CUSD Update
Editorial staff

Candidates challenging CUSD incumbents have been in short supply for years. Not many people dream of being on a school board, particularly in CUSD, where trustees have lately left in disgrace. With the district now in turmoil and practically bankrupt, those willing to run should be applauded for their courage.

With two CUSD trustees targeted in the June 24 recall election, four challengers have stepped forward. Only one challenger, Sue Palazzo, is running to replace Trustee Sheila Benecke in Area 5. Challengers Makam Subbarao, Ken Maddox and Gary Miller are candidates for Trustee Marlene Draper’s seat, Area 2. All CUSD residents get to vote on the recall as well as for candidates in both Trustee Areas.

What will reform-minded parents put on a wish list if the board majority changes on June 24? Will Supt. Woodrow Carter still have a job on June 25? Will the new board reinstate laid-off teachers and downsize high-ranking administrators? Will a big “for sale” sign be visible from the freeway on the $52-million administration center? Those actions might eventually occur, but Trustee Ellen Addonizio’s request for a forensic audit of CUSD should happen immediately. To change many things that are terribly wrong at CUSD, an investigation has to begin.

Attempting to help the incumbent trustees out of office, Councilwoman Trish Kelley has jumped on the bandwagon. This woman, who couldn’t get enough of former administrators James Fleming and David Do-me (Doomey), now appears to support a recall. In 2005, Kelley invited several of her buddies from Fleming’s regime, including Trustee Marlene Draper, to a council meeting and attempted to introduce them. Kelley kept calling out their names, as if she couldn’t tell they hadn’t bothered to come. At the time, Draper and her six Fleming-era CUSD colleagues were targets of another recall effort. Whenever Do-me attended a Mission Viejo council meeting to tell lies at the public microphone, Kelley was all google-eyed and breathless. One of the reasons it is taking so long to remove corrupt officials from CUSD is the dolts who ignored their outrageous behavior. Instead of demanding that Mission Viejo schools be fixed up, Kelley defended the culprits who diverted dollars to the Taj Mahal administration center.

Dr. Ron Lackey, who ran unsuccessfully for a school board seat in 2006, continues his leadership in CUSD. Appearing on this week’s blog is Ron’s article about funding for special education. Special Education Alliance is the Orange County Superintendent’s Organization. “Alliance” is funded with dollars that should go to students for education. Its critics say money taken away from students is used to fight against special education cases. Anyone who just arrived in CUSD might not know the district has a reputation for failing if not refusing to provide adequate special ed for students who are entitled to it. Some parents say the district would rather spend a fortune waging a legal battle against providing education instead of teaching students as needed.

If anyone were to add up all the legal fees in CUSD, it would be clear that education is not the top priority in this district. A great deal of the “lawyering” is used to defend lawbreaking and unethical conduct. By the time a district goes to such great lengths as lawsuits to avoid educating students with disabilities, it has reached the ethical bottom.