Petitioners attempting to recall school board members in Arizona and Idaho were approved to collect signatures in the first week of February 2025.
In Arizona, two members of the Liberty Elementary School District Governing Board—Kristopher Kenyon and Bryan Parks—were named in recall petitions. Supporters of the recall said over a dozen teachers had resigned since the 2024-2025 school year began. Over 1,600 students, about 38% of the student population, stayed home from school on February 3, 2025, to protest district leadership.
At the time the recall effort started, Parks was serving as president of the five-member board, and Kenyon was serving as vice president. During a board meeting on February 3, 2025, Parks said, “Can we please stop the false narrative that this board does not support or listen to teachers? This board’s actions speak directly to our dedication to the support and success of our teachers. We’ve addressed every major concern brought to this board by our educators.”
To put the recalls on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures by June 3, 2025. Organizers must collect 2,950 signatures for the recall against Kenyon and 2,126 signatures for the recall against Parks.
Members of the Liberty Elementary School District Governing Board were also included in recall efforts in 2021 and 2023. Neither effort went to a vote.
In Idaho, an effort was started to recall Raymond Knoff from his position as the Zone 4 representative on the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 board of trustees after the board voted 3-2 to close Washington Elementary School. The school is located in Zone 4 of the school district, and Knoff voted in favor of the closure. The district has lost more than $8 million in funding from the state since 2019 due to decreasing student enrollment.
Recall supporters said that they were concerned with how the decision to close the school was made. They also said Knoff refused to consider other options before voting to close the school.
“None of us wants to close a school,” Knoff said during the vote to close Washington Elementary School, “but we have got to maintain fiscal responsibility.”
To get the recall against Knoff on the ballot, recall supporters must collect 853 signatures by April 21, 2025. To put the recall on the ballot in May, supporters must submit the signatures by March 31, 2025.
Members of the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District No. 25 were also included in recall efforts in 2018 and 2020. The 2018 effort was suspended before the petition submission deadline, but the 2020 effort went to the ballot. All three members included in that effort kept their seats.
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