MVUSD Board Majority Welcomes Lawsuits
1TVPAC Team
The current majority of the Murrieta Valley USD board has made it crystal clear: bring on the lawsuits. As the board majority works to push through new policies and board resolutions, they also publicly shared that they welcome the resulting costly legal challenges.
Most recently, during the second reading of a new policy copied from Chino Valley USD, the board majority reverted to policy language that had previously been removed regarding district staff responsibilities. This move is sure to bring legal challenges since it was not negotiated with district labor organizations. Board president Nick Pardue shrugged off the dangers of pending lawsuits.
“One of the things that I think really bothers me a lot is this theory that some way or another we are going to get bombarded with all kinds of lawsuits,” he said at the May 22 meeting. “We can get bombarded with lawsuits no matter what we do.”
Trustee Christine Schmidt went even further, suggesting the board should write additional policies that challenge state and federal laws.
“I think we have to worry less about being sued and the threats,” Schmidt said at the May 8 board meeting.
Recent policy fights cost the district thousands last fall. Pardue attempted to enforce a similar policy to the one passed May 22. The district spent more than $30,000 in legal fees and ultimately had to withdraw the policy.
Trustee Yvonne Munoz wants the district to focus time and money on areas where the district needs to improve, such as the middle school dropout rate and the suspension rate.
“I would much rather see this board spending it’s time on these kinds of measures that actually further our mission and the academic experience of our students,” Munoz said at the May 8 meeting. “When I think about the fact that our district is deficit spending, that we have areas of opportunity that we need to focus on invest time and resources in.”
Trustee Nancy Young agreed, suggesting the district is already financially struggling.
“You’re going to get sued at a time when we are laying off employees,” she said on May 8.
Trustee Eleanor Briggs made it clear while she was campaigning that she will spend whatever it takes on legal fights to support her agenda.
“Why are you not willing to take it to the Supreme Court?” Briggs asked at the August 8, 2024 board meeting. “Is it going to cost money? 100 percent it’s gonna cost money.”
Schmidt agrees that they should move ahead full speed into costly legal battles.
“I’m kind of getting tired of the threats of getting sued,” she said on May 22. “It’s constantly ‘We are gonna get sued, We are gonna get sued.’ We need to stop being afraid of getting sued and throwing that word around all the time.”
The next MVUSD board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 12 at 5 p.m.
