Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1522302
Temecula's critical June election On June 4, Temecula Valley residents cast their ballot in a recall election of Joseph Komrosky, Temecula Valley Unified School Dis- trict board president. The Temecula Valley Educators Association and One Temecula Valley PAC led efforts to recall the extremist. At press time, Komrosky was trailing by a narrow margin. " Temecula active and retired educators [have been] knocking on doors, making phone calls, rallying on corners to spread the word that student success is not a priority with this board," said Edgar Díaz, T VEA president, of member efforts in the recall. Komrosky, current trustee Jennifer Wiersma and former trustee Danny Gonzalez have been criticized in the past year and a half for banning Critical Race Theory, censoring instruction of Cal- ifornia's LGBTQ+ rights movement , supporting a forced outing policy, firing the superintendent , and more. After multiple educa- tors and students were targeted and harassed for speaking out , T VEA joined a lawsuit in August against the school district for censoring instruction. (Gonzalez resigned in December; his seat will be filled in the November election.) TRUE votes out corruption Twin Rivers United Educators (TRUE) outside of Sacramento worked hard to unseat a corrupt, longtime school board trustee. In January, local news outlet ABC10 aired a 10-part investigative report that found a lack of transparency and oversight by the Twin Rivers school board and the board of one of its charter schools had resulted in misuse of funds. In addition, Linda Fowler, a Twin Rivers trustee since 1971 who also served on the charter 's board and had been instrumental in its 2014 founding, had been paid a hefty consulting fee; the state Fair Political Practices Commission said this was a conflict of interest. Fowler left the board but continued to draw a salary as a charter school employee for work the report found question- able. She also continued to be re-elected to the school board until TRUE mobilized members and community for the March Primary. TRUE's endorsed candidate, Sascha Vogt, ousted Linda Fowler, and won with 55% of the vote. In the wake of the ABC10 report, members of the California legislature have requested an audit of the charter school, its online division and foundation, and the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Watch the report at bit.ly/HighlandsCharterSchool. Orange educators recall extremists Orange Unified Education Association members joined their community to recall two conservative school board members, including the board president. In the fall, a board majority had approved an illegal and harmful forced-outing policy. (Similar policies have been passed by governing boards in Anderson in Shasta County, Chino, Murrieta, Rocklin and Temecula.) The recall effort began in January 2023 when the board majority fired the school superintendent and placed an assistant superintendent on paid leave without explanation and over the objections of many in the school community. It heated up when volunteers collected signatures to qualify the recall for the ballot; they attended festivals, stationed themselves outside schools and went door to door. Three hundred volunteer signature collectors signed a code of ethics, committing to acting in good faith and staying true to the campaign message. Teachers, many of whom live in the district, were among the canvassers. OUEA President Greg Goodlander told the Orange County Register that the union's message of "collaboration with parents to end the corruption and chaos" resonated with voters. In Novem- ber 's general election, when more school board seats are on the ballot , he said, "I do not believe parents and teach- ers are done being involved in our school governance." OUEA helped hold the school board accountable. Below, TRUE members support Sascha Vogt. TVEA educators demand a board change. 19 S U M M E R 2 0 24