CUSD update, Oct. 17

The room was packed for the Mon., Oct. 15, CUSD board meeting. Some in the audience anticipated – or hoped – the old-guard board members (Sheila Benecke, Marlene Draper, Mike Darnold and Duane Stiff) were ready to resign. Allegedly, Trustee Stiff made remarks during the special meeting on Sat., Oct. 13, about accepting responsibility for Brown Act violations, which the D.A. said occurred in 2005-2006. The Oct. 13 meeting wasn’t taped, and no one has verified an exact quote.

Benecke and Darnold didn’t attend the meeting on Monday, likely to avoid public reaction over the DA’s recent findings. A longtime activist who attended the meeting said, “Benecke and Darnold looked bad for not attending. Quite a few students were in the audience, and it makes a bad impression when adults don’t show up for work because things aren’t going their way.”

A big difference in meetings lately is that no one is at the public microphone praising the old trustees or defending what they’ve done. As another difference, teachers are speaking up about budget cuts affecting their classrooms.

Following is a sampling of public comments from Oct. 15 – excerpts of speeches from the public microphone. Most of those speaking said the old trustees should resign, given the D.A.’s statement the four holdover trustees could either admit Brown Act violations or face prosecution.

1. The speaker was surprised the special meeting on Sat., Oct. 13, wasn’t recorded, particularly after the DA’s findings were announced the previous week. She added that the effort to recall Benecke and Draper would succeed.
2. A parent said, “You have taken ‘trust’ out of the word ‘trustee.’”
3. The speaker described the training the trustees had previously received – they were informed if not experts on the Brown Act. He said Benecke, Darnold and Draper should resign, adding, “You are no longer fit to serve.” He acknowledged Stiff was above the others by admitting his errors.
4. A parent described the new high school and credited the football coach, football team, parents, students and others for getting the school off to a good start. All football games at the new high school are “away games” this season, as work on the field isn’t complete.
5. “The trouble at CUSD stems from the abuse of power. The public will work hard to uncover what you worked so hard to cover up.”
6. I am trying to right the wrongs at CUSD.” The speaker added if righting the wrongs causes her to be called a critic, she would wear the title with honor.
7. Several speakers, including two teachers, described overcrowded classrooms. Their pleas for help moved the audience if not the board members, and one teacher received a standing ovation.
8. A speaker said to the old trustees, “Step down. Let us pick up the pieces.”
9. A parent with children in elementary school described the rundown condition of the school, and he talked about making the right choices.
10. A speaker complimented the new interim superintendent, Woodrow Carter, on creating subcommittees based on participation. He compared Carter’s style with former Supt. James Fleming’s “dictatorship and breaking laws galore.”
11. The final speaker commented favorably about Carter’s subcommittees and then turned to Trustee Draper, saying, “I read in the grand jury transcripts that you said your head can only grasp so much. Can your head grasp the Brown Act? Can you grasp what constituents are saying?”

The extravagance, overspending and cover-up of expenses on the $52-million administration center loom large as parents, teachers and students in growing numbers speak out about what’s missing in their schools and classrooms, including the opportunity to learn. While Fleming and his old-guard trustees spent a fortune on an administration building, the impact of the latest budget cuts is hitting hard in classrooms at every level.