After unusual recall vote, Richland Schools scrambles for new board member

The first day of school is around the corner for most public school students in Washington, and in the Tri-Cities, it's not just the parents that are doing back to school shopping.

The Richland School District has a whole new board member on its shopping list.

During the primary election this month, Benton County voters recalled three members from the Richland School Board. There are now only two school board members, which is one short of the quorum the board needs in order to conduct business.

This story really starts in November of 2021, when two school board candidates rode anti-Covid restriction sentiment to election victories and joined another board member to defy the state's mask mandate in 2022.

Now, those three Richland School Board members — Audra Byrd, Semi Bird, and Kari Williams — are out of office.

Eric Rosane is the civic accountability reporter for the Tri City Herald and has been following the recalls, he spoke with Soundside about what the school district's next moves are.

You can listen to the audio from this segment by pressing the play button above.