One Temecula Valley PAC statement regarding the Special Meeting of TVUSD Board of Trustees on Jan. 18

— STATEMENT —

TEMECULA (Jan. 19, 2023) — One Temecula Valley Political Action Committee (1TVPAC) would like to commend Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees members Danny Gonzalez, Allison Barclay, and Steven Schwartz for upholding a position of much-needed transparency during the Wednesday, Jan. 18 Special Meeting of the TVUSD Board of Trustees.

Above all else, 1TVPAC values good governance, and we support the three trustees that were confounded by the lack of transparency displayed by Board President Joseph Komrosky and trustee Jen Wiersma and voted not to approve the proposed agenda on the table and adjourned the meeting without action. 

The Special Meeting was called by Komrosky on Tuesday, reportedly without the knowledge of at least three other trustees, giving 24-hour notice and proposing an open session discussion about obtaining outside counsel to help the board address unspecified issues. The agenda also included closed session “personnel” discussions and an “appointment.”

Schwartz, followed by Barclay, and Gonzalez all voiced their displeasure with the move by Komrosky, each expressing an interest in remaining transparent during their service on the board with each other as well as with the public. 

They all agreed that the lack of transparency on behalf of Komrosky and Wiersma, and the furor it caused within the community, the schools, and the district was detrimental to the wellbeing of the community as a whole. 

When pressed for a reasoning for the need for outside counsel and a personnel discussion in closed session, Wiersma expressed a feeling of being “stonewalled” by district personnel regarding actions she wanted to enact in response to student walkouts led by Black Student Union groups at each Temecula high school. 

She said the walkouts, a federally-protected manner of free speech, presented a “safety” issue for students and “disrupted” educational proceedings. She did not indicate whether she attended any of the walkouts in person, but held up stacks of papers in an attempt to indicate that she had received complaints about the walkouts from parents and students. 

The walkouts were inspired by a recent 3-2 (Barclay, Schwartz voting no) decision by the board to approve a politically-inspired so-called “Anti-Critical Race Theory” resolution put forth by Komrosky. The students, and critics of the resolution, which included 1TVPAC, said at the time it was a blatant attempt to whitewash history teachings and stunt the educational progress of TVUSD students. 

It is the opinion of 1TVPAC that Wiersma, along with Komrosky, last night were attempting to build a case to ultimately terminate the contract of TVUSD Superintendent Jodi McClay — who is legally restricted from denying students their right to free speech. They may have been targeting school administration officials at each school site as well. 

Terminating the employment of district superintendents is happening in school districts all over the country, as a concerted effort to dismantle public education promoted by politically motivated groups at a national level. 

It is the opinion of 1TVPAC that National Partisan Politics and stated agendas do not belong in local city and school board levels. 

We encourage each elected servant to stand on their own ideals and utilize their first-hand experiences within the district and schools to develop and promote ways in which they can continue to build upon the already stellar reputation of the district and its schools. 

That is the very definition of “Good Governance.” 

Regardless of your political affiliation, service to the best interests of the school district, its 25,000 students and its stakeholders should be at the forefront of every action taken while serving on the board. 

Trustees that are beholden to a controlling fundraising organization, or any national political or religious movement, are serving not the students, families, and staff of TVUSD, but serving only their personal beliefs or repaying a debt owed to their financial supporters. 

That is the definition of “Bad Governance.”

The members of 1TVPAC are a collection of citizens who identify as Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green Party, Independents, and Undeclared. The group was founded on the principle of promoting and maintaining Good Governance here in our valley. 

The brave and purposeful actions of Barclay, Schwartz and Gonzalez in the face of a blatant attempt to secretly scapegoat, threaten and terminate the employment of district employees for the simple crime of adhering to federal free speech laws is beyond admirable. 

It is our hope that Komrosky and Wiersma will move away from National Politically-Partisan agendas, and begin governing as individuals serving the best interests of the district, students, schools, and the city first — as Barclay, Schwartz, and Gonzalez have proven they will do.

Since the new board was sworn in, the board has only narrowly approved the district’s budget and policies, while approving one politically-motivated and misguided “anti-CRT” resolution. The vote was 3-2 on each item. 

We call upon the entirety of the board of trustees to get back to doing the business of the school district and leave the national political rhetoric and schools takeover playbook behind. 

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One Temecula Valley Political Action Committee was to support and foster a stable and common sense approach to governance for Southwest Riverside County. The group has expanded to five working teams actively monitoring local school boards and city councils throughout Southwest Riverside County encompassing the cities of Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore. To learn more, volunteer, and donate, visit www.onetvpac.org.