CUSD Recall wins by a landslide, marking the historic end of the Fleming era at CUSD
Jun 26, 2008 Filed in: Public
Statements | Reform Campaign
2Q08
CUSD Recall Committee thanks all who supported reform at CUSD
Tom Russell, Spokesperson
CUSD Recall Committee
To All Friends of Reform at CUSD,
Last Tuesday’s special election was a remarkable event. Seventy percent of South Orange County voters spoke loudly and clearly: “YES” on CUSD Recall, marking the historic end of the Fleming-era at CUSD.
The CUSD Recall Committee is grateful to the many of the volunteers, donors, elected officials, community organizations, voters and others, without whose support, none of this would have been possible. We can all share in the pride of knowing we took a stand for the betterment of education for the children of South Orange County.
Trustees-elect Sue Palazzo and Ken Maddox will be sworn in next Tuesday, July 1st, at 6:00 p.m., at which time the board, currently led by old guard trustee Mike Darnold, will be reorganized. We hope all persons of good will come to witness this historic event.
Finally, please read the following editorial from the June 26th edition of the Orange County Register. It captures the spirit of accomplishment and the future hope of CUSD Recall.
Sincerely,
Tom Russell
Spokesperson
CUSD Recall Committee
cusdrecall@cox.net
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Thursday,
June 26, 2007
Orange County Register Editorial
Extreme makeover, CUSD edition
Capo Unified school district parents do the right thing and recall obstacles to reform.
Perhaps now, finally, the tumult at the Capistrano Unified School District can die down, following a stunning and overwhelming recall this week of two of the school board's holdouts from the bad old days. Longtime Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper were tossed out of office by overwhelming majorities, with about 70 percent of voters agreeing to recall both members. Ms. Benecke was replaced by former Assemblyman Ken Maddox, and Ms. Draper was replaced by teacher Sue Palazzo.
The two new board members’ three reform-oriented colleagues won their seats in November 2006. The reform crowd holds a 5-2 majority. It has taken three years and enormous time, money and effort to gain control of a board that was previously known for its consistent unanimous votes and its unyielding support for a powerful former superintendent – James Fleming, who faces criminal charges in August related to his compilation of an "enemies list" of district parents who had supported a previous recall attempt.
Parents coalesced over a variety of seemingly unrelated issues. For instance, the school board built a $35 million blufftop administration building as students languished in cramped portable classrooms. There was little debate on the board, as it unanimously approved one project after another. The district was involved in other controversies, including one regarding its apparent use of race and ethnicity to determine school boundaries, excessive costs on the construction of a new high school and efforts to use eminent domain to gain the property of a private high school. The Orange County District Attorney's Office also released a report stating that the board repeatedly violated the state's open-meetings law.
Although these and other issues seem unrelated, they all have a common thread: arrogance of power among the long-term trustees. Losing board members argued that it was a waste to launch a recall when they had both promised to leave when their terms expire, but recallers argued that the district could not afford to spend any more months with a majority committed to the old way of doing business. For instance, the school faces continuing controversy over an overly generous, nearly $1-million, three-year contract for the current superintendent.
It was a good idea to recall the two trustees, and voters made the right choices at the ballot box. The two new trustees have pledged to quickly undertake reforms, telling the Register that they plan to begin a program of cost-cutting, stronger oversight and a review of fraud allegations surrounding the superintendent's contract. They have pledged to change the nature of government at CUSD by operating in an open and transparent manner.
Let's hope the bitterness recedes, and parents can stay involved by assuring that the new board lives up to its promises and eschews the practices of the old guard.
Orange County Register Editorial
Extreme makeover, CUSD edition
Capo Unified school district parents do the right thing and recall obstacles to reform.
Perhaps now, finally, the tumult at the Capistrano Unified School District can die down, following a stunning and overwhelming recall this week of two of the school board's holdouts from the bad old days. Longtime Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper were tossed out of office by overwhelming majorities, with about 70 percent of voters agreeing to recall both members. Ms. Benecke was replaced by former Assemblyman Ken Maddox, and Ms. Draper was replaced by teacher Sue Palazzo.
The two new board members’ three reform-oriented colleagues won their seats in November 2006. The reform crowd holds a 5-2 majority. It has taken three years and enormous time, money and effort to gain control of a board that was previously known for its consistent unanimous votes and its unyielding support for a powerful former superintendent – James Fleming, who faces criminal charges in August related to his compilation of an "enemies list" of district parents who had supported a previous recall attempt.
Parents coalesced over a variety of seemingly unrelated issues. For instance, the school board built a $35 million blufftop administration building as students languished in cramped portable classrooms. There was little debate on the board, as it unanimously approved one project after another. The district was involved in other controversies, including one regarding its apparent use of race and ethnicity to determine school boundaries, excessive costs on the construction of a new high school and efforts to use eminent domain to gain the property of a private high school. The Orange County District Attorney's Office also released a report stating that the board repeatedly violated the state's open-meetings law.
Although these and other issues seem unrelated, they all have a common thread: arrogance of power among the long-term trustees. Losing board members argued that it was a waste to launch a recall when they had both promised to leave when their terms expire, but recallers argued that the district could not afford to spend any more months with a majority committed to the old way of doing business. For instance, the school faces continuing controversy over an overly generous, nearly $1-million, three-year contract for the current superintendent.
It was a good idea to recall the two trustees, and voters made the right choices at the ballot box. The two new trustees have pledged to quickly undertake reforms, telling the Register that they plan to begin a program of cost-cutting, stronger oversight and a review of fraud allegations surrounding the superintendent's contract. They have pledged to change the nature of government at CUSD by operating in an open and transparent manner.
Let's hope the bitterness recedes, and parents can stay involved by assuring that the new board lives up to its promises and eschews the practices of the old guard.
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For more information,
please visit: www.cusdrecall.com