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CUSD Update, Sept. 14 A roundup of news this week includes an update on the lawsuit against the Registrar of Voters, allegations of Brown Act violations, a comment on the inequity of spending on city schools and liability coverage for Capistrano Unified School District trustees. The oral argument for the appeal in the lawsuit filed by CUSD parents against the Orange County Registrar of Voters will begin at 1 p.m. at the Court of Appeal, 925 N. Spurgeon Street, Santa Ana, on Oct. 23. A group of parents, (Capo for Better Representation), filed suit concerning the ROV's invalidation of recall petition signatures. More than one-third of the 177,000 signatures were thrown out, including a high number appearing to be valid. The judges will be Sills, Rylaarsdam and Moore. Some CUSD residents who followed the process of hiring Interim Superintendent Woodrow Carter are alleging Brown Act violations may have occurred. While certain matters such as personnel evaluation can legally be discussed in closed session, CUSD administrators have abused this exception in the past to cover a wide range of topics that should have been aired in public. The trustees in closed session deliberated on aspects leading up to hiring Carter – deciding on desirable qualifications, length of time the interim status should last, salary, starting date and contract terms. Mission Viejo residents continue to ask why their city has two school districts. Apparently, Saddleback Valley USD administrators have said off-record they would welcome all of Mission Viejo into their district. Some parents would like the city to have its own district. Mission Viejo is a donor city for CUSD, with millions of dollars taken out of town and spent on facilities elsewhere, including the $52-million administration center in San Juan Capistrano. There’s no money for such “luxuries” as a gymnasium at Newhart Middle School or a theater at Capo High, but the cost of San Juan Hills High School is now at $154 million and could reach $175 million. Following CUSD Trustee Duane Stiff’s request in August for clarification of liability coverage for the trustees, he got his answer at the Sept. 10 board meeting. The board of trustees approved updating the wording to reflect the current California School Board Association’s standard language. Stiff expressed his concern in August regarding the indictment of former superintendent James Fleming, whose legal defense for felony indictments isn’t covered. As a result of the Sept. 10 vote, trustees will be covered for liability while they are operating within the scope of their employment. Coverage does not include criminal, sexual or alcohol-related misconduct. A Sept. 13 news story in OC Weekly, “Surreal Estate,” provided a balanced report on the opening of San Juan Hills High School. Unlike most OC Register stories about the school, it addresses negative impacts of the schools surroundings. Go to |
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