Recall Sought of 2 on School Board

A small group of residents began a recall effort against two Inglewood school board members Thursday, accusing them of not serving the community well at a time of “major crisis” in the schools.

The recall targets are Larry Aubry, the school board president, and Thomasina Reed, who was elected last June. Both Aubry and Reed were accused of “faltering leadership, lack of direction, poor comprehension of major issues (and) inadequate response to board members, communiques and concerns.”

The four residents who signed an intention-to-recall form were Emmanuel Gary Jr., a parent who ran against Reed last year; Mildred McNair, a former school board candidate whose son graduated from Inglewood schools; Charles Coronado, an Inglewood businessman with a grandson attending Hudnall Elementary School, and Tiburcio Maldonado, a parent who has criticized the district for its handling of Latino children.

Charlotte Bell, a Los Angeles resident who has a son at Inglewood’s Crozier Junior High School, is another organizer of the recall effort. The form was delivered Thursday to the county registrar-recorder’s office.

Reed questioned whether the recall effort would succeed and said, “If they want to come forward with some specific complaints, that’s fine.”

Aubry declined to comment because he had not been formally notified of the recall.

The two board members have a week to file an answer to the accusations before petitions can be circulated. To force an election, recall proponents would have to gather signatures from about 30% of the registered voters in the school district.