Temecula Valley USD's 'Chaotic Storm' Temporarily Quelled

TEMECULA, CA — Amid student protests and ahead of a special meeting this week of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, speculation and rumors were flying in the community.

A vaguely worded meeting agenda and questions about why urgency was so seriously needed were blamed for the apparent chaos.

But with more than 200 people in attendance at Wednesday night's special meeting, the whole thing was shut down in just 30 minutes with a 3-2 vote to reject the agenda altogether. Trustees Allison Barclay, Danny Gonzalez and Steven Schwartz cast the no votes — to resounding audience applause — and a quick meeting adjournment followed.

TVUSD Board President Joseph Komrosky had called the special meeting with support from Trustee Jennifer Wiersma. According to the meeting agenda, Komrosky "requested that the Board discuss temporary, specialized legal services for unique issues or emergency situations."

The financial impact on TVUSD taxpayers was "unknown," according to the agenda.

Why the matter was so pressing to necessitate a special meeting was unclear in the agenda, but Wiersma said that recent TVUSD student walkouts and protests made the situation urgent.

"This is about student safety," she said.

Trustee Allison Barclay scoffed and reminded the audience that the high school demonstrations were sparked by Gonzalez, Komrosky and Wiersma who voted 3-2 on Dec. 13 to adopt a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory in Temecula schools. On the same date and with the same vote, a resolution condemning racism was passed because, according to the document, current TVUSD policy "only cites discrimination and bigotry through the lens of equity."

As they did in the Dec. 13 meeting, Barclay and Trustee Steven Schwartz blasted Komrosky and Wiersma Wednesday for their attempts to bring ideology to the district and "control" students, who they said have a legal right to peacefully voice concerns.

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Wiersma denied that anyone's job was on the line, but two closed-session meeting agenda items led to speculation in the community that the district's legal counsel and its superintendent were getting fired.

"The personnel matter does not have to do with firing our superintendent," Wiersma said. Both she and Komrosky also insisted that bringing in another attorney would supplement, not replace, the district's existing legal team.

Gonzalez expressed ire over the need to call a special meeting and to do it with a vaguely worded agenda. He said the matter should have been placed — with more clarity — on the Jan. 31 regular meeting agenda.

He said the lack of transparency caused a "chaotic storm" ahead of Wednesday's meeting.

"This is a clown factory and I'm not going to be a part of it," Gonzalez said.

Ahead of the meeting, Patch received word from concerned TVUSD constituents.

"There is an 'emergency' TVUSD Board meeting tonight, and the Board is expected to fire the district’s attorney and Superintendent, to fill those positions with individuals that share their religious and political ideology," one emailer wrote.

While no action could be taken Wednesday, Komrosky and Wiersma's desire to discuss "temporary, specialized legal services for unique issues or emergency situations" could get taken up during the regularly scheduled Jan. 31 TVUSD board meeting. That meeting agenda is not yet published.