SCARBOROUGH — Four remaining school board members decided Tuesday against holding a special election this summer to replace three members who were voted off the panel earlier this month.
Remaining board members Jacquelyn Perry, Hillory Durgin, Mary Starr and Leanne Kazilionis voted 3-1 against holding a special election before the regular November election. Kazilionis provided the sole vote in favor of a special election.
Board members and townspeople said the town needs time to heal before jumping into another election, even though it will mean having eight seats up for election in November.
In the town’s first-ever recall election, held on May 8, voters decided overwhelmingly to remove three of the longest-serving current members on the seven-member board after months of controversy involving the superintendent and the high school principal.
The vote to remove Chairwoman Donna Beeley was 3,086 to 1,496 (67 percent); Cari Lyford, 3,047 to 1,535 (66 percent); and Jodi Shea, 3,040 to 1,550 (66 percent).
A follow-up election must be held to replace the unseated members for the remainders of their terms. Beeley’s term ends in November, and Lyford’s and Shea’s terms end in November 2019.
Under the town charter, the remaining board members could have asked the Town Council to hold a special election this summer or decided to wait until the next general election on Nov. 6, which is allowed because it’s less than six months away.
With three members removed, the board still has four members needed for a quorum to conduct business. However, the town charter also requires at least four affirmative votes to pass any action, so a four-member board would need unanimous votes to get anything done.
A local political action committee mounted the recall effort after Scarborough High School Principal David Creech resigned suddenly in February, effective June 30, and Superintendent Julie Kukenberger later refused to let him rescind his resignation letter, which he says she coerced.
The Road to Renewal group successfully circulated petitions targeting Beeley, Lyford and Shea for “incompetence,” though the stated reason on its Facebook page was to keep Creech as principal and oust Kukenberger.
Another Facebook-based group, Scarborough Sharing Truth on Recall Matters, formed to fight the recall effort and support the superintendent, despite concerns about the handling of divisive changes in school start times and proficiency-based grading.
Road to Renewal leaders said they saw the successful recall as a show of community support for Creech and a referendum on Kukenberger’s leadership, suggesting that she should resign. They also said several people were ready to run to replace the recalled board members, and acknowledged that changing board members wouldn’t necessarily bring their desired results.
The district has advertised Creech’s position, seeking “a progressive, innovative instructional leader” with “excellent communication skills, a strong commitment for high quality teaching and learning and the ability to balance the needs of students, staff, families, and community stakeholders.”
Ideal candidates also must have “a collaborative approach to leadership, a clear sense of vision, and a desire to contribute to a dynamic school and district leadership team.” Application deadline is Monday.
The vote on whether to hold a special election could be the first of many challenges facing the board with fewer members.
The proposed $50.3 million school budget for 2018-19 is up for a validation vote on June 12, and Scarborough voters have rejected the first draft several times in recent years. Last year it took two budget rewrites and three votes to pass.
This story will be updated.