An effort is underway to recall two Rosendale Brandon school board members. Petitions are being circulated to recall board members Jenni Riedeman and Craig Mulder over their vote to close the Brandon Middle School. In February the School Board voted six to three to close the school, sending those students to Rosendale. Superintendent Wayne Weber said the consolidation plan was in response to a projected 30% drop in enrollment over the next four years and says even two of the board members who voted against said the decision would be inevitable. “They were just recommending we hold off on the vote until a later date like this coming fall in deciding for the future,” Weber told WFDL news. “Two of those three were very clear in their statements they believed the decision to close would happen.” Weber says Riedeman and Mulder are the board’s longest standing members. “I feel bad,” Weber told WFDL news. “These are people that have been on the board, have a lot of perspective, have made many difficult decisions over the years. I guess that’s the times we live in, I don’t like a decision, I’ll organize a recall.” Petitioners have 60 days to collect 662 signatures to force a recall election and the District would have 30 days to certify the signatures. If enough signatures are collected a special election would be called. Weber says if there is a recall election it would probably be held sometime in August or September. Meanwhile, another resident is circulating a petition gathering signatures in an effort to get the board to reconsider it’s decision to close the school at it’s annual meeting.
