Recall Petition Targets Four Vermilion School Board Members
Let's face it, for those of us who have observed the goings-on of the Vermilion Parish School Board over the past year or two we are quite perplexed. Schools in the parish are some of the highest-rated in the state. The test scores and academic performance of students in Vermilion Parish are truly something to be proud of, yet the School Board and the Superintendent of Schools simply can't seem to work together.
Now a citizens group in Vermilion Parish is getting involved by circulating a petition that would ask voters to recall four members of the VPSB. Those members just happen to be the four that have been the most critical about Superintendent Jerome Puyau. The petition names Laura LeBeouf, Kibbie Pillette, Dale Stelly, and David Dupius as the target of the recall movement.
Organizers of the recall petition hope to get it approved next week by the Secretary of State's office. Once that approval has been earned organizers will then have 180 days to gather enough signatures to proceed. The number of signatures needed is one-third of registered voters in the districts covered by the recall,
What's very disconcerting to me is that petition organizers told KLFY TV 10 that many people say they want to sign the petition but they fear retribution from those in political power if they do.
Perhaps, the problem isn't the school board or the Superintendent, after all, maybe it's just good old fashioned strongarmed political tactics. The kind of tactics that are highly illegal but obviously very effective when used by those in power who want to stay in power.
Meanwhile, kudos to the educators, administrators, and students of Vermilion Parish Schools who despite the ongoing madness between the Board and the Superintendent have continued to excel in their academic pursuits.