Sonora Elementary Board Member, Ritts, Faces Recall Attempt
Sonora, CA — A member of the Sonora Elementary Board of Trustees has been served papers about a notice of intent to circulate a recall petition against him.
Related documents have also been filed with the Tuolumne County Election’s Office. They are the initial steps ahead of collecting signatures from voters.
The board member targeted is Cody Ritts.
The petition is signed by 10 community members who live in the Sonora Elementary School District. They include Lloyd and Whitney Mathiesen, Jacqueline and Dean Wimberly, Shiloh and Tyler Pich, Jacqueline and Michael Bearden, Katheryn Hodges, and Geraldine Rains.
The petition states that the recall is due to a “repeated failure to represent the best interests” of the school. It alleges that Ritts has “consistently ignored overwhelming input from parents, teachers, and staff – choosing instead to support Superintendent (Cheryl) Griffiths, under whose leadership our once-thriving school has deteriorated dramatically.”
It goes on to state that Superintendent Griffiths has “driven away over 28 respected and long-standing educators-and our beloved principal of 13 years-through a toxic, authoritarian leadership style, harmful instructional mandates, and discriminatory policies.”
The recall proponents argue that Ritts voted to prematurely extend her contract and refused calls for accountability.
It continues, “Meaningful change cannot happen until new board members are elected who will listen to stakeholders, restore trust, and lead with transparency, respect, integrity and responsibility.”
Clarke Broadcasting reached out to Ritts, who noted that he is currently serving his third, unopposed, term on the board, and that the district is fully staffed for the first time since COVID, and they are moving forward with a positive new school year.
He added, “Last fall, the entire board gave the superintendent a positive evaluation and approved a modest extension, which is a common practice. That decision raised concerns from some in the community, so we immediately engaged the County Superintendent of Schools to help identify and address those issues. Since then, meaningful improvements have been made. There are also people who support the superintendent, including some who have since moved on, but speaking up publicly can risk ruining relationships in this divided environment.”
We reported in October that Ritts, Reed Schoedl, and Steve Roos all voted in favor of approving a contract extension with Griffiths, at a meeting that had several people speak in opposition. Schoedl and Roos are up for re-election next year, and are not facing a recall. Ritts is because his seat isn’t up for election until 2028. He ran unopposed last year (the meeting to extend Griffith’s contract came after the period had closed for interested candidates to submit paperwork).
Ritts added, “A special recall election would cost the district a significant amount of money just months before the regular election, when three seats will already be on the ballot. In my opinion, those funds would be better spent on students and staff.”
He concluded that, despite the recall effort, he remains committed to supporting students, teachers, and families so that Sonora Elementary continues to grow in a positive direction.
