When Murrieta Valley School District Board President Nick Pardue cited the so-called “45 Communist Goals” as “history” during Tuesday night's MVUSD school board meeting, he wasn’t just making a casual error — he was peddling a decades-old piece of political fiction as fact. 

This isn’t a matter of differing interpretations; it’s a matter of documented truth versus ideological invention.

And why did he tell this fable to Murrietans? To justify voting against $800,000 in funding for mental health programs for the school district.

Local school boards should be about student achievement, not partisan politics. The Chino Valley agenda is a case study in what happens when political ideology overrides public responsibility. Let it serve as a red flag to voters, parents, and educators alike: this is not what educational leadership looks like — and we must ensure it never takes hold in Temecula Valley, Murrieta Valley, or anywhere else that values students over spectacle.

MURRIETA— After a debate that spanned two school board meetings, MVUSD president Nick Pardue succeeded in removing more than half of the district's social workers at the end of this school year. 

On several agenda items the trustees, especially Wiersma and Komrosky, strayed from the topic, bringing up issues that, while vaguely related, were not part of the item. This behavior disrupted the flow of the meeting and significantly extended the meeting time.

February 2025: Temecula Valley Unified School District Board Good Governance Report card

The consequences of this dynamic are profound. When misinformation dominates the discourse, it erodes trust in public institutions such as schools, libraries, and local governments.