Bryson, Anna
Quotes

Board President speaks out on threatened teacher strike

Apr 17, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "A teacher walkout will be a political statement by the union that will not change the fiscal reality we face as a school district or the need to move forward with the level of concessions required in the CUEA contract," Bryson said in the statement. "Individual teachers will be asked to pay the price in lost wages for that union decision."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President confirms trustees willingness to negotiate

Apr 17, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "The board of education has made it clear that we are ready to meet with CUEA to discuss a memorandum of understanding about the temporary nature of these cuts should our fiscal situation improve," Bryson said in the trustee statement Saturday. "The union has rejected this sincere offer and is demanding that we resume the same unproductive talks that led us to this point. We simply cannot do that."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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In response to student sickout, Board President assures constituents their voices are being heard

Apr 15, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "Wherever we can, we are going to factor in the individual groups, the teachers, the students," Bryson said. "We listen and we discuss what is said to us as we are permitted. ... But there are times when individual perspectives do not allow people to see things from other perspectives. As trustees, we look at it from every perspective. We are looking at literally millions of facts that they don't take the time to look at."

Capistrano Unified school board President Anna Bryson said she was relieved the absence rates weren't higher and that she regretted many students had missed a day of their education. But she also stressed that trustees were hearing the message of their constituents.

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President confirms district’s good faith willingness to discuss expiration date for pay cuts

Apr 14, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register “Restoration language is not a common element of unilateral resolutions,” Bryson said, referring to the unilateral pay cut imposed on teachers. “That language is commonly part of a memorandum of understanding, and this is something that can be mutually agreed upon at any time.” Bryson said that such a memorandum could include language giving the pay cuts an expiration date, but that it would have to be discussed with union leaders first. The permanent nature of much of the pay cut has been a point of contention for many teachers. “If they would submit that, the door is open to all things,” Bryson said.

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President supports students’ free speech rights but reminds them of their responsibility to follow the law

Apr 02, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register Reacting to two lively protests in as many days at Aliso Viejo's Aliso Niguel High School and Dana Point's Dana Hills High School, school board President Anna Bryson said she supported the students' free speech rights, but that they needed to follow the law. "People have emotions, and those emotions sometimes get expressed when you're young in ways that aren't acceptable," Bryson said Friday. "It doesn't surprise me. But we don't want to see our students missing time in class. They're going to college and they're going to be tested, and they need that class time."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

Board President: Trustees are acting as thoughtful, conservative financial evaluators, serving teachers, students and constituents

Mar 30, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register Bryson … stressed that the school board had always acted and would continue to act in a responsible, rational manner. "A lot of people said we were going to do a retroactive, punitive move" in imposing the pay cuts, Bryson said. "We didn't do that. We are thoughtful, conservative financial evaluators, and everything is based on sound process, looking at where we have to go with the numbers and how we can keep the doors open. "People can say we are going to do anything," she continued, "but the fact is this is a reasoned, intelligent board, and we're not going to do anything that doesn't serve the teachers, the students and the constituents."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President committed to keeping campaign promises to voters

Mar 30, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "We were not under any circumstances going to add any more students to our already overburdened classrooms, and we had no intention of letting go of any of our teachers," school board President Anna Bryson said. "Our students need the talent of our teachers at every grade level. We're very confident that we have done what is in the best interest of our district."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President: Board’s decision made in spirit of compromise and based on balancing of interests

Mar 29, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "With a spirit of compromise, the district has worked diligently to balance its fiduciary responsibility to the community with the education needs of our students and the high value we all place on our certificated employees," Bryson and Mahler said in their joint letter to teachers.

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Board President: Unprecedented economic turmoil necessitates personal sacrifice, including teachers

Mar 29, 2010
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "We have to make difficult decisions which require valued employees to make personal sacrifices," school board President Anna Bryson and interim Superintendent Bobbi Mahler said in a joint letter to teachers Monday. "This is in no way reflective of the high respect and regard we hold for the certificated employees of our district, but rather an outcome of the unprecedented turmoil in our global, national and state economies."

Bryson is President of the CUSD Board of Trustees. She is one of the CUSD Reform Trustees who was elected in 2006 to bring fiscal responsibility to the school district.

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Trustee Bryson calls for Fleming trustees to be held accountable

Sep 01, 2007
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Anna Bryson, Trabuco Canyon News “Accountability is something you accept when you go on any board.”

Anna Bryson and Ellen Addonizio, two of the newly-elected members of the CUSD Board of Trustees agreed to be interviewed by the press. Addonizio and Bryson both called for the remaining Fleming-era trustees to be held accountable.

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Trustee Bryson supports board decision to hire Carter as CUSD's new interim superintendent

Sep 01, 2007
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Anna Bryson, Trabuco Canyon News “We are all enthusiastic about this decision. He [Woodrow Carter] is the right person to be Capistrano Unified’s interim superintendent.”

Bryson is one of the ABC reform trustees.

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Bryson says denial of Fleming's criminal attorney's fees request is in district's best interest

Aug 14, 2007
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Anna Bryson, The Los Angeles Times "This is the best possible way for the district to go forward."

Bryson was elected to the CUSD Board of Trustees as one of the ABC Reform candidates in November of 2006.

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No part of budget should be exempt from cuts

Mar 29, 2007
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Anna Bryson, Laguna Niguel News “I hope there are no sacred cows ... If there has to be pain and we have to tighten our belt, I think there should be no arena that is [exempt from cuts].”

Bryson is one of the ABC Reform Trustees.

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"It is a misuse of taxpayers' money to defend the indefensible."

Mar 07, 2007
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Trustee Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "It is a misuse of taxpayers' money to defend the indefensible."

After reviewing the alarming revelations contained in Judge Stuart Waldrip's "Independent" Investigator's Report, reform trustee Bryson made this comment in support of a resolution to stop further funding of former Superintendent James Fleming's criminal defense attorney's fees. Trustees Benecke, Draper, Darnold and Stiff reversed their earlier decision and joined Bryson and the other reform trustees, Ellen Addonizio and Larry Christensen, in cutting off further taxpayer funding of Fleming's criminal defense attorney's fees.

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Trustee Bryson affirms CUSD's obligation to comply with state's open meeting law

Feb 16, 2007
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Anna Bryson, The Ladera Post “We want to make sure we have a sunshine effect on anything we do. The public has the right to know. It’s their money.”

Trustee Bryson reacts to the settlement of a Brown Act lawsuit brought by one of CUSD's critics. Facing overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, but admitting none, the Capistrano Unified School District agreed to record its closed-session meetings for one year. A judge could review the tapes to ensure that the Brown Act is followed.

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Trustee Bryson cautions district's reserves dangerously low

Jan 04, 2007
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Anna Bryson, The Orange County Register "We're at 2.4 percent (reserves). Two percent is considered risky. We have to look at everything and be prepared for everything to protect the taxpayers."

Bryson is one of the "ABC" reform slate candidates, who won a seat on the CUSD Board of Trustees in the November 2006 general election. Bryson said she is particularly worried about the district's reserves, which have been drawn down in recent years to pay for employee salary increases without cutting services.

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Trustee Bryson considers FCMAT to help with CUSD's fiscal crisis

Jan 04, 2007
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Sam Miller, The Orange County Register “Anna Bryson said she asked district staff to put together a report on what role the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team could play in CUSD, and how much it would cost to hire FCMAT.”

FCMAT conducts management reviews for California school districts, charter schools and community colleges. Its experts can review and recommend policies in various areas of education administration, ranging from student transportation to special education. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.

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