Part 2: The Cost of Culture Wars — $300,000 and Counting
This post is part of a multi-part series examining the failed leadership, legal defeats, and misinformation campaigns led by TVUSD trustees Jen Wiersma and Joseph Komrosky. Over $300,000 in legal costs, multiple overturned policies, and continued public misstatements have defined their tenure. Temecula deserves better.
How Wiersma and Komrosky Waged a Legal War on TVUSD — and Sent the Bill to Taxpayers
1TVPAC Team
While most school boards focus on budgets, classrooms, and student achievement, Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) finds itself in the middle of a political spectacle. Trustees Jen Wiersma and Joseph Komrosky, elected on an ideological platform, prioritized culture war crusades over legal, fiscal, and educational responsibility.
The result? Over $300,000 in legal costs, chaos for teachers and students, zero educational benefit—and lasting damage to TVUSD's reputation.
This isn’t just a mistake. It’s a pattern.
💥 The CRT Resolution That Didn’t Solve a Problem—It Created One
Let’s start with the infamous Critical Race Theory (CRT) resolution. Wiersma, Komrosky, and their short-lived majority rushed to pass it in December 2022—on their first night in office. There was no staff, teacher, or parent input. No legal vetting. No evidence that CRT was being taught in TVUSD classrooms or was going to be taught.
The fallout was swift:
A lawsuit (Mae, M. et al v. Komrosky et al) challenged the resolution as unconstitutional.
The district’s legal defense, handled by the controversial firm Advocates for Faith and Freedom (AFF), was riddled with procedural failures.
A three-judge appellate court ruled the resolution was “unconstitutionally vague,” interfering with state-mandated instruction and lacking any legitimate legal grounding.
Despite this, Wiersma and Komrosky kept insisting it was a righteous defense of children. In reality, they lost, the taxpayers paid, and the students gained nothing.
Legal costs: Over $200,000
Extra payout to terminate AFF contract: $50,000
Result: Policy suspended. Legal contract canceled. Public misled.
🚨 The Illegal Parental Notification Policy
Wiersma and Komrosky pushed another legally dubious policy in 2023—a “parental notification” rule (BP 5020.1) that copied language from Chino Valley USD and bypassed negotiation with employee groups.
This one didn’t just backfire. It triggered statewide attention.
The California Department of Education flagged the policy as discriminatory and unenforceable.
The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) ruled it violated bargaining rights.
The state passed AB-1955, banning such policies entirely.
While Komrosky and Wiersma railed against the decision, the new board had no choice but to rescind the policy to comply with the law and avoid further litigation.
Legal costs: $70,000+
Result: Policy rescinded
Educational impact: Zero
🏳️🌈 The Flag Ban That Violated Bargaining Law
Wiersma and Komrosky also pushed AR 6115, a thinly veiled culture war regulation that banned all flags except those representing the U.S., state, and local governments. In practice, it was a direct swipe at inclusive campus spaces—particularly those flying the Pride flag.
It didn’t stand a chance.
It was passed without labor consultation.
PERB ruled it violated state bargaining law.
The new board rescinded it almost immediately.
Legal cost: Included in bundled PERB legal fees
Result: Policy rescinded
Student benefit: None
✂️ Retaliation Against Union President
In a stunning abuse of power, Komrosky and Wiersma led a charge to reduce the pay of the teachers’ union president—a clear retaliation after the union opposed their illegal policies and supported recall efforts.
PERB once again ruled against the board.
The district was forced to restore compensation and pay attorney’s fees.
Legal cost: $40,000+
Motive: Retaliation
Result: Policy reversed as legally and ethically indefensible
📚 Curriculum Chaos Sparks a New State Law
In 2023, as part of a board majority with Danny Gonzalez, Wiersma and Komrosky blocked adoption of a state-approved social studies curriculum over a single objection: the inclusion of a short biography of Harvey Milk in an optional supplement.
Their ideological veto of the curriculum:
Delayed teacher training and middle school instruction
Ignored the legal curriculum adoption process
Risked a $1.5 million state fine
Triggered AB-1078, a new law preventing such politically motivated rejections statewide
The damage? Not just to learning, but to Temecula’s reputation. Once again, TVUSD became a national headline for all the wrong reasons.
Legal cost: N/A
Reputational cost: Severe
Educational outcome: Delayed curriculum, state intervention
🧠 A Legacy of Legal Defeats and Misinformation
Let’s be blunt: every major initiative Wiersma and Komrosky pushed was either illegal, unenforceable, or struck down. In the rare cases they weren’t sued outright, they were forced to retreat in the face of overwhelming public and legal backlash.
They weren’t protecting students. They were grandstanding—and sending the invoice to you.
🚫 This Is Not Conservative Leadership
Wiersma and Komrosky claim to uphold conservative values. But how is it conservative to:
Ignore legal advice?
Burn through taxpayer money?
Prioritize performative politics over student learning?
Their brand of “leadership” isn’t conservative. It’s costly chaos masquerading as morality.
✅ What Comes Next
TVUSD has already begun repairing the damage under new leadership, but the financial and emotional costs will be felt for years.
Coming next in this series:
Part 3: The Myth of CRT in Temecula — How a Manufactured Crisis Hijacked a School Board
