POCATELLO — A group of local residents officially certified a recall campaign against Pocatello-Chubbuck school board member Raymond Knoff on Monday, citing the board’s recent decision to close Washington Elementary School and other issues as their reasons for attempting to oust him.

According to the recall petition submitted by the residents to the Bannock County Elections Office, Knoff has refused to do his due diligence as a member of the school board and did not fully consider all possible options to avoid the closure of Washington Elementary School.

Other reasons for the attempted recall, according to the petition, include allegations that Knoff has outsourced his governing responsibilities to School District 25 staff members, willfully acted against the long-term planning of peer taxing entities such as the City of Pocatello, and caused undue harm and burden to the most vulnerable learners in his zone — the unhoused children at the Aid for Friends homeless shelter who will be made to travel to a school much farther away once Washington Elementary closes its doors in June.

“Our greatest concern is over the manner in which this decision was made,” the recall petition states about the board’s move to shutter Washington. “This decision was rushed through with too few options and even fewer attempts to find common ground. We had hoped to see the board seek opportunities to cooperate with community leaders and groups, but little to no effort was made. This process has reiterated a common belief in our community that our Board of Trustees and district staff make decisions with little regard for the will of the people. This decision has only served to further erode an already dwindling level of trust for School District 25 from its patrons. We regret that we must take this action but believe the only sustainable path forward for School District 25 is an urgent change in the composition and disposition of the Board of Trustees.”

Knoff, who is the trustee for School District 25’s Zone 4 where Washington Elementary School is located, voted with board members Deanna Judy and Megan Furniss last month in favor of closing the 100-year-old school while board members Heather Clarke and Jim Facer voted to keep the school open.

The board’s 3-2 decision for the closure was fueled by the district’s shrinking student enrollment that has resulted in the loss of more than $8 million in state funding since 2019.

The residents attempting to recall Knoff have until March 31 to acquire the necessary 853 signatures from residents of Zone 4, which largely covers Pocatello’s university area.

If those signatures are obtained by the deadline, Knoff will be given five days to resign. If he declines to resign, the recall will be put on the ballot for the upcoming May election giving voters the option of removing him from office.

Knoff was not immediately available for comment on Monday when contacted by the Idaho State Journal concerning the recall effort against him.

School District 25 officials declined to comment on the attempted recall.

“We call upon Trustee Knoff to resign his position as a trustee representing Zone 4,” the recall petition states. “If he refuses, it is our sincere desire that through this recall effort he may be removed from his position and replaced with an individual who will work to re-establish trust between the Board of Trustees and School District 25 learners, staff, and taxpayers.”

The recall petition was signed by the following local residents: Kim Bernt, Courtney Bodily, Jessica Stumme, Bryan Lawson, Sarah Lawson, Carolyn Meline, Terrel “Ned” Tovey, Serena Tovey, Char Tovey, Bre Bailey, Stuart Bailey, Todd Payne, Heidi Payne, Kelsie Bates, Rachel Whyte, Scott Whyte, Josh Leukhardt and Leslie Luekhardt.