The WPSD Board Recall Committee submitted the recall petitions to the Teller County Clerk on 8/1/22. The signatures have been counted and have come in just under the number needed to continue the recall effort. Though we gained enough signatures to meet the numbers for both Illingworth and Patterson, some signatures were not accepted for a variety of reasons. The primary factors were signers out-of-district, name not found, or the voter’s information did not precisely match the voter registry. These are common reasons why signatures aren’t counted on petitions.

Here are the official numbers:

-The petition for David Rusterholtz did not have enough signatures and was not processed.

-The petition for David Illingworth II received 2709 signatures, 386 signatures were rejected, leaving 2323 signatures of the 2648 required.

-The petition for Suzanne Patterson received 2697 signatures, 409 signatures were rejected, leaving 2288 signatures of the 2644 required.

Understandably, we are disappointed to have fallen just short of the numbers required to move forward with the recall process. However, there are some things that we know for sure:

-The signatures of thousands of voters provide clear evidence that opposition to the Board’s behavior extends far and wide. There are many more people who were unable to sign for a variety of reasons. Many live out of district even though they have children in the school, some are part-time here and are registered to vote in other places, and, unfortunately, many didn’t sign for fear of retribution from the board. That alone says a lot. However, the breadth of support is very clear.

-This was a PHENOMENAL team effort by a group of friends and strangers working together for good, kindness, truth, and decency in our community.

-There is a huge portion of this community who has been and will continue to support our teachers and ALL of the children in this community.

-Our desire and effort to hold the Woodland Park School Board accountable for their actions and to advocate for students, families, and teachers is not diminished. We will continue to seek representation that mirrors the diversity of our community.

-This is the time to be more involved than ever. The new school year just started and we can continue to show support for the teachers and staff. Volunteer in a classroom, write a supportive email to a teacher, learn about what clubs and programs your kids are interested in, ask questions, attend board meetings, get involved in whatever way is best for you.

We are making and will continue to make a difference!!!

Thank you again for your part in this effort!

Erin O’Connell, from the Concerned Parents of Teller County Facebook group