Discussion for article #238885
Colorado, unlike Wisconsin, seems to like recall elections. Was it not in Colorado that gun nuts pushed out a few state senators a couple of years ago?
Reminded of the ultimate outcome of the federal court suit against the Dover Area School Districtās policy requiring the teaching of intelligent design after the judge decided that the policy violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Wikipedia entry on the Kitzmiller case states: āAll eight of the Dover school board members who were up for re-election on November 8, 2005, were defeated by a set of challengers who opposed the teaching of intelligent design in a science class. (The ninth member was not up for re-election.) The school board president subsequently stated that the board did not intend to appeal the ruling.ā
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wellāIām a product of JeffCo schools. There are definitely quite a few very right-wing elements there, but my sense is on balance they are highly outnumbered. Iām hopeful that these 3 will be voted out decisively.
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āā¦weāre going to remain focused on what we heard loudly from voters (in 2013),ā Witt told Denver television station KUSA." Wonder what they heard from that thin majority in 2013. āWe want revisionist history?ā
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Whatever they think they heard in 2013, theyāre hearing something else this year. Just imagine voters changing their minds.
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Cons think since facts seem to trend liberal, cons always want to re-write history to make themselves look better.
How about leaving the facts in the history lesson, and get rid of the cons!
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Based on my own experience in a California school district, very few people outside parents take any notice of what happens on education boards, and even among parents thereās an appalling lack of interest or knowledge. In the last elections to our board, turnout was 17%
This means the loudest and most active and strident people have a disproportionate say in who gets on education boards. That describes Tea Party/Right wing conservatives perfectly.
Itās only when they overreach, like in this case or the Dover case mentioned above, do more people take notice, but since it takes time to run a recall election, apathy will probably rule by the election.
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We had something similar in my home state of Ohio in the past few years. The school board was conservative controlled and they tried to replace high school government classes with some sort of class sponsored by Glen Beck. Seriously. The school board president was a wealthy woman with a degree in nutrition. So clearly she had the qualifications to determine curriculum.
They lost their majority and were forced out next election. They used to escort parents out for complaining during school board meetings, but one guy would unfurl a rebel flag and stand their holding it and they let him. This area is one of the wealthier and more conservative areas in Ohio, but they pushed them out. I was proud.
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This is unfortunately quite true. School Board elections depend on who can get the most friends & relatives to actually go and vote. Thus, in our district we ended up with Carl Paladino & a couple of his henchpersons on our Board. Itās been ugly but I really donāt believe that much will change in the next election, though Iāll go and vote nonetheless.
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Unfortunately, the attempt at the AP curriculum changes are only the tip of the iceberg with this gang on the Jefferson County school board. You just wouldnāt believe the toxic mix of wingnut politics, abuse of the school system administrators and teachers, shady contracting ā¦
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Recall elections: itās like a do-over opportunity for people who didnāt think it was important enough to vote in the original election.
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please, tell us moreāor provide links.
If they were able to get double the necessary signatures for a recall, Iām thinking JeffCo is pretty heavily engaged in this now. Hope they stay that way.
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And countdown to these three starting a nice little right-wing grifting operation raising funds to fight the liberal commies in 3ā¦2ā¦1ā¦
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more signed on to the recall than voted them in during the election.
Irony Alert. They want to make sure a US History class does not āencourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.ā ??? Is the Tea Party trying to ensure that we teach that the Boston Tea Party was wrong?
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No, but the number of recall petitions is still very impressive.
The winning candidates got 73k to 83k votes in the 2013 election.
http://ballotpedia.org/Jeffco_Public_Schools_elections_(2013)
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Ideological/social conservatives are an interesting breed - with their childlike understanding of history, and their childlike need to have a a bow and ribbons put around history - especially U.S. History. I would not be shocked in one or all three of them believe unicorns are real.
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"and did not āencourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.ā
Except of course for heroes like Cliven Bundy who is being unfairly asked to pair his share of grazing fees that are passed along to others because he refuses to do so.
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