Petition to recall trustee underway

RATHDRUM — A small group is seeking to recall the board chair of the Lakeland Joint School District Board of Trustees.

Terri Skubitz, organizer for “Save the Lakeland Way,” said they are petitioning to recall Michelle Thompson for what they said was violating board member codes and failing to represent the electorate. They were collecting signatures at the intersection of highways 41 and 53 on Tuesday.

Skubitz also said she is unhappy the trustees have been postponing approving the student curriculum, and that the board did not renew Superintendent Becky Meyer’s contract.

Thompson voted not to extend the 3-year contract for an additional year in June 2020.

“Why are you not renewing the contract from a high-performing superintendent? What is your plan?” Skubitz said. “It’s getting to that point that they are responsible for responding to the electorate and making sure that the patrons and parents are informed about what's going on in the school district.”

Thompson said she is unaware of the open-meeting law violations and has not been contacted by anyone unhappy about her representation. She also said the superintendent's contract remains in place until 2022 and was not up for renewal.

“I replaced Tim Skubitz, and it appears he and his wife are on a campaign to have me removed," she said.

Thompson defeated Tim Skubitz in the 2019 election for Lakeland Joint School District in zone 3.

Per Idaho Code 34-1701 and following the timeline for the form filed by Skubitz, in order to recall Thompson a total of 198 valid signatures must be collected and filed at the elections office by Oct. 20.

According to Idaho Code 34-1702 subsection (5), the petition must be signed by 50 percent of the number of electors who cast votes in the last election of the school trustee zone.

If this requirement is met, the trustee is notified and given five days to resign. If they do not resign an election shall be ordered.

Skubitz declined to say how many signatures they have collected.

Michelle Coyle, a Rathdrum resident, signed the petition and said she is concerned about censorship. She said she heard Thompson would like to restrict books in school libraries.

“There’s other things too, but that’s the main thing," she said.

Rathdrum resident David Quimby said he supports Thompson and thinks people are unhappy because the board is asking for budget and account information, and questioning deposits.

“A lot of people I think are getting mad because the board's now holding people accountable,” Quimby said. “They just don't want to hear it. They just want to run business as usual.”