Temecula Valley USD School Board Hires 'Image' PR Consultant

TEMECULA, CA — The Temecula Valley Unified School District is paying $30,o0o a year to "improve its image" by hiring a new communications consulting firm, The Press-Enterprise reported Friday.

During an Aug. 22 school board meeting, TVUSD governing board members voted 3-2 to bring on Nico Melendez, aka Melendez Consulting, as an independent contractor, the PE reported. Melendez is husband to Melissa Melendez, a former Lake Elsinore City Council member who served as a Republican state assembly member from 2012 to 2020 and state senator from 2020 to 2022, according to CalMatters. Term limits led to her leaving the Assembly and the Senate.

Trustee Danny Gonzalez said the goal behind the hiring is to increase stories about "what's going on in our great school district," according to the PE report.

Gonzalez, along with TVUSD Board President Joseph Komrosky, and Trustee Jen Wiersma supported the hiring of Melendez while Trustees Steven Schwartz and Allison Barclay opposed it. According to the PE report, the two dissenters said the district already has public relations employees: Marketing, Communication and Innovation Officer James Evans and Media Specialist Jodie Mueller.

Evans told the PE he is "not a traditional information officer," though many of his duties overlap with working with the media. He said he focuses on gathering staff and the community in "forums related to innovation and technology integration."

Last week, during a hazardous materials crisis at Great Oak High School, Evans was on the scene, working with the school principal to alleviate the fears of families with students at that school, doing the work of the Communications Officer. On Thursday, he announced the addition of a new inclusive playground at a district elementary school.

It was not immediately clear when Melendez would step in to start sharing information on the schools and programs of the district. The TVUSD school district will remain the primary point of contact for parents and media wanting to learn more about goings-on.

Melendez told the PE he served as a public information officer ffor the Department of Homeland Security. He looks forward to "assisting in telling the story of the great work their teachers do and highlighting student achievements," he told the news outlet.

According to his scope of work obtained by the PE, Melendez's responsibilities to the district will be to work 10 hours a month, with a monthly retainer of $2,500, not to exceed $30,000 for the below scope of work. A supplement in the contract stated that any services beyond those listed below would be billed separately.

Communications Support:

• The Contractor will work with district staff to identify and develop tools to assist in public outreach, support, and volunteers.
• The Contractor will work with District leadership to develop messaging, talking points, speeches, and other consistent messaging tools.
• The Contractor will use his experience to generate favorable news coverage of District events in mainstream media outlets.

Public Affairs/Emergency Event Public Information Officer:

• The consultant will provide general public affairs services and, in the event of an emergency or catastrophe inside the District Limits Act, assist with crisis communications response preparation/execution.

Product Review/Development.

• The Contractor will work with District staff to generate and review products to assist in parents, volunteers, and staff engagement.

Crisis Communication Seminar/Education

• Consultant may perform a crisis communication seminar for/with District elected officials and management team to educate, inform, and train personnel on communication messaging and outreach during a crisis event.
• Consultant will provide general public affairs services and in the event of an emergency or catastrophe inside the District limits act assist with crisis communications response preparation/execution.

Read the full PE report on the hiring of Melendez Consulting here.

Related Stories:

Recall Of 3 Temecula Valley USD Trustees Gains Local, National Support

Critical Race Theory Banned In Temecula Schools By Newly Formed Board

Trans 'Outing' Policy At Murrieta, Temecula Schools Gets Early Blow