Conservative Temecula school board fires superintendent in latest controversial move
The conservative school board in Temecula Valley fired without cause the superintendent of the school district Tuesday, adding to its list of recent controversial decisions that have drawn national attention.
The board, with a 3-1 vote, ousted Jodi McClay, who had served as the Temecula Valley Unified School District superintendent since June 2020.
McClay’s ouster was the most recent decision by the board that drew scrutiny since a trio of conservative board members were elected in late 2022.
The board voted in December to ban critical race theory and more recently opposed a new curriculum that mentioned slain San Francisco gay rights leader Harvey Milk, baselessly claiming Milk was a pedophile.
“In their minds they’re doing something good,” said Allison Barclay, the sole board member who voted against terminating McClay’s contract. “But Jodi has been nothing but an exemplary leader in this district. She has led this district to where we are today.”
The feud began when Gov. Gavin Newsom called the board president “ignorant” over comments regarding Harvey Milk, the slain gay activist and politician.
Barclay, a self-described moderate conservative, has consistently clashed with the other board members and voted for the new curriculum and against the banning of critical race theory.
The three members who form the board’s more conservative majority — Jennifer Wiersma, Danny Gonzalez and Joseph Komrosky — voted to terminate McClay. Board member Steven Schwartz was absent as he was out of town, Barclay said.
Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez swept into office last year with the support of the Inland Empire Family PAC, which claims to support parental rights, according to its website. The PAC endorses candidates who are against critical race theory as well as “forced LGBTQ+ acceptance.”
The decision to reject the curriculum due to the mention of Milk drew the ire of Gov. Gavin Newsom, with the state’s chief executive calling board President Komrosky “ignorant.”
“This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention,” Newsom wrote on Twitter.
The Temecula Valley School District rejected a curriculum because one book mentioned Harvey Milk, a prominent gay politician. Newsom took offense.
A coalition of past leaders from the Temecula Valley Unified School District voiced their concern about the termination of McClay, saying she has “established and maintained a solid record of instructional excellence” in the district.
“We hereby declare Dr. McClay to be of outstanding character and a leader of the most excellent caliber,” the coalition wrote in the letter.
The school district encompasses 213 square miles in Riverside County, from the city of Temecula to the San Diego County line.
There are 1,300 teachers who work in the district at 33 schools.
McClay has worked for a quarter-century at the district, Barclay said.
McClay did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did Komrosky.
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Times staff writer Saumya Gupta contributed to this report.
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