Candidates Line Up for Murrieta Valley Unified Election

Three seats on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District governing board are up for grabs in the Nov. 6 election, and five people already have declared their candidacies, according to Riverside County elections officials.

The seats currently held by long-term board members President Paul Diffley and trustees Ken Dickson and Margi Wray are up for election. As of July 31 elections officials said that all three incumbents have filed their candidacy papers with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.

Diffley has served on the board since 2003, Dickson since 1997, and Wray since 1991.

So far, their challengers in the November election are Gregory R. Lee and Barbara Muir. The deadline for filing candidacy papers is Aug. 10, elections officials say.

The Board of Education is a policy-making body and has the authority to contract for goods, employ personnel, establish a budget, and determine the district's educational programs, according to the district. The terms of the remaining two of the five total board members, Kris Thomasian and Robin Crist, expire in 2014.

The only legal requirement for an individual seeking to become a Board of Education member is that he or she be registered to vote within the boundaries of the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, according to the district.