CUSD Update

Mission Viejo residents who live in the Capistrano school district will have an opportunity in the June Primary Election to vote on how their school trustees are chosen. Currently, voters get to select all seven CUSD trustees. On the June ballot is an opportunity to decide if voters should choose only the trustee who represents their geographic area. While it is uncanny to think voters would want to limit their power to decide on the entire board, a group of San Juan Capistrano residents is driving this method of selection.

Currently on the board, all seven trustees ran on a reform platform to oust the former regime of ex-superintendent James Fleming. While many constituents don’t follow board politics, they knew something was wrong with Fleming and his hand-picked trustees who voted in unison on nearly everything. The San Juan Capistrano group wanting to change trustee selection was supportive of Fleming, and they have the backing of the teachers’ union. If they prevail in the June Primary decision, they’ll improve the chances of getting their group members on the board of trustees in the November 2010 election. CUSD challengers would be more likely to unseat incumbents if they didn’t have to campaign district-wide.

The San Juan Capistrano group enlisted the OC Department of Education to change the method of selection. After the county agency ruled that voters should decide in June, the trustees filed a lawsuit on Dec. 15, saying the $500,000 election costs could be eliminated by waiting until the November election. Three trustees are up for reelection in November.

As another legal matter, the lawsuit filed by ex-superintendent A. Woodrow Carter has been dismissed by an Orange County judge. Carter asked to be paid $487,425 after being fired in March. Carter said he was entitled to compensation for the remaining 18 months of his three-year contract. After hearing the judge’s decision that he would receive no additional compensation, Carter said he was undecided about revising and refiling his lawsuit.