9-R Board of Education Statement on Lawsuit - December 3, 2021

Not only are we confident we acted appropriately, we know holding an election in District D would not have changed the outcome. District D was headed for an election prior to Andrea vacating her seat and we accepted petition signatures to get eligible candidates on the ballot. Katie Stewart was the only person to submit the required signatures and documents to do so, meaning she would have been an uncontested candidate and won the seat. The Board of Education recognized this during the appointment process and it weighed heavily on our decision to appoint Ms. Stewart, who now serves on the Board. The plaintiffs are seeking a special election anyhow, which would cost the district an additional $50,000-$55,000 according to the County Clerk and Recorder. In addition to the cost, the Board is opposed to a special election since candidates were not precluded from running and only one person did.  Our attorneys have filed a motion asserting that a special election is not an available remedy in this case.
 
We are committed to defending ourselves against these accusations, but are frustrated to be diverting financial and human resources away from students.
 
9-R Board of Education
Published