Jeffco school board recall signatures deemed valid

The Jefferson County Clerk deemed the signatures collected to recall three Jeffco School Board members as 90 percent sufficient, late Tuesday, Aug. 18, leaving more than twice the number needed to trigger a ballot question.

“Oh elated,” said Tina Gurdikian, one of the recall organizers following the news. “I’m super excited – I wish it hadn’t taken so long – but I’m really excited to hear we had roughly 90 percent validity – that’s awesome.”

On July 28, Gurdikian and her co-organizer, Wendy McCord, and other Jeffco Schools supporters dropped off 28 boxes of recall petitions seeking to remove Ken Witt, John Newkirk and Julie Williams –; the Jeffco School Board Majority – recalled from office. The sufficient signatures ended up being more than twice the 15,000 required by law: 34,188 for Newkirk, 33,900 for Williams and 33,942 for Witt.

Now valid, the clerk must wait 15 calendar days before setting the three recall questions on the ballot. This period allows for any member of the community to protest the recall. Should a protest be submitted and deemed valid, the questions will not make the ballot, which must be set by the clerk no later than Sept. 4.

“There are some who would like us to challenge the recall petitions that were certified today with a legal protest due to their wildly inaccurate and inflammatory language –; But I won’t,” Witt said in an Aug. 19 statement. “I am looking forward to this dialogue with our fellow parents in Jeffco and to the opportunity to share the successes of Jeffco Schools.”

“With a 90 percent validity rate and how we pulled well, well, well above the amount of signatures needed I see no reason – outside a protest – we wouldn’t be on the November ballot,” Gurdikian said. “We had bipartisan support … The people who voted for them, well, they’re upset that they (the board majority) did not live up to their promises of fiscal responsibility, transparency and doing what’s best for kids.”

The board majority members have stated throughout the recall effort that they stand behind their record, and accomplishments while in office.