Temecula board again votes to reject textbooks, despite warnings from Newsom

LGBTQ+ community rallies in solidarity, opposing the Social Studies Alive! ban in Temecula Valley Unified.

Credit: Mallika Seshadri / EdSource

The Temecula Valley Unified school board did not back down Tuesday from its previous decision to reject Social Studies Alive textbooks recommended by a committee of its teachers, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s warnings that the district could be sanctioned if it didn’t use the updated state-approved curriculum.

In May, the school board voted 3-2 not to use the Social Studies Alive!” textbooks, published by Teachers Curriculum Institute, in grades one to five. Some board members objected to supplemental material to the textbook that included gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Tuesday’s vote was again 3-2.

The decision to reject the textbooks is one of several recent controversial moves made by the board since the election of a conservative majority, which banned teaching critical race theory in the district last December and fired Superintendent Jody McClay without cause in June. McClay was paid a total of $362,000 — a year’s salary plus a vacation payout — when she left.

Critical race theory is a college-level theory that is not taught in Temecula Valley Unified and is seldom taught in K-12 education. It examines how laws, regulations and government practices have perpetuated racial injustice.

“Tonight is another example of the division being caused by this board,” said board member Allison Barclay, who voted to use the state-approved textbooks. “It’s really unfortunate. I have been open to working together. It isn’t happening. Logic doesn’t work. Compromise doesn’t work.”

She cautioned that the district could lose state funding if it doesn’t follow state law.

Board members who voted against the new texts indicated they might agree to the adoption of Social Studies Alive, but not on Newsom’s timetable and only after further soliciting more parents’ opinions. Board member Danny Gonzalez said he would approve the curriculum if the board adopted a policy prohibiting the discussion of sex or sexuality preferences through the fourth grade.

“When I look at the TCI curriculum, I don’t see American exceptionalism,” said board member Jennifer Wiersma, who also voted against the texts. “I don’t see all the things we need to see. We are going to hit the standards, but if we are totally going to utilize TCI, we need to talk about bias. I don’t see a fair and balanced viewpoint. I don’t see the civics.”

The board’s May decision to reject the books has sparked two state investigations, prompted the introduction of multiple pieces of legislation, resulted in a new California Department of Education task force on inclusive education, and deeply divided the community of Temecula.

The history and social studies curriculum published by Teachers Curriculum Institute is one of four adopted by the state. It was vetted by 47 district teachers, who taught it during a nine-week pilot program. Parents were allowed to review the materials in March and April.

Teachers at the meeting said it would not be feasible for them to prepare to teach a new curriculum by the time school reopens in the fall.

The district is currently using a curriculum published by Scott Foresman in 2006 that doesn’t meet the current History-Social Science Framework or incorporate the 2012 California FAIR Act, which requires that social studies curriculums acknowledge the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

Before the meeting on Tuesday, the board reviewed California Studies Weekly social studies textbooks and materials for kindergarten and unanimously decided they are suitable.

Meeting reveals a deeply divided community

Discussion on Tuesday was emotional and contentious at both the board meeting and the workshop held before it to discuss the materials. Community members on both sides of the issue, some wearing shirts that said “Leave our kids alone,” and others carrying signs with messages like “Censorship is unAmerican” jeered and booed the speakers.

Board President Joseph Komrosky warned the crowd often to calm down, calling for some to be ejected from the meeting. Among those asked to leave was the Rev. Tim Thompson, who helped to usher in the election of the board’s conservative majority — Komrosky, Gonzalez and Wiersma.

Thompson quoted Newsom, who said that hundreds of thousands of California students were using the textbooks. “I really don’t care what hundreds of thousands of students are learning elsewhere,” Thompson said. “What I care about is what’s happening in my community.”

Thompson said board member Steve Schwartz is “probably a communist” for agreeing with Newsom.

Other pastors also lined up to speak, with one calling this a fight between good and evil. Many speakers vilified Newsom and the California Teachers Association, calling them bullies who had no business telling the district what to do.

Other speakers accused the new board members of bringing tumult to the district.

“We have three chaos gods right here in the majority, and now we’re all spinning our wheels to fix the chaos you have created,” one said.

Speakers took advantage of the meeting to voice support or opposition to the recall effort launched against the three conservative board members by the One Temecula Valley PAC, a grassroots organization.

“I’m concerned about the overreach of Christian values that not everybody shares,” said Stephanie Patton, a district parent and teacher at another district who is in support of the recall. “It’s been a great district. My kids have been here for 14 years. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

One speaker read a statement he said was written by board President Komrosky, asking people to vote against the recall.

“I will rigorously seek out and stand against any evil, such as obscenity, vulgarity, pornography, and erotica,” the note by Komrosky stated. “Here at TVUSD, I will continue to resist these harmful things with every ounce of my being. Our schools, teachers unions, county, state, or country, do not own your kids.”

Board member Schwartz later objected to discussion of the recall at the meeting.

“One of the things that is not allowed in school board meetings is campaigning,” he said. “There was mention of campaigning at this meeting by one of our people. I’m going to file a formal complaint.”

District is being investigated by the state

The governor and California Attorney General Rob Bonta have asked the Temecula Valley Unified school board to produce documents to help determine whether it violated the FAIR Act by rejecting the textbooks.

“Restricting what our children are taught in school based on animus or ideological opposition contradicts our societal values,” Bonta said in a statement. “The board needs to explain its decision-making, and moving forward will need to ensure students have access to a wide range of ideas and perspectives.”

A California Department of Education investigation is looking into a complaint tied to Temecula Valley Unified school board’s rejection of the textbooks in May, said Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction. The complaint alleges that the board violated state or federal laws or regulations.

The complaint, filed by a community member, is being investigated by the state instead of the district because it regards action taken by the district’s school board, Thurmond said.

Last week, Newsom said the state would purchase the Social Studies Alive textbooks for Temecula Valley Unified students if the board did not approve the books at Tuesday’s meeting. The eight-year adoption of the Social Studies Alive textbooks and workbooks will cost $1.6 million. Keeping the old textbooks would cost $162,000 annually. “If these extremist board members won’t do their job, we will — and fine them for their incompetence,” Newsom said.

Komrosky said he has directed staff to return the textbooks if Newsom makes good on sending them, but interim Superintendent Kimberly Velez clarified that the board would have to put the matter on the board’s public agenda and vote on returning the books before they could do so.

Ed Day, a grandfather of students in the district, agrees with the board’s vote on curriculum. He is afraid that inappropriate curriculum will corrupt children.

“Newsom is trying to ram it down our throats,” he said. “I don’t like outsiders dictating our values to us and what the future of our communities should be.”

Legislators also are crafting bills to address districts that pull textbooks and instructional materials. Assembly Bill 1352, introduced by Mia Bonta, would prohibit a school board from contradicting state laws requiring “inclusive policies, practices, and curriculum.” It would authorize a school board to censure and, by a two-thirds vote, oust a member who tried to do so. Bonta’s spouse is the state attorney general.

Assembly Bill 1078, authored by Assemblymember Corey Jackson and sponsored by Thurmond, would make it more difficult to ban textbooks. The bill would require a two-thirds vote of a school board to remove books or instructional materials, and districts could face financial penalties if they don’t provide books and materials that accurately reflect the diversity of the state’s students.

“It would use bullying techniques against board members who make good but unpopular decisions, levy fines and dox school board members,” Wiersma said Tuesday. “The bill is unconstitutional and will be challenged in court if the governor signs it.”