Reform Progress at CUSD
by Larry Christensen, Capistrano Unified School District Trustee

At first glance one might wonder if the reform Board of Trustees at Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) has affected any change at the troubled district. The original “ABC” slate comprised of Addonizio, Bryson and Christensen was handily elected four years ago come November. One year later a successful recall installed Palazzo and Maddox and in the subsequent year Winston and Brick were elected to posts. Within a two-year span all seven long-termed trustees under the regime of the now-indicted superintendent James Fleming had been removed. Two decades of misappropriation of funding, nepotism, favoritism, creation of “enemy lists” and extravagant deficit spending were too much for the public to bear.

The first year of the “ABC” reformers was mostly a lost year, for they were methodically outvoted on key issues by the remaining four “old guard” trustees.  Still, it was evident to the administration that the winds had turned and that complacent status quo was about to change. The chain of years where staff was never questioned and predictable seven-to-zero voting occurred had been broken. It was clear that an accountable transformation was under way that was unsettling to the least qualified staff whose positions were based upon alliance rather than by merit.

Once the remaining “old guard” trustees were replaced, reforms began to reshape CUSD.  A no-nepotism policy was one of the first resolutions put into place that ended long-standing, no-bid favoritism with companies affiliated with board family members.  A top-heavy administration was weeded out. Out-of-control legal fees were dramatically reduced. A substantial portion of the overbuilt administration building was leased as a revenue source. A mostly dysfunctional (at best) facilities department was cleansed and is about to be restructured. Most importantly, a laborious, often frustrating experience to secure a qualified, pro-education, ethical, long-term superintendent appears to have been culminated in the recent hiring of Dr. Joseph Farley.

In the opinion of this author, “Working to make a change within the confines of the education bureaucracy, long-designed to discourage change, is like swimming in molasses. It takes forever to make headway and you’re often put in sticky situations.” Nevertheless, reforms have and are being initiated. As a result, the current staff is perhaps the most efficient, dedicated and qualified in many years. The outlook for CUSD is quite positive.