CUSD Update, January 25
Editorial staff

The deadline to sign the petition to recall two Capo school district trustees is Jan. 29. Proponents will need 20,493 valid signatures per trustee to put the recall election before the voters. Staffers on this blog have supported both recall efforts – the failed one in 2005 to recall all seven trustees and the current one to recall two Fleming-era trustees.

Targets of the current recall are Trustees Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke. Proponents say the recall will succeed this time, with some saying they have as many as 30,000 signatures per trustee. If they have enough signatures to proceed, a special election will follow. The recall group is asking Draper and Benecke to resign prior to the signatures being turned in, which would save the cost of an election. Once signatures are submitted to the Registrar of Voters, the process cannot be stopped. If the trustees resign now, their seats would be up for election on the June ballot, according to those encouraging the resignations.

A special election could cost the school district from $288,000 to $784,000 at a time when district funds are short. The price depends on whether the recall stands alone or shares the ballot with other items. Opponents of the recall argue the district cannot afford the expense of a special election. Recall proponents say that the trustees have spent the district into its current $28-million deficit, and a recall is the only way to prevent further damage. As an additional consideration, some proponents point to Draper’s long tenure on the board. If she reaches the 20-year mark when her current term ends in November, she could qualify for lifetime benefits.

As another ongoing issue, the district appeared to violate the Brown Act on Jan. 23 by canceling an agenda item without adequate public notice. The purpose of the agenda item was to discuss rescinding a vote (on construction projects at San Juan Hills High School) from the previous week because it may have been a Brown Act violation.

The debate over school boundaries and overcrowding has become so heated that the continued illegal acts practically go unnoticed. Parents in Mission Viejo held a rally last weekend to protest overcrowding at Newhart following an announcement the district has no plan other than to rely on projections of declining numbers in the future.

The new superintendent, Woodrow Carter, was recently quoted in a newspaper article saying it takes time to turn a battleship around. Someone should check to see if anyone is steering.