CUSD Update, August 17
Editorial staff

With a unanimous vote of the CUSD board on Aug. 13, former administrators James Fleming and Susan McGill will pay their own criminal defense fees. The trustees decided not to reverse their March 2007 decision to stop paying legal fees for Fleming.

Behind closed doors at the Aug. 13 meeting, trustees apparently agreed to hire Woodrow Carter as the new interim superintendent. Was this announced following the closed session? The news wasn’t published until Aug. 18, which caused speculation and questions among constituents about the secrecy, as well as allegations of more Brown Act violations. According to the news release, Carter is expected to serve for nearly two years. His 27 years in the military preceded his work in education. He served as a deputy superintendent in Oakland and superintendent in Fairfield-Suisun USD.

The job of superintendent (with salary and perks exceeding $300,000 annually) shouldn’t be that hard to fill. Some CUSD constituents said they would like to see Kevin Murphy get the job. The leader of the 2005 recall effort, Murphy has a background in finance, which would come in handy in a district with a $500-million annual budget.

Those attending the Aug. 13 board meeting were encouraged with the outcome of the open session. In addition to the board denying Fleming and McGill’s fee request, no member of the public supported the old regime. A Mission Viejo resident sent the following comment:

“Five Mission Viejo residents were among 21 speakers who opposed paying the fees. No one during the meeting spoke favorably of Fleming or his corrupt administration. It was a breakthrough not to have endless shills crowing about how wonderful Fleming is.”

Another Mission Viejo resident remarked about public comments, “It was interesting to hear all the different reasons the district shouldn’t pay to defend Fleming and McGill. Many speakers said tax dollars for education should go to classrooms for students and teachers. Others mentioned the problems of deteriorating facilities, cuts in classified staff members and the increase in class size for lack of funds. The decline of school facilities in Mission Viejo should be brought up at every meeting.”

News at Capistrano Unified School District lately wouldn’t be complete without a court report. On Aug. 17, Fleming and McGill made another appearance in Superior Court in Santa Ana – another pre-trial hearing. The trial could take up to 16 days and cost more than $1 million.