Administration Building
SJC City Council should withdraw its opposition to recall
Oct 02, 2007
By Barbra Casserly, Mission Viejo
Good evening Honorable Mayor and City Council. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to speak. My name is Barbara Casserly and I am a resident of Mission Viejo.
The last time you considered this item you considered the cost of the election. I ask you to consider the cost of allowing the current leadership to continue to take from our children’s schools. We cannot allow the current leadership to pass one more budget. We are experiencing our sixth year of budget deficits because for several years CUSD was a district where our seven Trustees voted together – on every single item. Details were left to key staff members who were rewarded with frequent contract renewals and high praise. CUSD Trustees did not display dirty laundry in public as the dirty laundry was swept under the rug the infrastructure of the district started crumbling.
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Comments
Draper reveals yet another excuse for not discussing the peoples' business in public
Jul 08, 2007
Thanks for the explanation, Marlene. At least now we can all rest easy knowing that the improper concealment of the district’s financial affairs wasn’t your only purpose in violating the state’s open meetings law.
Your Mello-Roos Tax Bill
May 01, 2007
When speaking with residents of Rancho Santa Margarita, I am routinely asked, “When will my Mello-Roos taxes go away?”
I am proud to say that our City Council is working to obtain the information and answers you need. Let me explain. Read More...
Signs that CUSD has learned its lessons
Dec 03, 2006
New leadership of Capistrano district admits
mistakes, changes controversial
policy
Editorial, The Orange County
Register Finally, Orange County
residents are getting some good news from the
Capistrano Unified School District, the massive
south county district that has been plagued by
scandal for several months and controversy for
several years. The new administration, headed by
interim Superintendent Charles McCully, is
settling outstanding legal disputes and admitting
mistakes that the district’s administration had
made, which sends signals that, perhaps, badly
needed reform is in the air. Read
More...
Superintendent Fleming’s Real Legacy
Aug 14, 2006
CUSD Recall Committee Demands Fleming Be Removed
Immediately
Rancho
Santa Margarita, CA. CUSD Superintendent
James Fleming has “resigned” in disgrace. “This
moves us one step closer to restoring honesty,
integrity and accountability into our public
school system,” said Thomas Russell,
spokesperson for the CUSD Recall Committee.
A. Immediate Disciplinary Action Must Be Taken.
Very serious allegations involving criminal activity have been leveled against Fleming (and possibly the Trustees). An overwhelming amount
of evidence supporting these allegations has been made public. Given these facts, we believe Fleming cannot be allowed to serve another day as the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District. Read More...
A. Immediate Disciplinary Action Must Be Taken.
Very serious allegations involving criminal activity have been leveled against Fleming (and possibly the Trustees). An overwhelming amount
of evidence supporting these allegations has been made public. Given these facts, we believe Fleming cannot be allowed to serve another day as the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District. Read More...
Good riddance to Fleming
Jul 24, 2006
Capistrano Unified Superintendent James Fleming epitomized the arrogance that comes with excessive power. He stepped down after the Register reported that the district had compiled an enemies list of those who supported a school board recall. Fleming denied such a thing, then later admitted that he had a list, but claimed -- one of the most unbelievable claims I've heard in a long time -- that he compiled the data on parents and their children out of concern that they might be hacking into district computers. Talk about paranoia and deception. Read More...
Superintendent Fleming “Resigns” In Disgrace
Jul 19, 2006
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. CUSD Superintendent James Fleming has “resigned” in disgrace. “This moves us one step closer to restoring honesty, integrity and accountability into our public school system,” said Thomas Russell, spokesperson for the CUSD Recall Committee.
In announcing his resignation, Fleming posted three self-serving, self-aggrandizing and misleading statements on the CUSD official website. In summary, those statements provided: Read More...
CUSD Trustees and Superintendent engage in improper coercion, intimidation and fear
Jul 10, 2006
• Superintendent Fleming Has Created a Mafia-like
Organization and Infrastructure
• Specific Examples of Coercion, Intimidation and Fear
• We call upon the District Attorney to conduct a full and complete investigation
Superintendent James
A. Fleming and the seven CUSD Trustees have
institutionalized a district-wide atmosphere
where parents, teachers and administrators are
afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.
They improperly use their official
office/capacity to intentionally create an
environment within the district that makes it
virtually impossible for any one to express
disagreement with the district without being
subjected to retribution or the threat thereof.
The CUSD leadership routinely punishes (or
threatens to punish) parents and their children,
teachers and administrators who dare to speak
out against them or their agenda. Conversely,
the CUSD leadership rewards those who are loyal
and willing to carry out their “dirty
work.” Read
More...
• Specific Examples of Coercion, Intimidation and Fear
• We call upon the District Attorney to conduct a full and complete investigation
CUSD Recall Committee To Unveil Identities of Three Reform Candidates
Jun 28, 2006
Media Event. This coming
Thursday afternoon, representatives of the CUSD
Recall Committee, the grass roots group of parents
and concerned taxpayers that have led the widespread
effort throughout South Orange County to recall all
seven trustees of the Capistrano Unified School
District will announce the identities of three reform
candidates. These candidates will challenge the three
CUSD incumbents who must run for re-election in this
November’s elections. All television, radio and print
media are encouraged to attend.
Date: Thursday, June 29
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: At the Front Driveway Entrance to the Controversial New CUSD Administration Building, 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano, CA Read More...
Date: Thursday, June 29
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: At the Front Driveway Entrance to the Controversial New CUSD Administration Building, 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano, CA Read More...
Parents Declare War on School Board
Mar 25, 2006
Stupid In America: How We Cheat Our Kids
Jan 09, 2006
• John Stossel Looks at How U.S. Public Schools Are
Failing Kids
• Cites CUSD's new admin building as egregious example of government waste
Jan.
9, 2006 — American
students fizzle in international comparisons,
placing 18th in reading, 22nd in science and
28th in math — behind countries like Poland,
Australia and Korea. But why? Are American kids
less intelligent? John Stossel looks at the ways
the U.S. public education system cheats students
out of a quality education in "Stupid in
America: How We Cheat Our Kids," airing this
Friday at 10 p.m. Read
More...
• Cites CUSD's new admin building as egregious example of government waste
Cost of CUSD administration building balloons to $52 million! True sources of funding finally revealed.
Nov 14, 2005
A blockbuster article by the Orange County Register confirms that this extravagant project ultimately will cost $52 million, more than twice the amount originally announced by CUSD. That's right, the CUSD Trustees chose to spend 52 million taxpayer dollars to house approximately 300 administrators in San Juan Capistrano while thousands of children languish in decrepit portable classrooms.
Read More...
New CUSD Administration Building to Cost $35 Million
Jun 13, 2005
In a new Information Bulletin published by Superintendent Fleming on June 16th, the total cost of the new District Administration Building is now estimated at $35 million! On April 26th the Superintendent published a in which he stated that the new District Administration Building "is built with some $20 million." That is an additional $15 million (75% increase) that is being spent on the administrators, instead of improving the schools for our kids. How much more money will be taken away from the kids before the building is actually completed? Read More...
The Dirty Little Secret About CUSD’s New Administration Building
Jun 07, 2005
Based on everything we have heard from school district officials, one would think CUSD had $20 million sitting in an account earmarked to pay for its new administration building. Instead, the money has been borrowed. CUSD is hoping enough funds come in to pay back these loans. Read More...
The Truth About Redevelopment Funds
May 18, 2005
