A recall election against Angela Hansen-Winker, president of the Wrightstown Community School District Board of Education in Wisconsin, is being held on April 22, 2025. Nicole Verbeten is running against Hansen-Winker in the election. Whoever receives the most votes will finish Hansen-Winker’s term, which is due to expire in 2026.
The group Residents 4 Wrightstown Community School District started the recall effort in December 2024, while the school district was investigating Superintendent Andy Space for allegations related to “contractual matters, school purchases, open meeting law issues, legal counsel issues, board/staff relations, and insubordination,” according to The Green Bay Press Gazette. Members of the group said there was a lack of transparency in Space’s investigation. They also said that school board members did not prioritize the best interests of students, employees, and parents of the district.
Through her attorney, Hansen-Winker released a statement that said, “The accusations outlined in the recall petition are demonstrably false or personal political grievances from those who hate that the voters chose change, oversight, and accountability to put our schools first, costing them their control.”
No specific grounds are required for recall in Wisconsin. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election in the relevant jurisdiction. Signatures must be collected within 60 days. The recall against Hansen-Winkner required 1,206 signatures. The school board clerk announced on March 11, 2025, that enough signatures had been verified to put the recall on the ballot. Hansen-Winker challenged that certification in court, but the court has not yet ruled on that challenge.
Ballotpedia had tracked 12 school board recall efforts against 23 board members as of April 14, 2025. Three of those board members, including Hansen-Winker, face recall elections that have not yet been held. One board member resigned, and the efforts against 16 board members did not go to a vote. The efforts against three board members remain underway.
Ballotpedia had tracked 120 recall efforts against 170 officials across all office types as of April 14, 2025. At that time, 10 of the officials targeted for recall had been removed from office in a recall election, a success rate of 6%.
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