Social media posts fuel flames of Menifee school board race

Shelli Sullivan, president of the Menifee Teachers Association, addresses the school district board on Tuesday. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

In a self-evaluation workshop on Monday, members of the Menifee Union School District board identified the need to improve the board's communication with the public. Concern was expressed about how board members should -- or whether they should -- respond individually to others on social media.

That concern was brought to light the next day during the MUSD regular board meeting, when the one incumbent seeking re-election to the board was confronted by the head of the Menifee Teachers Association.

In objecting to trustee Jerry Bowman's comments on Facebook about some of the other candidates running for MUSD board seats in November, MTA President Shelli Sullivan showed just how heated the school board race has become. A strained relationship between MUSD teachers and a board they say shows them little respect certainly doesn't appear to be getting any better heading toward the election.

At issue in the latest war of words is the MTA's endorsement of candidates running for three seats on the five-member board. Those endorsed include Kyle Root, who is running against Jason Rider in Area 3; Jackie Johansen, who is running against Dennis Silva in Area 4; and Kenyon Jenkins, who is one of five candidates in Area 5, including Bowman. Area 3 incumbent Ron Ulibarri died after a lengthy illness in August; Area 4 incumbent Randy Freeman has chosen to run for a seat on the Perris Union High School District board.

Root, Johansen and Jenkins all are spouses of teachers in MUSD -- something Bowman has publicly stated on multiple Facebook pages he believes is a conflict of interest. The degree to which he has stated his position and responded to comments on Facebook threads prompted a lengthy reaction from Sullivan Tuesday during her regular MTA report to the board.

"Mr. Bowman believes our candidates have been specifically solicited because they have spouses in the district and that any board member married to a teacher in the district would gain financially," Sullivan said, referring to allegations that such trustees could vote to increase teacher wages and therefore benefit themselves.

"The candidates we selected (for endorsement) were chosen because of their dedication to the needs of the community, their extensive knowledge of the issues our district faces, and most of all their commitment to serving all stakeholders, especially the students. They have the leadership to bring our district into the next decade -- and it insults them and our teachers to insinuate they are interested in serving so they can increase their spouses’ paychecks."

Sullivan pointed out that board members are not part of the bargaining team that negotiates contracts with the teachers, who are working without a contract and are among the lowest paid teachers in Riverside County.

In social media posts, Bowman has been accused of suggesting that the election of such candidates would be against board policy, then deleting his comments when shown portions of the board bylaws that show otherwise. Restricted by the Brown Act from responding to Sullivan's comments during the board meeting, Bowman denied those allegations when contacted by Menifee 24/7 after the meeting.

"I simply posted that it presents potential for a conflict interest," Bowman wrote in an email to Menifee 24/7. "I also provided slides that explain various scenarios by a law firm from a training. As to serving on the board, of course it can happen. However, any involvement in closed session conversations that has anything to do with bargaining, etc., they would not be able to participate.

"I have pointed out that whether I get voted in or not, there are several very viable candidates that do not carry this political baggage."

Joe Long, Debbi Manion and William Hoag also are running for the Area 5 board position.

Bowman regularly posts on social media the names of individuals who have endorsed him. In these posts, he said he has not sought the endorsement of any group, however.

Sullivan said during her remarks to the board that Bowman and Ulibarri "initially expressed interest in our endorsement until they received our questionnaire. After they recognized what concerns the MTA had, Mr. Ulibarri and Mr. Bowman chose not to seek the endorsement of the MTA."

Bowman gave a different explanation Tuesday night.

"I was approached with an email about whether I would be interested in their endorsement and I responded I would be interested in talking," Bowman said. "However, before I received anything from them, I had decided what I told them in my written response. My response to them later had nothing to do with the questions (on the questionnaire). It stated that I was not going to seek endorsements from any organization or group and would not ask for or accept any money for my campaign to prevent any perception of favoritism or conflict of interest."

Although social media has become a major platform for discussion among the candidates, teachers and parents on this issue, there has been one opportunity for face-to-face discussion of the issues in a public setting. Menifee 24/7 hosted a Candidates Forum on Sept. 27 and the issue of candidates married to teachers was discussed. Bowman did not attend that forum.

It is clear that the disagreement extends far beyond the issue of candidates married to teachers. Difficult salary negotiations in recent years and complaints by teachers about working conditions are underlying issues in a campaign that has produced multiple candidates for the first time in 10 years.

"Our teachers are tired of the condescension we have received from this board," Sullivan said during her remarks to trustees. "We are tried of not being heard when we shared how inappropriate the curriculum was. We’re tired of working in broken down portable classrooms where roofs cave in after the first heavy rains. Respect is what we are hoping for and expect from a new board."

In Monday's self-evaluation workshop -- a public meeting that was attended only by Menifee 24/7 and one other person -- Freeman first raised the concerns about communication with the public through social media.

"It goes back to the interactive nature of it," he said. "How do we respond?"

Bowman replied, "We're a board member 24 hours a day. We can't separate being a board member from being a personal Facebook user. I suggest the entire board go through training to discuss a lot of these things."

Meanwhile, a heated school board race gets even hotter.