Groveland recall candidates will meet and greet

A “Meet the Candidates Day” for candidates in the Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District recall election will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hacienda in Don Pedro.

Both current board members and prospective board members are slated to attend the forum, said organizer Victor Afanasiev.
  

Afanasiev is a member of the Measure M Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee. Measure M is the general obligation bond for the modernization of BOFGUSD schools.

May 19 is the statewide election and also the BOFGUSD Recall Election.

The BOFGUSD School Board Recall Committee and Students for a Better School District at Tioga High School launched a petition drive in 2008, collecting more than 1,000 signatures in an effort to oust the entire school board.

The board has been accused of public meeting violations, fiscal irresponsibility and a slew of other misdeeds.

The recall effort began after a favorite teacher, Ryan Dutton, was dismissed following a plagiarism charge. Though Dutton was later cleared by his credential program CalState TEACH, through the California State University system, much controversy still exists over the charge.

District Superintendent Mari Brabbin has also been accused of many things and recall proponents have been vocal in their desire to remove her from the district.

Over the past several months, supporters of the recall and supporters of the board have verbally sparred at board meetings and at one point the district was considering splitting Don Pedro and Groveland into separate districts. It was later determined to be financially unfeasible.

A candidate forum was held April 17 at Tioga High School, moderated by Students for a Better School District.    

This forum will be moderated by Pastor Hans Frei, of Coulterville.

“We need to know the positions of all the candidates on the recall,” Afanasiev said.

In this recall election, current board members’ names will be listed on ballots. Voters must vote whether to recall each individual member.

Then, voters can choose from a list of candidates who have filed to succeed individual board members. The top vote-getters will be elected and they will complete the ousted person’s term.

Current board members are Dave Gookin, of Groveland, Lillian Cravens, of Groveland, Charles “Chuck” Day, of Don Pedro, and Bryan Berger, of Don Pedro. Board member Mary Kelly, of Groveland, resigned in January, and her position will be up for recall on the ballot as well.
   

succeed Dave Gookin; Paul W. Johnson, a parent/broadcast engineer of Don Pedro, who has filed to succeed Lillian Cravens; Lori West, 48, a Groveland parent/homemaker, who has filed to succeed Lillian Cravens; Dan Oellrich, 43, of Groveland, a parent/management analyst for Veteran’s Affairs, filed to succeed Bryan Berger; Paul X. Spring, a Groveland-area parent filed to succeed Bryan Berger; Gloria Marler, a financial manager/parent in Groveland file to succeed Charles Day; and Ian Morcott, 51, a Groveland parent/software engineer filed to succeed Mary Kelly.

The BOFGUSD Teacher’s Association, made up of about 33 teachers, voted to support five of the candidates, said teacher’s representative Emily Hanchett, of Tioga High.

The teacher’s association endorses Spring, West, Morcott, Malloy and Marler, Hanchett said.