PUHSD administrators react to allegations against district

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Following allegations of unethical conduct within the Perris Union High School District, officials have held at least two special meetings – one to address employee concerns and the other to meet with a consultant and review school board “roles and responsibilities.”

In addition, the superintendent and the president of the school board have made statements this week pledging their commitment to transparency and a review of policies and standards. Although they have not admitted wrongdoing, the officials acknowledge the concern of employees and parents.

Menifee 24/7 has reported on the issues in articles on Oct. 16, again on Oct. 17, and on Oct. 22. If nothing else, an ongoing discussion of recent incidents has led to increased interaction among board members and staff.

In a meeting on the Paloma Valley High School campus on Oct. 22, board president Steve Campos and trustee Charles Hall met with staff to discuss concerns reported here and forwarded to the district office. Sources say about 40 people attended. According to one staff member, Campos said he was not aware of many of the situations and that he first learned of them from media reports.

One of the incidents discussed was the process used for hiring a new plant supervisor for the Paloma Valley campus. The makeup of an interview panel that did not include the school principal or the previous supervisor, as well as the allegations of conflicts of interest as reported here, was addressed by Campos both at the meeting and in an interview with Menifee 24/7.

“It was the first time I had heard of that,” Campos said. “As a school board, we’re not involved in that level of hire. But we’re making sure the whole process is being reviewed. We’re being blamed for things we weren’t aware of.

“Questions were asked at the meeting and we’re looking into the matter. None of us want anything illegal or any conflict of interest.

“Obviously, there’s a process to anything. It all depends on the circumstances. If what you’re saying is true, there should be some changes.”

Campos said other items were discussed. Those included the overall hiring practices in the district, including the hiring of Alfredo Andrade as Chief Human Resources Officer. Andrade and his wife served as treasurer for the campaigns of three current board members, and he was hired with no experience in the education sector.

Superintendent Jose Luis Araux, who did not attend the meeting, responded to the allegations about Andrade in an email to Menifee 24/7.

“The District carefully reviewed this matter with legal counsel prior to the hiring decision,” Araux said about a possible conflict of interest. “Based on that review, it was determined there is no conflict of interest. The District remains committed to maintaining transparency and ensuring all hiring decisions comply with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.”

Regarding an amended HR director job description that removed the education experience requirements for Andrade, Araux said, “I am not in a position to answer this question as I was not part of the district at the time.”

The school board approved Araux’s hiring on Aug. 21, 2024. At the same meeting, the board approved the amended job description making Andrade eligible for the HR job. Araux was presiding over the board at its Sept. 18 meeting. Andrade was approved for the HR position on Oct. 28.

The most recent development came when Araux called a special meeting of the board for last Saturday, Oct. 25, at 9 a.m. It was announced on the agenda as a study session for board members to review their roles. Facilitating the discussion was Micah Ali, an experienced educational consultant from the firm HYA Consulting, which has advised the board on issues the last few years.

A team-building exercise lasted about 90 minutes, followed by a discussion of the trustees’ scope of influence and decision-making rights. Because of time constraints, much of the agenda was carried over to a December meeting.

Meanwhile, a Menifee resident who has solicited support from others on social media is making very specific demands of Campos in seeking accountability of district personnel.

Chris Jackson has been a Menifee resident for several years. He has no children in Menifee schools. His daughter is in school in his native England and he’d like to bring her here for her senior year of high school, but he says he’s very upset about what he’s hearing regarding PUHSD. He's also frustrated with the responses he's getting from district leaders.

“This is the literal definition of bureaucratic red tape,” Jackson told Menifee 24/7. “I want to hold them accountable or at least get to the point where they believe they will be held accountable.”

Jackson has been very direct in his demands of Campos, both on social media and in emails to the board president. He has shared email addresses of all board members on social media and is threatening to file complaints with local agencies if his concerns aren’t addressed.

Jackson is also demanding that his email to Campos be read at the Nov. 12 school board meeting if he is unable to be there. He hopes to get the day off work to attend the 5 p.m. meeting in Perris.

“The district's silence on these matters not only undermines public trust but also risks exposing PUHSD to scrutiny under state law, including Government Code 1090 (prohibiting conflicts of interest in public contracts) and the Political Reform Act (Gov. Code 87100), which governs ethical conduct for school board members,” Jackson said.

Jackson is demanding public disclosure of the promotion panel’s composition and process in recommending a new plant supervisor at Paloma Valley High School. He is also demanding “an independent third-party investigation into all cited allegations, with preliminary findings reported at the next board session.”

“I am prepared to escalate to the Riverside County Office of Education and FPPC [Fair Political Practices Commission] if these demands are unmet," he said.