CUSD Update

The next Capistrano USD board meeting will be on August 24. The agenda and supporting documentation are available on the Website 72 hours prior to a meeting, http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com The first day of school for CUSD will be Wed., Sept. 8.

With the Nov. 2 election 80 days away, constituents should brace for an ugly battle. Five candidates backed by the teachers union will try to take control from reform-minded trustees who are leading the district. Some parents estimate the union will spend up to $1 million to prop up its candidates.

Three seats are up for reelection. Martha McNicholas is challenging incumbent Ellen Addonizio. Saam Alikhani, an 18-year-old who is a recent graduate of Dana Hills High School, is challenging incumbent Anna Bryson. Lynn Hatton is running against incumbent Larry Christensen.

In the recall election of two board members, John Alpay is challenging Trustee Mike Winsten. Retired teacher Gary Miller and Paul Hebbard are running against Trustee Ken Lopez-Maddox.

The contrast between the two slates is clear. Candidates associated with “Children First” support the teachers union. The incumbents won easily when they ran against the big-spending regime of ex-superintendent James Fleming. If memories of old faces are fading, taxpayers have reminders of Fleming’s legacy, including the $50-million Taj Mahal administration center next to the freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

Candidate Saam Alikhani implies his focus hasn’t changed from his days as a student. As a representative of his high school, he sat alongside the trustees during board meetings. Here’s a sample statement from Alikhani’s Website as a school board candidate:

“ … please be assured that my allegiance to the taxpayers, homeowners, and students of this district will remain my primary focus, as it was during my tenure as the appointed Student Trustee to the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees. By making fiscally responsible decisions and placing high quality public education the top Board priority, all stakeholders will benefit.”

Last week, a county blog published a statement by Saam Alikhani, who was a candidate last year for student body president of his high school. Alikhani’s 2009 platform called for more dodgeball tournaments and less adult supervision at dances.

There is little else that could define the union-backed “Children First” candidates better than their attempt to put an 18-year-old in charge of the district’s $364-million annual budget.