Two parents of students in the strike-torn New Haven Unified School District filed paperwork on Wednesday to begin the process of trying to recall three of the district's five school board members.
Colleen Weaver, one of the parents, said, "Our teachers and students deserve better than they're getting at this time."
Weaver said, "The school board has not done its job because it's letting Superintendent Arlando Smith run the show."
Teachers in the school district, which consists of 12 schools in Union City and South Hayward, remained on strike for a 12th day on Wednesday and another bargaining session between the district and the teachers' union was held.
Weaver and Erica Viray Santos, whose husband Ivan Santos is a teacher at James Logan High School, want to recall school board members Sharan Kaur, Jeff Wang and Lance Nishihira.
Weaver said those three trustees were served with a notice of intent to recall them during the school board's meeting on Tuesday night.
But Weaver said that when she went to file the recall notice with the Alameda County Registrar of Voters on Tuesday she was told that she must make some minor corrections and then serve the three members with an updated notice.
Weaver said only 12 people need to sign the recall notice.
But she said proponents will need to get 7,847 signatures to put the recall on the ballot.
Local
Weaver said once the three board members are served they have seven days to respond.
She said the board members could choose to resign but if they fight the recall effort an election on the matter might not be held until next March or April.
Weaver said the motivation for the recall effort is, "The voters of this community deserve stronger leaders who will do the right thing - and that is to make students and teachers a priority."
Parent Lisa Rodriguez told the school board at its meeting on Tuesday night that the community has lost confidence in them.
Rodriguez said, "This board of education has successfully driven a wedge between the district, and the teachers, parents and students of this community. This is not a playground disagreement -- the choices you have made are affecting the lives of our children."
