Morongo Unified · Area 5
Campaign Talking Points
The promise
Why Schools Matter
Our schools should be a beacon of hope—not a budget line item.
Our schools are more than buildings. They are where our children learn, where families meet one another, and where communities are built.
Parents, teachers, staff, students, and communities deserve a meaningful voice—early, not after decisions are made.
School closure should be a last resort—not an easy answer to a difficult problem.
The Enrollment/7-11 Advisory Committee said the same thing: closures should remain a last resort, and MUSD should refrain from closing any schools while it prioritizes and evaluates alternatives.
The real impacts—not just on paper
Closing a school is not a spreadsheet exercise. It hits real people in a dispersed rural community like ours.
- Teachers and staff lose jobs. That is neighbors losing livelihoods—and communities losing people who shop locally, volunteer, and hold families together.
- Money leaves the community. Schools anchor local spending. When educators and families are pushed out, the loss ripples through small businesses and civic life.
- Kids do not all simply move to the receiving school. Some families turn to homeschool or other options. Others may leave the community entirely. Enrollment loss follows—and with it, district revenue.
- Transportation gets harder. Longer routes, more students per bus, and commutes that become more than an inconvenience—especially for families already in tough situations.
- The conversation itself does damage. We agree closure is a last resort—so why is it the first thing we talk about? That oxygen should go to fixing the problem, not rehearsing the worst outcome.
- Savings should not line pockets. Paying higher salaries at the central office with money “saved” from closing neighborhood schools would be antithetical to what our communities need.
The work ahead
The Plan
Work the plan first. Do the reversible things before the irreversible thing.
What we should be building toward
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Improve Attendance
Chronic absenteeism hurts students and district revenue. Recovery is a lever we can pull now.
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Bring Families Back
Reach homeschool families, charter families, and others who live in our boundaries but learn elsewhere. Make MUSD the first choice again.
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Educate for the Future
Literacy and critical thinking still matter—and matter more in an AI world. Career pathways that connect students to real opportunities. Teaching kids to use tools responsibly, not just consume them.
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Build Schools Families Want
Great schools attract families. Stronger enrollment improves revenue. A healthier district makes neighborhood schools more sustainable.
What the district should do now
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Operational Savings
Staffing and position control, vendor and software review, maintenance and operations.
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Student Supports
Strengthen MTSS and special-education systems; invest in ACCE and Independent Study.
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Boundaries & Balance
Use boundaries and transfers thoughtfully to improve balance without losing students.
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Revenue & Facilities
Capture available revenue and track Measure C against a coherent long-term facilities plan.
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Measure & Publish
Measure the results. Publish them. Then make the next decision.
How I will serve on the Board
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A Parent’s Perspective
Ask hard questions. Listen to teachers, staff, families, and students. Study the facts. Be transparent. Arrive ready to do the work—not with every answer.
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Governing Commitments
Keep neighborhood schools open wherever reasonably possible. Make “last resort” mean something. Involve families before major decisions. Every decision begins with: What is best for our kids?
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Independent Oversight
A strong superintendent and a strong, independent School Board reinforce each other. Support teachers and staff. Protect strong classrooms and educational opportunity.
The policy argument
Fiscal Case
I accept that MUSD has a real structural financial challenge. What I do not yet accept is that closing neighborhood schools is the necessary answer.
Show us the full math.
The Enrollment Committee recommended refraining from closures while alternatives are implemented and evaluated.
The consultant identified more than $4.2M in annual recurring savings opportunities and more than $2.9M in annual revenue opportunities—plus $2.9M one-time capital/grant opportunities.
Modeled, not realized. The right question is what has been implemented—and what has it actually produced?
Before closing a school: net savings—not gross. Include transportation, staffing, receiving-campus costs, transition costs, and enrollment or attendance effects. Savings from closure should not fund higher central-office salaries while neighborhoods lose their schools.
Before any school is closed, the district must show
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Net Savings Are Substantial
Campus-specific net case after every material downstream cost and revenue effect—not gross personnel lines.
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Alternatives Exhausted
Attendance, enrollment recovery, operational savings, MTSS, boundaries—implemented, measured, and published before irreversible action.
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Costs Don’t Outweigh Benefit
Educational and community costs matter. A school that appears underused on paper may still be essential to its community.
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Community Voice Required
Students, families, educators, and affected communities heard before a recommendation reaches the Board—not after.
Ask the board these
- What is the annual net savings from closing this specific school after every downstream cost and revenue effect?
- Which non-closure alternatives have been implemented—and what measurable results have they produced?
- What enrollment, homeschool exit, and transportation burdens were modeled for rural families?
- Can the district publish the closure spreadsheet, assumptions, and sensitivity analysis?
- Which positions would be eliminated vs. follow students—and what happens to educators who lose their jobs?
- What objective standard makes closure the last reasonable option?
Door and mic
Stump Answer
I’m running because I’m a parent, a neighbor, and someone who believes our neighborhood schools are worth fighting for and our communities deserve a real voice on the School Board.
MUSD does face real challenges. Enrollment has declined, attendance needs improvement, many facilities have unused capacity, and the district has a structural budget problem. We should be honest about all of that.
But acknowledging the problem does not require us to accept school closure as the necessary answer. The Enrollment Committee recommended refraining from closing schools and prioritizing alternatives first. The consultant identified more than $4.2M in savings and $2.9M in revenue opportunities outside consolidation—modeled, not realized. What has been implemented?
Work the plan first. Recover enrollment and attendance. Bring families back. Align staffing. Cut unnecessary costs. Strengthen programs. Put clear owners, timelines, and public measures behind the work—then show us what happened.
Closing a community school is irreversible. It should not be the first thing we talk about, and it should never rest on incomplete math.
When they zig
Pushback
They ask
Are you saying a school should never close?
Closure must be a last resort. I support the Committee’s recommendation to refrain from closing schools while alternatives are pursued. I won’t treat closure as a shortcut. Prove net savings. Prove alternatives were exhausted. Require transparent data and meaningful community participation.
Where will the money come from?
Attendance recovery, staffing and position control, vendor/software review, MTSS and special education, Independent Study, and maintenance and operations. More than $4.2M in savings and $2.9M in revenue were modeled—not realized. Which actions have been implemented and what have they produced?
Didn’t the district show that closing a school would save nearly $1 million?
A reported personnel-cost estimate is not verified net savings. Which costs leave the district vs. follow students? What transportation, receiving-site, transition, and enrollment effects? Publish the underlying calculation.
Does an independent model prove that closing a school loses money?
A community model may reach that conclusion, but it depends on assumptions. Treat it as a challenge to the district’s model—not as established fact—until assumptions, source data, and formulas are independently reviewed.
Is the district ignoring the School Leaders recommendations?
I would not make that categorical claim. The accountability question is implementation across the full plan: owners, baselines, targets, and results that reach the budget or improve student outcomes.
Did the Committee choose the no-closure scenario?
No. Staff presented five scenarios, including no-closure Scenario 1. The Committee did not adopt one. It recommended refraining from closing schools and prioritizing alternatives.
Are you only running because of school closures?
Closure risk compelled me to step forward. Serving on the Board means responsibility for the entire district: outcomes, educators, budgets, facilities, safety, transportation, and trust.
What if closure is ultimately necessary?
Then the district should demonstrate that clearly. Families deserve a transparent and complete case before their neighborhood school is permanently closed.
What is your vision beyond preventing closures?
Make MUSD the first choice for more families—and for our schools to be a beacon of hope. Strong academics, enrichment, supports, and career pathways. Literacy and critical thinking in an AI world. Build schools families want to be part of.
What does accountability look like to you?
Name an owner. Establish a baseline. Set a goal and timeline. Disclose resources. Publish the actual result. Accountability is a visible chain from promise to outcome—not a press release.
They attack
“Enrollment is down. We have to consolidate.”
I agree enrollment is down. I don’t agree closure is the first move. Show me what was implemented, what it produced, and the net case for this specific school—including families who leave, homeschool, or face longer bus rides.
“You’re just protecting one school.”
I’m running for Area 5, but this is about how the district makes irreversible decisions: evidence, sequence, community voice, and honest math. That standard should apply everywhere.
“The district is out of money. Closures are unavoidable.”
I accept the budget problem. I question whether closure is the necessary answer before alternatives are exhausted. More than $4.2M in savings and $2.9M in revenue were modeled—not realized. Where’s the implementation report?
“Teachers will follow students—savings are real.”
Maybe some do. That’s why we need the spreadsheet: which positions leave the budget, which move, what receiving-site and transportation costs increase, and what happens to enrollment. Gross personnel lines aren’t net savings.
“You’re anti-superintendent / anti-administration.”
No. I want a strong superintendent and a strong Board. My job isn’t day-to-day operations—it’s to ask hard questions on structural decisions, hear the community, and vote based on evidence.
“You’re just delaying the inevitable.”
Delaying an irreversible decision until the evidence is complete isn’t obstruction—it’s responsible governance. Closing a school is permanent. Rushing it on incomplete math is the risky choice.
“Consolidation helps kids in under-resourced schools.”
Maybe—but prove it. Show educational benefit, not just cost savings. What programs improve at receiving schools? Net educational impact matters as much as net financial impact.
“Homeschool families won’t come back.”
Then model conservative enrollment scenarios in closure math. Don’t assume every student follows to the receiving school. Build schools worth returning to—and measure whether families do.
Say it at the door
Core Lines
- I’m not a politician. I’m a parent who raised his hand.
- Our schools should be a beacon of hope.
- Our community deserves a seat at the table.
- Every decision should begin with: What is best for our kids?
- School closure should be a last resort—not the opening move.
- Last resort has to mean something.
- Show us the full math.
- Modeled, not realized—what’s been implemented?
- Work the plan first.
- Do the reversible things before the irreversible thing.
- Build schools families want to be part of.
- Bring homeschool families back. Improve attendance. Grow enrollment.
- Closure talk wastes oxygen—work the plan first.
- Teachers losing their jobs is a community loss, not just a budget line.
- A strong superintendent and a strong, independent Board.
Closing Statement
I stepped forward because our neighborhood schools are at risk. I believe they are worth fighting for—and that our schools should be a beacon of hope for the families and communities they serve.
I want families and communities represented before irreversible decisions are made. I will ask hard questions, listen carefully, and follow the facts.
Full evidence. Fair process. Independent judgment.