An Open Letter to the Temecula Valley School Board

On December 5, 2025, our students were told: “You’re minors. I represent the parents who put me here.” by the President of our School Board. Those words, spoken, were not just dismissive, they were a clear warning about the direction and intention of the new leadership of our school board.

As a father and member of this community, I am alarmed. Every student who spoke that evening had prepared statements, conducted research, and courageously addressed a tense room. And yet, their voices were dismissed simply because of their age.

I write not only as a parent, but as a former educator and a former president of a publicly elected council. I understand the challenges and pressures that come with public service. I empathize with the experience of board members. But there is no excuse for neglecting the very duty these roles demand: putting self interest aside and serving and supporting the students of TVUSD. Leadership is not about protecting personal agendas, it is about prioritizing the education, growth, and well-being of every child entrusted to the district.

When officials seek control rather than trust, they invert the very purpose of their office: to safeguard the people, including, and especially, those who may not support them. True leadership requires the courage to honor dissent not dismiss it.

History shows the power of youth. High school students didn’t vote on the Civil Rights Act, but their activism amplified the movement, drew national attention, and forced change. Dismissing young voices today risks repeating the same mistake: undervaluing the courage and insight of those who will inherit our future.

December 5 was more than a misstep, it was a bright signal that should not go unrecognized. The current board is more focused on ideology, personal agendas, and culture wars than on the education and well-being of our children. As such, every single day the current members remain on the board - progress stalls, and students suffer.

School boards should be spaces for growth, fairness, and safety—not theaters for adult disputes or partisan battles. Members are non-partisan, and should be held to a non-partisan standard. The mention of conservatives and conservative values on a school board is appalling. If members have a political agenda they should run for legislative office and leave our children out of it.

Trustees: I urge every single member to reflect on their reasons for seeking re-election when the time comes - is this something you are doing for our children? Are you here to represent the students? or are you in the way of progress in pursuit of your own self-interest. Until then, remember why you were elected: to serve students, not agendas.

To my fellow Temecula families: Pay attention now more than ever, speak up, and support the voices of our students. They are showing us the courage to demand change lets stand beside them until change occurs. We are here for them, we owe it to them to give them functioning district governance and role leaders who can serve as role models in moving the district forward not holding it back.

To the Students: You were the most articulate and well spoken group in the meeting, your brave voices did not go unheard, keep fighting, keep challenging the status quo for all those children who are coming behind you, and know that the community supports you. And most importantly, if you can vote - make sure you show the members why it's important to listen.

If you aren't yet old enough to vote, tell every single friend you have about the school board that doesn't care about them because they are young - and when you can vote, make sure you show the members that you dont forget and that your voice is important.

Never stop fighting for what you believe in.

Sincerely,
A concerned parent and father, with a heavy heart but hope for real change

Dillon Clark is an experienced public servant who has worked as a social worker in a juvenile justice agency, an educator and district program administrator in a major urban school system, and a co-founder and executive of multiple nonprofit public charter schools. He previously served as president of a publicly elected advisory council in the City of Los Angeles and has held formal appointments to several boards and commissions, including the D.C. Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, the DC State Title III Advisory Committee, and the Montgomery County, Maryland Landlord-Tenant Commission. He currently serves as a subject-matter expert on governance, operations, administration, and finance for state and local government agencies, including school districts nationwide.