Organizers behind an effort to oust three conservative Jefferson County school board members moved one step closer to their goal Tuesday as backers turned in thousands more signatures than are required to force a recall.

But whether an election will be held in November is another story.

At a rally outside the Jefferson County clerk’s Elections Division offices in Golden, organizers claimed to have collected 37,000 signatures for each board member they seek to recall, well above the 15,000 needed.

The signatures were collected in just 17 days by more than 1,100 volunteers, who are working to unseat board President Ken Witt, Vice President Julie Williams and Secretary John Newkirk.

The three conservatives, who make up the majority on the five-member board, have been at the center of controversy after controversy since Jeffco voters swept them into power in 2013.

“The message is very clear,” said Tina Gurdikian, a Jeffco mother and one of the leaders behind the recall effort. “The people of Jefferson County intend to hold the board majority accountable for their actions and inactions. And they demand a recall on their ballot this coming November.”

A group of more than 100 people cheered when Gurdukian and fellow recall organizer Wendy R. McCord made the announcement. Several supporters waved signs and chanted “Recall! Recall!” as volunteers hauled boxes of petitions into the clerk’s office in red wagons.

“The last 18 months have been kind of filled with lots of despair watching the things that the board members have done and their dismissive nature towards what the community wants,” McCord said after the rally. “So to see so many people pulling together really makes me feel hopeful and proud and humbled.”

The recall petitions list several grievances against the three targeted board members. Organizers claim the board wasted taxpayer dollars by paying a large salary to Superintendent Dan McMinimee. They also accuse the board of violating open meetings laws and conducting board business in secret.

The board members have also been criticized for their tone and what’s described as a dismissive attitude toward those who disagree with them.

Last year the board received national attention for proposed changes to the district’s Advanced Placement history curriculum, including a curriculum designed to project a more positive, patriotic view of American history.

That effort, ultimately dropped by the board, resulted in widespread student protests. Ashlyn Maher, 17, who recently graduated from Chatfield Senior High School, was one of the organizers of the student protests, which resulted in students walking out of classrooms across the district.

“It basically was trying to censor our history,” she said. “It said our curriculum shouldn’t promote civil disobedience or civil disorder.”

“That’s what our country was based on. That’s what our country was founded on. That’s what the revolutionary war was. We wouldn’t be here without civil disorder because we have to question authority.”

Election date uncertain

Organizers say momentum is on their side. But enthusiasm might not translate into an election in November.

The Jefferson County clerk’s office has 15 days from receiving the petitions to verify the validity of the signatures. After that, the law allows for a 15-day period when the petitions are subject to protest.

If there is no protest, the clerk then sets the recall date. If that’s the case, organizers feel confident that it will be held on the Nov. 3 general election, which already will include two open seat board races on the county ballot.

But a protest could throw a monkey wrench in organizers’ plans because it could result in a special election that would have to be held after Election Day. And, backers say, that would cost the school district about a half a million dollars.

Gurdikian hopes it doesn’t come to that. She said that, because organizers submitted so many signatures, there won’t be any reason for opponents to challenge the petitions.

“We didn’t just collect 15,000 signatures per candidate – we collected 37,000 signatures per candidate,” she said. “So there’s nothing to protest there. The community clearly wants a recall and to challenge it is bringing politics into the mix.”

But a potential protest could have been signaled in a press release issued by a group opposed to the recall efforts.

The release from Jefferson County Students First states that “the petitions for a potential board recall contain several inaccurate statements, potentially misleading the voters who signed.”

The group claims that organizers are wrong to take issue with McMinimee’s salary, which JCSF asserts isn’t much different from the salary collected by former Jeffco Superintendent Cindy Stevenson, who stepped down last year.

The group also pushed back against allegations that the board “hid” legal expenses from the public and that board members violated open meetings laws.

“Jefferson County is the state’s second largest school district, and I find it very disappointing that voters may have signed this petition under false pretenses,” said Sheila Atwell, JCSF executive director. “Voters in Jeffco deserve to be told the facts. We believe people who care about quality public education should be presented with accurate information, and after review of the language in the petitions, we found several blatant errors.”

Atwell also pointed out that more people voted in the 2013 election than voted in the previous board election. Witt, Newkirk and Williams won by overwhelming margins in their contests two years ago.

– Twitter: @VicVela1