❗️Back to School: Closures Are Back on the Table❗️

Dear Save Morongo Schools supporters,

School is back. Unfortunately so is the closure discussion.

While many families were away for summer, several important decisions were made.

JUNE: BIG DECISIONS, SMALL AUDIENCE

At the June 16 Board meeting, the Board approved raises for top administrators and extended Superintendent Patricio Vargas’s contract through 2030. Covered by The Desert Trumpet

This happened after months of warnings about declining enrollment, budget pressure, and possible school closures.

THE COMMITTEE SAID: DON’T CLOSE SCHOOLS

After months of study and public participation, the district’s Enrollment Committee recommended no school closures and urged the district to pursue other solutions first.

But that recommendation has not ended the discussion.

AUGUST: CLOSURES ARE BACK

At the August 4 meeting, the Board moved to immediately revisit enrollment, boundaries, consolidation, and potential school closures. Covered by The Desert Trumpet

A special study session is scheduled for August 25 at 8:30 a.m.

LESS PUBLIC ACCESS?

The Board also approved changes to its policy governing individual Board members.

Trustees cannot act alone on behalf of the Board — but elected representatives should still be able to listen to parents, ask questions, and hear community concerns.

We are concerned when new rules make Board members more distant from the public they were elected to represent.

THREE BOARD SEATS. ONE PIVOTAL ELECTION.

Candidate filing for the November 3 School Board election has ended.

Three of five Board seats are on the ballot.

The people elected this November will decide what happens next with school closures, district spending, Board oversight, and public access.

KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE

Morongo Parents for Transparency will send the same questions to every candidate on:

• School closures
• District spending
• Board independence and oversight
• Public access and transparency
• Enrollment solutions
• The future of neighborhood schools

We will publish their answers side by side.

We will not tell you how to vote.
We will help you know what you are voting for.

Our message remains simple:

Schools belong to communities.
Public decisions require public participation.
Closing a school must be the last resort — not the first answer.

Stay informed, spread the word and the petition. We are not done yet.

Standing stronger together. Morongo Parents for Transparency
Save Morongo Schools