Archer, who is a father or mother of a university student at Kennebunk Superior Faculty. “In a interval of relative tranquility, this board’s absence of transparency would be relating to. But following several years of turmoil, partial responses and admonishing the group and our academics in community session signal that this board does not just take severely the need to be transparent nor values its responsibility to restore community have faith in in our district.”

He pointed out the facts he was in search of included taxpayer pounds. “Every citizen has a right to ask these questions and acquire responses,” he reported.

Really don’t Slide for the Recall member Chris Babcock mentioned there is a variance amongst shutting down speakers “out of spite” or doing so in buy to continue to keep a assembly successful. “I have attended conferences and have witnessed speakers from the public shouting and ranting and raving,” claimed Babcock, in component. “This does not make for a successful meeting in any structure.”

Affidavits filed Nov. 29 with the town clerk’s business, which triggers the recall system in Kennebunk, allege LeBlanc’s “role in negotiating the most new teacher’s deal, and its influence on workers attrition, the failure to seat a curriculum committee, and a failure in government leadership by allowing for academics, mother and father and community customers to be bullied and admonished in general public conferences,” is a bring about for remember. The affidavit naming Stentiford is identical. It even more alleges “(Stentiford’s) individual contribution to the board’s escalated administrative spending” has triggered a decline of confidence in his capabilities as an RSU 21 director.

There is far more, not mentioned in the affidavit.

Archer stated he began inquiring queries not extended soon after Dr. Terri Cooper started her occupation as the district’s superintendent in August 2020.

Cooper’s tenure started six months into the coronavirus pandemic. Faculty opened in a hybrid product in September 2020, and in May perhaps, small children in Kindergarten by means of Grade 2 attended in man or woman four times a week. Universities opened for fulltime in human being classes for all learners on Aug. 30.

Cooper, who has a master’s degree in administration and a doctorate in instructional management, experienced earlier served as principal in various faculties and as a director of worker aid expert services in North Carolina. She was selected from a area of seven candidates interviewed from the 18 who utilized.

In a letter Archer despatched seeking for help in the initial levels of the recall quest, he wrote: “the bottom line is this: soon after a 12 months of Dr. Cooper, it is clear that she is unfit for the place and not currently being held into account by the Board. It is time to consider the only action we the voters have: eliminate the de facto board leaders from business and change them with individuals who will do the 1 career they had been elected to do: control – and probably replace – the Superintendent.”

The recall affidavits submitted by Archer do not reference Cooper straight.

When questioned by a reporter, Archer noted a superintendent are not able to be recalled, “but you can remember the men and women who employed her and surrounded her with high priced consultants to compensate for an apparent lack of knowledge.”

As to his “unfit” remark, Archer claimed he believes Cooper is not in good shape for RSU 21 at this time.

“We require a chief who can stabilize the district, restore public have confidence in, have interaction the public in a good fashion and create bridges throughout our three communities,” reported Archer. “That’s not occurring.”

He reported the district has had multiple superintendents about the past 7 years. “It would feel apparent that the district essential a demonstrated and skilled chief to move in and right the ship, as it ended up,” said Archer in an e mail. “Someone who knows Maine statutes, is familiar with our a few communities, understands the heritage of RSU 21 more than the earlier seven a long time.”

Really do not Tumble for the Remember customers say the factors for the remember are neither a failure of judgment or means of the board – specifications for remember set forth in Kennebunk’s charter. They say the explanations are personalized, unfair, undemocratic, dishonest, enthusiastic by outdoors forces, and will build dysfunction, halt wanted progress, harm property values and the Kennebunk manufacturer, and is mistaken on the specifics.

“We are a leaderless team united in opposition to the recall, and also united in dedication to make improvements to RSU 21,” mentioned Sayre. “That latter bit appears to be to have been shed in the dialog.” Sayre reported the team is “as informed as the other facet that there are items that want to be improved.”

“Our situation is practically nothing will be improved if two of the most effective college board members, Stentiford and LeBlanc are eliminated,” mentioned Sayre.

Sayre reported Stentiford and LeBlanc have been instrumental in creating an successful human methods workforce at RSU 21, and pointed out the human means director was budgeted prior to LeBlanc’s 2020 election to the board. In reaction to the recall proponents idea that RSU 21 spends much too a great deal on administration and human means, The Never Slide for the Recall group has calculated that RSU 21 spends .47 p.c of its funds on human sources employees, whilst the city of Kennebunk spends .79 per cent of its funds on HR staffing. They observed at minimum 17 other school districts in Maine, like many nearby,  have in-house human sources functions. They also noted district lawful expenses ended up lessened from $341,298 in the 2020 fiscal 12 months to $181,140 in the 2021 fiscal yr.

The RSU 21 Board of Directors has 12 associates, and is at this time down two. Todd Shea, Arundel, and Amanda Oelschlegel, Kennebunk, not too long ago resigned,  citing time constraints as factors for stepping down. Decide on boards  are making ready to appoint replacements.

Stentiford was elected in June 2019 and was the 2nd best vote-getter in a subject of four candidates for two positions. His term expires in June. LeBlanc was the next optimum vote-getter in the July 2020 election that saw two candidates operate for two positions on the board.

Sayre quoted the city constitution on the intent of remember: “Recall is supposed to be applied when, in the belief of the quantity of voters hereinafter specified, an elected formal, performing as such, has brought on a decline of self confidence in that official’s judgment or means to conduct the obligations and responsibilities of the office.”

“The recall is focusing on another person Norm Archer endorsed on Fb in 2019,” reported Sayre, referring to Stentiford. He mentioned LeBlanc has a lengthy historical past of productive company.

“This recall isn’t about capability or judgment it is about political variances,” stated Sayre.

Sayre and other Don’t Fall for the Remember customers believe remember proponents might be connected in some fashion to a nationwide group termed Mother and father Defending Education, which solicits guidelines from the public on its web-site. Current Liberty of Facts requests to RSU 21 display the vice president of strategy and investigations for Dad and mom Defending Education inquiring for a checklist of sellers and outside the house educational consultants the district has utilized due to the fact Jan. 1, 2020, in the spot of range, fairness and inclusion.

The RSU 21 Board of Administrators addressed the recall exertion in a Nov. 23 letter, before the affidavits ended up filed.

“Members of the Board are mindful that there is a nicely-arranged team that fulfill consistently and look focused on discrediting the function of the Board and the administration for political get,” LeBlanc reported in the letter signed by board customers. “Despite the attempts of this group to forged doubt on the Board’s determination to our motives, the Board will keep on being steadfast in its determination to assistance our learners and workforce.”

Archer claimed the petition work is going effectively. But when requested, he mentioned if the signature threshold is not achieved, “we have already attained a lot.”

He attributed modern RSU 21 Board actions to the attempts of those people supporting the recall.

“Last spring the academics contract was executed soon after sure members of our greater cross-community group organized a march on their behalf the Ed Techs just been given a pay increase the Board pulled again an authoritarian plan blocking employees participation in political initiatives,” claimed Archer. “Our attempts are functioning by now. This team is increasing and will proceed to shine a mild on this Board and boost candidates who will request the challenging thoughts, not rubber stamp what’s set in entrance of them.”

It is unclear if a remember motion is most likely in Arundel and Kennebunkport. Municipal clerks in each communities have earlier mentioned inquiries had been produced.

“I’ve experienced persons check with, but no just one expressing, ‘I’m sending in a petition,’” Kennebunkport Town Clerk Jamie Mitchell mentioned on Friday, Dec. 17.

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