David Sandoval and Cory Underhill recall, Peoria Unified School District, Arizona (2021)

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2021 Peoria Unified School District recall
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Table of contents
Recall supporters Recall opponents Path to the ballot 2021 recall efforts
See also
External links Footnotes

An effort to recall two of the five members of the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board in Arizona did not go to a vote in 2021. David Sandoval and Cory Underhill were named in the recall petitions. Both petitions failed to qualify for the ballot.

The recall petition against Sandoval cited his involvement with ASBA, his vote against making masks optional for students, and his ties to the Peoria Education Association as reasons for the recall effort. The recall petition against Underhill listed rudeness during board meetings and her position on requiring students to wear masks as reasons for the recall effort.

Sandoval published a letter in the Daily Independent on May 19, 2021, saying, "Our students, families and the Peoria Unified School District have been through some very challenging times as we have navigated a national health crisis. My decisions to prioritize the health and wellness of all has never been without the voices of all stakeholders and objectivity."

Sandoval was re-elected to a four-year term on the board in an at-large election for three seats on November 3, 2020. He and the other two winners defeated six opponents. Underhill was elected to her first term on the board in an at-large election for two seats on November 6, 2018. She and the other winner defeated two opponents.

To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.

Recall supporters

Arguments for recall against Sandoval

Scroll in the box below to read the grounds for recall listed on the application for a recall petition against Sandoval.

Arguments for recall against Underhill

Scroll in the box below to read the grounds for recall listed on the application for a recall petition against Underhill.

Recall opponents

In response to the recall effort, Sandoval published the following letter to the editor in the Daily Independent on May 19, 2021.

“

When I first ran for the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board, I made a commitment to ensure that all stakeholder voices would have a space to be expressed and be included in the conversations that have an impact on the district and its students. It has always been important to me, to make well informed decisions that are objective and include the voices of students, families, community members resident experts, teachers and staff. In an effort to stay connected, I have participated in several parent meetings, continue to visit numerous campuses and welcome the public to leverage our “Call to the Public” line item at all board meetings. When I was re-elected in 2021 by our current board to serve as president, it was an honor to have the confidence of my fellow board members and the trust that was built as president in 2020. Our students, families and the Peoria Unified School District have been through some very challenging times as we have navigated a national health crisis. My decisions to prioritize the health and wellness of all has never been without the voices of all stakeholders and objectivity. It is this very objectivity and navigating the fluidity of a health crisis that continues to drive me in prioritizing student success, by supporting the opening of this semester with both a virtual and face-to-face option and now making masks optional for summer school — taking the next steps to realizing some level of normalcy. I have always valued continuous improvement. And, as a board member I would be doing a disservice to the district and its stakeholders if I wasn’t committed to learning every day and being informed in a way that is relevant to the growth of PUSD, its students, teachers, staff, and the industry of education. I am grateful for the opportunities that the district provides all board members to attend many conferences, which builds on the acumen and agency for myself and my fellow board members to ensure the success of all students. Professional organizations provide connections and continuous learning opportunities. The district’s membership in the Arizona School Board Association is one of those examples. I have attended ASBA’s suite of conferences, its annual conference, law conference and equity conference, over the past few years. ASBAs’ annual conferences take a holistic focus on the needs of all students — gifted students, foster and McKinney Vento (homeless) students, students with special needs, amongst other topics across a multitude of sessions. I will continue to lead with compassion and empathy with a steadfast commitment to ensuring the success of all students and ensure that the voices of all stakeholders are listened to as input versus feedback. I am proud that I have influenced spaces where all voices matter, all opinions are respected, and all input is welcomed.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Arizona

Recall supporters filed the petitions on May 11, 2021. To get the recalls on the ballot, they would have had to collect 20,186 signatures per board member by September 7, 2021.

About the district

Peoria Unified School District is located in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Peoria Unified School District is located in Maricopa County, Arizona. It is classified as a large suburban school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 37,532 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 43 schools.

During the 2018-2019 school year, 40.6% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 3.4% were English language learners, and 13.8% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Racial Demographics, 2018-2019
Race	Peoria Unified School District (%)	Arizona K-12 students (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.9	4.5
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	2.6	2.9
Black	4.8	5.5
Hispanic	34.5	45.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.3	0.4
Two or More Races	4.4	3.3
White	52.6	37.8

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Recalls related to the coronavirus

See also: Recalls related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and government responses to the pandemic

Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.

The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

2021 recall efforts

See also: School board recalls

Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.

The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.

See also

• Peoria Unified School District, Arizona
• Peoria Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2020)
• Peoria Unified School District elections (2018)
• Recall campaigns in Arizona
• Political recall efforts, 2021
• School board recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Peoria Unified School District
• Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent