An effort to recall RSU 21 School Board member Kirstin Shapiro is officially underway.
Arundel resident and parent of RSU 21 graduates, Dorothy Gregoire, filed a letter seeking a petition form to begin the recall process on Oct. 1.
The petition received an adequate number of signatures from the community, and on Monday night, the Arundel Select Board set the recall election date for Tuesday, Dec. 17.
According to Arundel Select Board Chair Velma Jones Hayes, the election will take place unless Shapiro decides to resign. She has until Oct. 31 to do so, Hayes said.
In a letter of intent, Gregoire said she planned to circulate a recall petition against Shapiro because she feels that Shapiro’s behavior on multiple occasions has caused a loss of confidence in her judgment and her ability to perform her duties on the school board.
Also in her letter, Gregoire alleges that Shapiro violated policies outlined in the board’s code of ethics, including a specific policy calling for board members to handle complaints in a certain way.
Gregoire provided examples of instances in which Shapiro has violated this policy, including a recent outburst during a public comment period on Sept. 19.
Attempts to reach Shapiro to respond to these accusations have been unsuccessful.
As board Chair Lesley Stoeffler attempted to adjourn the Sept. 19 meeting, Shapiro launched into an emotional, shouting statement on how educators had allegedly harassed her and her family through her 4-year-old daughter. “That is wildly inappropriate and illegal,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro did not provide any specifics in support of her statement, and her statement, according to officials, has not been authenticated in the month since.
At a July 22 meeting, Shapiro dismissed a question from a teacher as “absurd,” and at a meeting on Sept. 17, Shapiro interrupted a teacher, talking over the teacher and repeating the phrase “point of order” eight times before being asked to stop by the board chair.
Both of these instances, Gregoire said, violate the board’s obligation to welcome and encourage participation from teachers and others.
“Director Shapiro’s history of outbursts have caused a loss of confidence in her ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of a school board director,” Gregoire said.
Kennebunk, Arundel, Kennebunkport Education Association (KAKEA), which serves as the RSU 21 teachers’ union, filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Shapiro following her outburst on Sept. 19.
In the complaint, the union said they believe Shapiro’s accusations against the district to be untrue, and represent an attempt by the school committee to interfere with ongoing negotiations.
At the time, Shapiro was serving as chief negotiator. She has since been replaced.
Stoeffler responded to the complaint, telling the Post last month that because the complaint was made against one member and not the whole board, it was not valid.
Last week, Stoeffler formally addressed Shapiro’s Sept. 19 comments. In a statement, Stoeffler said the comments have clearly angered the community, and the board has heard the feedback loud and clear.
“The board does not endorse or support the remarks director Shapiro made during the public comment period, her decision to use profanity in her remarks, or her decision to raise concerns about the alleged treatment of her daughter in the school board forum,” Stoeffler said.
Stoeffler also said she regrets that her effort to mute Shapiro’s microphone was ineffective.
Shapiro has received backlash from the community the outburst. April Ross, a Kennebunk resident, said the comments made by Shapiro were “unexpected, unprofessional and unhinged.”
“Resignation would be the dignified solution,” Ross said.
Efforts to recall school board members have happened in the district before. In 2022, a group of Kennebunk residents successfully prompted a recall against then-member Tim Stentiford during a special election that spring.
Ultimately, voters rejected the effort and Stentiford completed the remainder of his term. He chose not to run for reelection.
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