1,200+ Voices. No Moratorium. Just “Trust Us.”
They Asked Us to Take Them at Their Word. On December 15, Let's Ask Them to Put It in Writing Again!
On November 10, the MUSD Board had an opportunity to restore public trust after months of uncertainty about the future of our community schools.
We brought more than 1,200 petition signatures, a proposed moratorium resolution, financial research, and a reasonable request: establish clear safeguards before any future school closure.
We did everything the public process asked of us.
And what did we get in return?
“I want you to take us at our word,” said Trustee Missy Bond.
Trustee Pete Wood said he didn't want to “tie our hands or future board members.” Board President Christopher Claire expressed similar concerns about limiting the Board's flexibility.
Tie their hands from doing what, exactly?
From having to demonstrate why closing a school is necessary? From examining alternatives? From giving families a meaningful voice before making a decision that could permanently change their community?
Nobody asked the Board to ignore declining enrollment or abandon financial planning. We asked trustees to put their own assurances into a written policy.
They repeatedly told us school closures would be a “last resort.” Then put it in writing!
A said promise is not policy.
“Off the table for now” protects no one. Ask the families and teachers at Landers who have lived with this uncertainty for years.
And a written moratorium doesn't tie anyone's hands forever. A future Board can amend or rescind it through a public vote. But then trustees would have to explain that decision openly, in front of the people affected.
That is what accountability looks like.
Trustee Roberta Meyers went further, calling the proposed moratorium “fiscally irresponsible.”
This is the same Board that approved substantial executive salary increases while community schools faced possible closure.
And Meyers herself defended a proposed supplemental retirement benefit worth approximately $250,000 for Superintendent Vargas. That provision was ultimately removed only after community scrutiny and a formal Brown Act challenge.
Long-term financial commitments to executive leadership were defensible. Yet a written commitment to protecting community schools was suddenly “fiscally irresponsible.”
Our communities deserve an explanation for those priorities.
What happened on November 10 was barely a discussion of the resolution itself. Trustees raised concerns about declining enrollment and preserving flexibility, but nobody worked through the proposed safeguards, suggested amendments, or offered an alternative written framework.
No trustee proposed bringing the resolution back for a vote.
We offered a constructive path toward restoring public trust. Instead of seriously examining that proposal, the Board defended its refusal to make written commitments and moved on.
Enough promises. Enough excuses. Enough asking our communities to trust words that no one is willing to put in writing.
December 15: Put It to a Vote!
The December 15 Board meeting offers another opportunity. Newly elected trustee Juan Carlos Pineiro is expected to take office.
We are asking for three straightforward actions:
- Place the moratorium resolution on the agenda as an action item, not another discussion.
- Hold a public, recorded vote, so every trustee's position is clear.
- Adopt written safeguards requiring transparent school-by-school financial evidence, serious examination of alternatives, and meaningful community involvement before any closure or consolidation.
We are asking the people entrusted with our schools to take responsibility for how those decisions are made.
Our Communities Are Not Going Away.
Show up December 15. The meeting is scheduled for 6 PM. Check the posted agenda for the confirmed location and public-comment procedures. Bring a neighbor.
Write to the trustees now. Ask that the moratorium be placed on the agenda for a public vote.
Keep sharing this petition. Every additional signature strengthens the public record of community concern.
Across Morongo Valley, Landers, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and the rest of the Basin, people have come together over this fight.
We are organized now. We have learned to examine the finances, demand records, challenge decisions, and insist on answers.
And we will continue doing exactly that.
Our schools are more than buildings on a spreadsheet. They are classrooms, teachers, friendships, family routines, and the hearts of our communities. Closing one will permanently change our lives. A verbal reassurance cannot undo that damage.
They can refuse to put their promises in writing. They cannot make 1,200 voices disappear.
The petition remains active. We are not giving up our schools. We are not giving up our voice. And we are not going away.
See you December 15th!
Morongo Parents for Transparency