Recall ballots mailed to Giltner patrons

Hamilton County Clerk Jill DeMers reported this week that ballots have been mailed out to Giltner Public School District patrons regarding a recall initiative targeting former Giltner School Board president Chris Waddle.
Approximately 500 ballots were mailed out Monday, with instructions that they must be mailed to the Hamilton County Courthouse, brought to the clerk’s office or dropped off in the ballot box outside the courthouse by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15.
DeMers said the ballots will be counted that day, adding that she expects to post unofficial results that same night. Election officials will meet the following day, she said, to make the results final.
DeMers noted that the only people who will be eligible to vote in the recall election are patrons of the Giltner School District. The outcome will be decided by a simple majority.
The recall petition was initiated last fall by Giltner area resident Jamie Bendorf. She singled out Waddle as board president, though he no longer serves in that role. At the Jan. 10 board meeting, Waddle nominated Michael Wilson for the position, while Mykelin Watson nominated Ross Lyon. The board voted 4-2 in favor of Lyon, who then stepped in immediately as board president.
According to documents filed in the Hamilton County Courthouse, Bendorf gathered 133 verified signatures on the recall petition, more than the 119 required. That minimum number was established based on a formula requiring 35 percent of votes the top vote-getter received in the last election.
“Christopher Waddle doesn’t hold the best interest of the patrons in the Giltner School District,” Bendorf wrote on the recall petition filing form.
Waddle responded with a defense statement as follows: “We have a strong administrative team, the finest teachers and staff, the highest enrollment of students in years and the district is in a good financial position for the future,” he wrote. “These things happen when you have a school board with the right vision for the future. A recall under these conditions is not in the best interest of our school.”
Asked at the time she launched the campaign to further clarify her reasons for launching the recall effort, Bendorf offered the following statement:
“GPS has been a part of many deep family ties,” she wrote. “Our long, strong history is what keeps kids here and brings the graduates back as they start their own families. I want all our kids to have the ability to be a part of what many of us grew up with.
“Filing a recall on Chris Waddle was not a decision made lightly,” she continued. “My reasons for the recall are based upon what I have been seeing at our school. I can tell you information isn’t lining up. GPS has some of the best parents in our community and some high-quality opt-in families. But what concerns me the most is hearing about families who have left due to administration dismissing concerns, current GPS parents that are looking at other options for schooling out of district, or even worse the fact they are regretting sending their child or children here.
“Our school claims future numbers are going up, which is the cause for the need for a levy increase,” she wrote. “One family leaving at a time won’t impact the school greatly, but how many families have to leave before it is a concern? Will it be too late to save our school if we wait and see?”
Asked for a more detailed response to the recall effort, Waddle issued the following statement in October:
“Service on the board requires a member to have both the interest of the community and the district in mind as he or she votes on what is in the best interests of the school,” he wrote. “Although there have been a great number of hard decisions in the past year, no single board member acts on their own. Other than working with the agenda and serving as the chair of the meetings, the school board president is not given any more authority to act than any other member has. It still takes four members before something can happen.
“The recent levy increase, of which all six members voted for, is tied directly to pay increases for our employees, program additions to our school and building back our reserve,” he continued, referring to a 5 percent levy increase approved in September. “Our teachers had fallen behind in pay compared to our peers and the law required us to act. We have some of the finest staff in the state and it is only right they are paid what they are worth. Additional programming such as web design, agriculture and others are initiatives asked for by our students and patrons and we have listened and acted. We are a very well-managed school led by Mr. Mumm and he has been a great addition to our team.
“Our board has made good decisions for the school and it has been my privilege to serve as the president and work with these individuals who bring their own perspectives and work collaboratively to solve issues to make our school better,” he concluded. “Our school is positioned well for the future. Our enrollment is the highest it has been in years and we truly are the school of choice in our area. The board welcomes any interested parties to attend our meetings and see the work we are doing.”