November 2010: Voting to Close His Own School
At a contentious meeting that stretched until 1 a.m., the board voted 4-3 to phase out the entire Montbello/Green Valley Ranch feeder pattern. Six schools were affected: Montbello High School, Rachel B. Noel Middle, Oakland Elementary, Barney Ford Elementary, McGlone Elementary, Green Valley Elementary.
The plan: complete staff replacement, current teachers required to reapply with no rehire guarantees. Replacement schools would include charters and magnets.
The 4-3 Vote
FOR: Easley, Pena, Hoyt, Seawell
AGAINST: Jimenez, Kaplan, Merida
Easley voted to close his own alma mater. He has said he believed the school was not serving students well, but later acknowledged assurances about preserving community pride "have not been kept."
The Community Response
The community called it their "Hurricane Katrina." Seven hours of heated testimony. The vote triggered a recall petition against Easley filed by his own endorser, John McBride.
The Replacement Schools Failed
Montbello was split into DCIS Montbello, Noel Community Arts School, and Collegiate Prep Academy. By Mary Seawell's own later admission, these schools "for the most part, failed and continue to fail."
The Return
After a decade, the board voted unanimously in 2021 to reopen Montbello High School under the "Reimagine Montbello" project. The $80 million renovation opened in September 2022 with 1,120 students. The football program (Far Northeast Warriors) had continued throughout, winning the Class 5A state championship in 2021 — even without a school.
The Recall
Filed January 20, 2011 by John McBride. Needed 5,363 signatures (40% of votes cast in 2009). Submitted ~5,899 but only 3,283 survived review. The recall failed.
The recall was backed by the teachers' union. Board members Merida, Jimenez, and Kaplan were believed to be involved. Before the Montbello vote, McBride and others reportedly told Easley: "We're gonna recall you."
Notable anti-recall supporters: Governor Hickenlooper, former Mayor Wellington Webb, state legislators Michael Johnston, Angela Williams, Beth McCann. The Denver Post called the recall "a joke."