A group has turned in its petitions to recall Dolores School Board President Dee Prock and board member Vangi McCoy, according to the Montezuma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
“We have only begun the review process, our office will have 15 business days to complete the petition review and issue the statement of sufficiency or insufficiency,” Percell wrote in an email to The Journal on Thursday.
Percell would not say how many names were filed on the petition. The petition claims that Prock and McCoy have failed to follow transparency policies and have contributed to a decline in student performance in Dolores School District Re-4A.
The county has until May 16 to verify that the petition signatures are valid and registered voters. The clerk’s verification is then followed by a 15-day protest period in which the incumbents can challenge Percell’s sufficiency statement.
“Then, the incumbent has five days to resign before setting an election date for the recall,” Percell said.
If the petition is determined valid, successor candidate petition formats may be filed with the designated election official on the initial statement of sufficiency or insufficiency, according to Percell. An election would have to take place no more than 60 days from the date the protest period is concluded.
The petition format was approved on March 27, and circulators Amy Lewis and Michael Smith had 60 days – until May 28 – to collect the required 335 signatures. The total of 335 signatures represents 10 percent of the electors residing in the district, Percell said.
Prock was appointed in 2014 to a four-year term and will be up for re-election in 2019. In an emailed response to The Journal on April 4, she supported the recall process.
“Participating in a recall is part of our individual rights. ... I embrace that,” Prock wrote. “The members of the school board are volunteers and have an obligation to learn and work together for the benefit of our students. I am confident that this board, the school and the community have a shared enthusiasm for providing a safe and quality learning environment for our school.”
McCoy was appointed to the Dolores School Board in 2009, and her term will expire in 2019. The Journal was unable to reach McCoy for comment.
Petition circulator Lewis has declined to comment on the recall drive, and The Journal was unable to reach Smith.
The statement of grounds for recalling McCoy says:
“Ms. McCoy has been on the school board for the past 8 years, and during her leadership the Dolores School has gone from elite status to one of the lowest in the state and now currently in a Turnaround, which is the lowest performance rating. ... Ms. McCoy is disengaging open communication and transparency by not following policies set forth by the RE-4 Board. Ms. McCoy’s leadership cannot be tolerated by the residents of the Dolores School District any longer.”
The statement of grounds for recalling Prock says:
“Ms. Prock has been on the school board for the past 4 years, and during her leadership the Dolores School has continued to decline and currently is in a Turnaround, which is the lowest performance rating. ... Ms. Prock has disengaged open communication and transparency by not following policies set forth by the RE-4 Board and the inability to properly run a school board meeting. Ms. Prock’s behavior cannot be tolerated by the residents of the Dolores School District any longer.”
