|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A group of Sequoia Union High School District parents are attempting to recall school board member Richard Ginn over his support for the decision to close TIDE Academy. The recall petition also cites an ongoing controversy over the elimination of ninth-grade honors courses.
A petition with 36 signatures was submitted to San Mateo County Elections Office officials on April 24.
Ginn, who represents Area C, was first elected to the board in 2020. His current term is set to end in December 2028. Area C covers West Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, Emerald Hills and part of Redwood City.
In a filed response to the notice, Ginn wrote, “14 years of school board service. Reelected unopposed in 2024. Woodside, Menlo-Atherton and Sequoia deliver for our students every day. Let’s keep the focus on students. Please decline to sign.”
School board members Maria Cruz and Mary Beth Thompson were also targeted with recall efforts on April 24, but the notice was rejected. Recall petitions were filed two days after Ginn voted in favor of restoring honors courses in a motion that failed 3-2 during the April 22 board meeting.
The board’s unanimous decision to close TIDE, the district’s STEM-focused high school in Menlo Park, on Feb. 4 prompted aa lawsuit filed by parents seeking to block the school’s closure in June. Ginn and Thompson recommended the superintendent create a plan to consider a possible closure of TIDE Academy and spearheaded the process.
As the district grappled with declining enrollment rates and a budget deficit, school board members explained that if TIDE did not close, high schools throughout the district would see teacher layoffs and budget cuts.
TIDE’s $50 million campus at 150 Jefferson Drive was built through a voter-approved bond measure in 2014. The district is still unsure what it will do with the building.
“Trustee Ginn has not fulfilled his responsibility to represent the interests and priorities of the community,” the recall notice states. “We seek his recall to restore transparency, accountability, and sound judgment to the Sequoia Union High School District board.”
On his unpublished website, Ginn argues against each of the claims that parents made in their recall petition. He told The Almanac that he plans to make the website public if and when the petition has been approved.
The recall petition cites parents’ beliefs that Ginn failed to provide oversight of Superintendent Crystal Leach for decisions that “adversely affected” the school community. Ginn is also under fire for his support and participation in the process that led to TIDE’s closure.
In response, Ginn called for petitioners to identify specific decisions they have concerns about. Aside from being in the minority on discussion about honors courses and ethnic studies, “the board is in alignment with the direction of the district,” he said.
“Local taxpayers approved and allocated funds for the development of TIDE Academy, and Trustee Ginn has failed to uphold the intent of that investment,” parents allege.
The recall also alleges that under his tenure, the district faced ongoing litigation that highlight its failures to enforce policies and reflect effective governance practices.
“I understand their frustration and why they want to (petition to recall) but I believe I’m the right person to continue serving on the board,” he said to The Almanac.
Ginn claims that the parents’ allegations that the process to close TIDE did not comply with public deliberation laws are false. He explained that the decision to close TIDE was followed by “a months-long, fully public process.” Ginn added that under California Education Code, schools are required to hold all deliberations on school closures in open session, which he said the district did.
Ginn said he believes that the board made the right decision to close TIDE, considering the school’s underenrollment.
In the recall, parents claim that Ginn “has failed to act in response to the public outcry over removal of advanced standing classes.” Among all of the grounds for the recall, Ginn said he is surprised and frustrated that parents would make these claims even after he had voted in favor of restoring honors courses at the most recent board meeting.
“I have consistently and strongly supported honors courses. The claim that I have done otherwise is false,” he said.
Next steps for the recall petition
The notice of intention to circulate a recall petition has been filed with the San Mateo County Elections Office and Ginn has filed his response within seven days. The notice will also have to be published in a local newspaper.
Now, parents must submit a petition to be approved for circulation in order to gather signatures.
They will have 120 days to gather signatures from 20% of voters within Area C of the school district. This is estimated to be about 7,500 people.
If there are enough signatures that are found to be valid by the county, Ginn’s recall will be up for vote in an upcoming election.
