Comments Reveal Attitude
Letter to the editor

Several hundred people attended the June 4 board meeting of the Capistrano Unified School District. It was the board’s first meeting since former superintendent James Fleming and former administrator Susan McGill were charged with felonies.

I was surprised by a statement read by board President Sheila Benecke, who said, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one." Is she referring to community members as jackasses? Is anyone who doesn’t agree with her – including the grand jury and district attorney – a jackass?

If Benecke is talking about Fleming’s empire as the “barn,” I would say it’s crumbling under its own weight. The old regime practically spent the district into bankruptcy with bad real-estate deals and building a Taj Mahal administration center while classroom facilities deteriorate.

The old guard continues trying to blame its problems on “a few malcontents,” and that’s ridiculous. Voters last November overwhelmingly dumped two incumbent trustees, and a third didn’t run for reelection. The community is aware of what’s going on.

Connie Lee
Mission Viejo