Trustees should be removed from office

(Kern County) Grand Jury says two Elk Hills trustees should be removed from office

Two members of the Elk Hills School District Board of Trustees do not live in the district and should be immediately removed from the board, the Kern County Grand Jury said in a report issued Thursday morning.

The grand jury did not name the board members, but did recommend that the Kern County Superintendent of Schools immediately replace the trustees.

The grand jury investigated the district after receiving a complaint against the trustees. The report said it found no evidence of criminal activity.

The grand jury report also recommended the California Legislature change state laws to make it legal to conduct “thorough criminal/background checks on all individuals currently holding or running for elected positions, including School Board Trustees, without exception.”

The reports said the grand jury contacted the Kern County Superintendent of Schools over residency and background check issues and also did an online search for records of criminal activity in Kern County

There are three trustees currently serving on the Elk Hills School District Board of Trustees.

According to the district's website, they are Board President Curt Stephens, whose four-year term expires in 2014 and Debra Howard and Brenda Bennett, whose terms expire in 2012.

Taft Midway Driller
December 15, 2011