SOMIS : 3 School Trustees Face Recall Action

Recall petitions have been served to three Somis Union Elementary School District trustees who decided not to renew the contract of Supt. Dale Forgey.

Trustees Alda Perry, Debbie Carpenter and Miguel Mejia have until Wednesday to respond to the petitions before they are submitted to county elections officials, said Liz Gruttadaurio, a Somis parent who heads the recall group.

The recall committee, which is comprised of parents and some former school board members, will begin circulating the petitions in early July.

“We need 334 signatures of registered voters in the school district by the end of July to ensure that it gets on the November ballot,” Gruttadaurio said.

None of the trustees could be reached for comment Friday afternoon. Perry, Carpenter and Mejia read statements at a school board meeting Wednesday, saying they would not change their votes. Trustee Robert Fulkerson voted to renew Forgey’s contract, and Trustee Beth Miller abstained. Both Fulkerson and Miller are up for reelection in November.

“I don’t think there’ll be any problem getting signatures,” Gruttadaurio said. “This was an unpopular decision.”

Forgey said he is pleased about the recall effort. “I hope for the sake of the district that it’s successful,” he said.

The board voted May 21 not to renew Forgey’s contract because members disagreed with him about how to run the single school, 320-student district, Forgey said. He will probably teach a sixth-grade class at the school next year, Forgey said.