Gwinn residents consider school board recall

Around one hundred concerned residents of a U.P. community came out to discuss recent budget problems in their school district  Thursday night.

The meeting led to talk of the possibility of recalling school board members.  Residents in Gwinn discussed recalling five of the seven school board members, who have been on the board for more than five years.

The recall comes in part due to the district’s $1.3 million dollar deficit.

Lessa Misterly, who organized the meeting, said there needs to be new members on the board that have fresh ideas.

She said that the work the board has done has finally come to light:  no balanced budgets, wasteful spending and not maintaining school buildings.

With the recent announcement of the closure of Gilbert Elementary, Misterly says the school board did not provide information to parents, or break the news in a respectful way.

“Unfortunately, they (the school board) made a rash decision to close Gilbert, without providing any documentation, figures, reason why (for the closure), nothing,” Misterly said.  “Also, they did not take the time to ethically and morally inform the community members of our area.”

There is no word on when the possible recall would occur, or what other steps the group plans on making.

For more on future meetings in Gwinn concerning the school board recall, contact Misterly at leesajphoto@aol.com, or (906) 306-6025.