Douglas County school board president Mike Peterson’s has announced his intention to step down from his position.
Peterson’s decision to remain on the board until after Meek, Geiger and Thompson are sworn in and next year’s board officers are chosen during a meeting Thursday has significant consequences for the district. Four conservative members, including Peterson, hold the majority on the seven-member board and can out-vote the three more liberal members on issues where they disagree.
When board members resign, the remaining members have 60 days to appoint their replacement. In the case of a tie vote, the president chooses the winner.
If Peterson chooses a conservative member to replace him as president, the board majority won’t change.
However, some members of the current board believe Peterson should recuse himself from the process since he will no longer have a vested interest in the ongoing workings of the district.
“I strongly believe that he should abstain from voting given that he has already announced his plans to resign prior to the end of December,” Ray said. “Officers are selected to serve their fellow Board members for the next two years. Since he will no longer be a member of the Board, it makes no sense that he would participate in selecting these individuals.
Geiger said the Nov. 7 election was “a clear rejection of the actions of the current board leadership and a demand that the board move past partisan differences,” and added, “This Thursday, the public will be watching to see if the sitting board members heard the voters.
Director Peterson has the legal right to participate in the election of a new board president and has indicated he will do so despite his intent to resign.
When asked about Peterson’s failure to disclose his plans even after selling his home, Meek, who won her bid for reelection with 53% of the vote, said, “Given the scrutiny our board has been under based on having lost an open meetings lawsuit, the board needs to lean into being transparent and communicating with the public.
Meek continued, “I’m looking forward to moving forward with a newly constituted board and working toward restoring trust in our community. The sooner we can get started on that path, the better for our students and our community.”
Mike Peterson was elected to the Douglas County school board with three other conservative candidates — Christy Williams, Becky Myers and Kaylee Winegar — who ran as a slate in 2021.
Within weeks of taking office, Peterson, Williams, Myers and Winegar held a series of illegal meetings to discuss firing then-superintendent Corey Wise, which they later did, sparking a large protest that included many district teachers, staff and family.
Wise’s firing sparked a lawsuit from Wise that ended in a settlement and payout that came close to $1 million dollars.
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During his two years as board president, Peterson removed the district’s mandatory masking policy and directed Wise’s replacement, Erin Kane, to research revisions to the district’s equity policy.
Peterson also championed a recent voter-approved property tax increase to raise salaries for all district employees.