Pardue wastes policy first read, pawns work off on others

1TVPAC Team

Murrieta School Board President Nick Pardue continued avoiding responsibility at the May 8 board meeting, deferring key tasks to staff while trying to take credit for pursuing his culture war promises. 

The meeting provided the latest example of Pardue’s work avoidance as he introduced the first reading of a new board policy focused on parent notification. Pardue copied and pasted the same policy written and approved by Chino Valley Unified School District last year.

“Almost everything in this policy is already in our policies,” trustee Nancy Young said. “It’s a copy and paste from Chino. We should not be spending money on things like this.”

Typically, during the first reading of a new policy, board members provide district staff with suggestions for revisions, discuss the application, and share practical concerns, according to the California School Boards Association. Despite the policy being written for another district, Pardue and his board allies, trustees Eleanor Briggs and Christine Schmidt, had no issues moving forward.

“It is a lot logistically, and it’s going to cause some things,” Briggs said. “The district is now going to be tasked to do something.”

Along with Briggs, Pardue downplayed the need for the board to discuss real policy work. He dismissed the redundancies and enforcement issues resulting from using another district’s policy. 

“The straw man idea that all these different ways in which we are enforcing it, that’s for Dr. Andrus and his team to figure out,” Pardue said.

The last notification policy passed by Pardue was met with legal challenges that cost the district more than $30,000, forcing the board to rescind it. Pardue says this policy will go through the correct process.

“That will all be negotiated,” he added. “I’m sure we’ll be able to come to some conclusion.”

Trustee Yvonne Munoz was also concerned about the redundancy in the copied policy. 

“Maybe they needed this policy to fill some gaps or deficits they had in their suite of policies. That’s not the case here in Murrieta,” Munoz said. “A student is not able to change their own record. It can be done by a parent or administrator in our current policies.”

Schmidt did not address any specific policy details, but instead she relied on her personal preference regarding district involvement in her parenting.

“I wanted to know everything going on with my child. I wanted to know if they wanted to join a club; if they wanted to be in a sport,” Schmidt said. “I needed to approve that because I am their protector. I am their guardian. I am the one who helps guide and shape my child.”

Young suggested parents are capable of handling their parenting role without major district overreach. 

“As a parent, I would personally get offended if a school were sending me out multiple notifications telling me what club my kids were going to,” Young said. “I trust my sons.”

During the 15 minute discussion, Briggs, Schmidt and Pardue suggested no adjustments, wasting the opportunity for a productive first reading of the new regulation and essentially avoiding the policy work. The board has a special meeting scheduled for May 22 at 5 p.m. and the next regular board meeting set for June 12 at 5 p.m.