Parents are increasingly frustrated with the declining quality of education and toxic curriculum in Temecula schools. That has prompted a slate of reform-minded candidates to run for school board in 2022 promising change and a ‘back-to-the-basics’ pledge on classroom curriculum.
Since 2020, a national movement led by angry parents has swept across the country demanding change in local public schools - and that movement has now come to Temecula.
For the past several years, Temecula residents have increasingly voiced concerns about the declining quality of education in their local schools - as well as the decision by state and local school officials to utilize controversial curriculum in the classroom that many say is being driven by a political agenda.
Temecula Valley Unified School District board meetings used to draw sparse attendance, but now parents and concerned citizens are turning out in record numbers to the meetings. Attendees say their concerns are being completely ignored by the incumbent school board members.
In recent meetings, parents have expressed concerns that district staff have embraced a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” agenda that is linked to the use of Critical Race Theory and the teaching of gender identity concepts in kindergarten through third grade.
The school district is also being accused of financial mismanagement for allowing operating and overhead expenses to skyrocket beyond a sustainable level. Worse, the percentage of the budget allocated to “administrative/district office” expenses continues to outpace limited funding going directly to the classroom.
The growing discontent with the school district has led concerned residents to take action - by running against the incumbent school board members in the upcoming 2022 election.
Danny Gonzalez, Jen Wiersma, and Dr. Joseph Komrosky have all stepped forward to run and are working together as a team even though they are running in separate trustee areas.
They pledge a “back-to-the-basics” approach on curriculum, respect for parental and community input in school district decisions, and prudent financial reform to cut wasteful overhead spending and get more resources into the classroom.
They also pledge to make it a board policy to require Temecula schools to continue to utilize letter grades for evaluating student academic performance - a move to rebuff efforts by state government bureaucrats who propose to eliminate all letter grades in school districts.
The effort to eliminate letter grades in Temecula schools has been widely criticized by school watchdogs as a thinly veiled attempt to reduce transparency and accountability.
Gonzalez, Wiersma, and Komrosky are already winning backing of key groups - including Reform California which has made supporting reform-minded school board candidates a top priority in the 2022 elections.
“Parents from all political backgrounds are fed up with declining quality of public schools and the controversial and politicized curriculum being brought into the classroom,” notes Carl DeMaio, Chairman of Reform California.
“The pledges made by Danny Gonzales, Jen Wiersma, and Dr. Joe Komrosky reflect the kind of changes that parents have long been demanding in schools - and that is why we proudly endorse them for the Temecula Valley Unified School District,” DeMaio declared.
Jason Craig
Jason Craig is running for TVUSD Area 1. He is a dedicated husband and father to two young boys. An advocate for parental rights, Craig aims to be a common-sense voice for parents in the community. If elected, he hopes to ensure teachers and administrators are held accountable, and that students achieve above proficiency in reading, writing and math.
"We need to usher in a new generation of leadership that doesn't cater to a political ideology,” said Craig. “My campaign will address the need to restore trust in our community regarding the decisions made surrounding student safety and parental involvement."
To learn more, please go to: Jason Craig for TVUSD
Danny Gonzalez
Danny Gonzalez is running for TVUSD Area 2. A local business owner, Gonzalez is the CEO of his own ironworking company. He also worked as a hyperbaric technologist in Montebello, where he gained experience working with children on the spectrum and treating children with severe burns and wounds. Gonzalez’s goal is to bring transparency back to the school board.
“I believe the days of electing leaders that don’t represent our community are over,” said Gonzalez.
To learn more, visit: Danny Gonzalez for TVUSD School Board
Jen Wiersma
Jen Wiersma is running for TVUSD Area 3. A cancer survivor and mother of three, she is committed to giving back to her community. Jen is an advocate of charter schools and parental rights in education.
“I believe hard work and personal accountability are needed more than ever as we face the challenges of improving our schools, improvement which will ultimately result in vital and healthy communities. Endorsed by Sheriff Bianco, I'm committed to improving safety and security while remaining focused on returning to the basics of education,” says Wiersma.
To learn more, visit: Jen Wiersma for 2022 TVUSD School Board
Dr. Joseph Komrosky
Dr. Joseph Komrosky is running for TVUSD Area 4. He is a dedicated husband and father, and his goal is to keep radical social theories and leftist propaganda away from our children. Komrosky also wants to make sure that parents have a say in what their children are learning.
“Parents, always remember this: if you’re not teaching your kids, someone else is,” says Komrosky. “You want to make sure what is being taught to them, is actually good, safe and correct.”
To learn more, please go to: Dr. Joseph Komrosky for TVUSD
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