A Failure to Lead
Staff editorial

After the media’s hammering of Capo school district administrators, Councilwoman Trish Kelley has distanced herself from Supt. James Fleming and the trustees. Perhaps Kelley feels she can no longer associate with damaged goods.

With each morning’s paper bringing new CUSD turmoil to light, South County has a scandal to call its own. Beyond issues that fueled an attempt to recall all seven trustees, the district is accused of keeping an Enemies List of parents involved in the recall effort. Additionally, CUSD administrators apparently looked at recall petition signatures they were legally prevented from seeing.

Weeks of bad press changed a lot of things, but Kelley’s love-fest with her school board buddies may have continued if she weren’t up for reelection in November.

Kelley took the oath office to serve the city, but her votes and other activities have been directly tied to benefiting CUSD’s administration. Her community service prior to her council election centered on volunteerism, and she campaigned on serving as a PTA president. Ironically, her school board connections as a council member cost the city without giving much help to the schools.

CUSD parents have expressed their frustration at raising funds, only to see the money replacing rather than adding to district funding. The issue came to a head on April 3 when three council members asked for accountability in the form of an audit of taxes collected in Mission Viejo for CUSD. Council members said they were responding to requests from parents to investigate the decline of school facilities – how much tax money has been collected and where it’s been spent.

Rather than analyzing the problems and demanding solutions, most parents have chosen not to make waves. Kelley appeared to be among those who believed the best way to get anything was to become friendly with the administration and trust the trustees.

Over a period of years, CUSD Supt. James Fleming divided Mission Viejo on a variety of issues, and parents were disadvantaged as a result of being divided. Instead of challenging administrators gone awry, Kelley sided with them. She’s now in limbo, unable to align with the embattled trustees and unable to reconcile the difference with parents, who are paying a high price for the district’s bad decisions. Kelley’s attempt to criticize the district for its Enemies List is too little too late.

Soon after Kelley was elected in 2002, a seemingly objective resident said, “Kelley quickly got in over her head. Her supporters who persuaded her to run for office didn’t look beyond the election when she’d actually have to serve on the council.”

City council should be more than a popularity contest. With an annual budget of $60 million and responsibility for the city’s direction, actual competencies are needed. Kelley apparently lacks an understanding of financial matters, and she has demonstrated a strong tendency to follow instead of lead. CUSD’s problems began long ago when Kelley was involved in the PTA. Today’s PTA leaders have been at the forefront – researching, looking for answers, demanding accountability – at the risk of having their names on the Enemies List. Except for piling on at the end of the battle, Kelley has been missing in action.