CUSD Update: Some Lost It
Editorial staff

Several folks were on the losing side by the end of the Nov. 5 Capo board meeting. For a change, Mission Viejo schoolchildren and their parents didn’t get shortchanged. Those who lost it included three of the Fleming-era trustees and one of their shills – a San Juan Capistrano PTA mom who was yelling obscenities by the end of the meeting. At issue was an agenda item that pitted one group of parents against another. Incredibly, the dispute was mostly about where people would sit at the new high school’s football games.

On the agenda was a board decision on whether to fund stadium seating at San Juan Hills High School (SJHHS) or to spend the money among various other schools throughout the district. Most schools won’t get everything they need because there’s a severe shortage of cash to repair, maintain, clean and replace. Taxpayers did their part by providing adequate funds for all the necessities and more, but the former regime made foolish choices. In a district that claims to provide outstanding public education, the Nov. 5 meeting demonstrated that three old-guard trustees haven’t learned a thing.

The board meeting at times seemed more like a student pep rally, which was likely orchestrated by old-regime Trustee Marlene Draper and the PTA mom mentioned above. SJHHS parents and students filled most of the seats in the front half of the room. Some SJHHS students wore their cheerleading uniforms or football jerseys. Draper had previously been quoted in newspapers as supporting the expenditure of millions of dollars on SJHHS stadium seating, and she referred to the gold-plated school building as her crowning achievement.

On Nov. 5, the PTA mom made public comments, saying it was “mean spirited” that other parents wanted to fix up deteriorating schools instead of continuing to pour money into one high school that’s practically breaking the bank. Additional parents who support more spending on the new high school chimed in at the public microphone, along with the student-body president of the new school. The student said, essentially, “Are you kidding? Given a choice of buying stadium seats for a new school or toilets for an old school, it’s a no-brainer.” The cheerleaders and football players applauded his brilliance.

Parents with children in the old schools commented that they weren’t against the new school and they didn’t oppose completing it – including the eventual purchase of stadium seating. They just want their children to have the basics before the district spends itself into bankruptcy. The astonishing fact is how much has been spent on the new school – more than $140 million – and it still doesn’t have enough classrooms.

The scene at the Nov. 5 meeting could have been one from the playbook of former Supt. James Fleming, who seemed to revel in one group of parents fighting against another. The spell was broken on Nov. 5 when it came time for a vote. Instead of the trustees following the superintendent’s will as in days of old, Trustee Duane Stiff made a motion to table the item that would have given the new high school its stadium seating. He indicated classrooms are the most important feature of schools.

When the vote was tallied, it was Stiff, Addonizio, Bryson and Christensen in favor of tabling the item and Benecke, Draper and Darnold opposed. According to district insiders, this is the third time in recent weeks Stiff (who was hand-picked by Fleming) has voted with the three reform trustees on a major decision. If Stiff continues to separate himself from the other old-regime trustees, they’re through. Their mark on the district, however – the damage and enormous debt, will be long-lasting.

Despite the moral victory on Monday night, problems abound. The district is severely short on funds, even for basics, and it will soon face more budget cuts. Administrators sit in a partially empty $52-million Taj Mahal while some students are crowded into dilapidated portables. Three old-regime trustees are focused on putting the finishing touches on the new high school, which could cost $175 million before it’s completed. Meanwhile, Mission Viejo schools, particularly Newhart, lack basics.