Administration Building
OC Weekly sees through the thin veneer of high test scores and exposes the real reform issues in CUSD
Dec 27, 2007 Filed in: Altan,
Daffodil
Altan is a reporter for OC Weekly.
Former Trustee John Casabianca changes his testimony and joins Marlene Draper in dishing out district doublespeak
Jul 08, 2007 Filed in: Casabianca,
John
So, first, Casabianca swears the timing of the settlement was about the recall and, then, he swears it wasn't. Plausible? Hardly. But OK under the advice of CUSD's attorneys! Guess that's why we taxpayers pay those legal beagles the big bucks.
Draper reveals yet another excuse for not discussing the peoples' business in public
Jul 08, 2007 Filed in: Draper,
Marlene
Thanks for the explanation, Marlene. At least now we can all rest easy knowing that the improper concealment of your financial mismanagement wasn’t your only purpose when you violated the state’s open meetings law.
Smith's plans for the new administration building
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Trustees Monday voted
to lease out one of three wings in the new
administration building. The decision will raise
about $338,000 annually, which will go to older
schools for facilities improvements. The district
will consolidate its operations into the
building's center wing and northernmost section.
About 15,000 square feet in the southern section
will be rented out. No tenant has been identified.
Smith said the district will grow into the
building."
Some residents had criticized the 126,000-square-foot building as too large for the district, and it was at the heart of a failed recall effort in 2005. School district officials moved in a year ago. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Some residents had criticized the 126,000-square-foot building as too large for the district, and it was at the heart of a failed recall effort in 2005. School district officials moved in a year ago. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Smith addresses overspending and dangerously low reserves, confirming recall advocates claim that CUSD is a district in crisis
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
Reform advocates have exposed CUSD's financial mismanagement and corruption for years, often referring to CUSD as "a school district in crisis." Smith is the interim Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
Admin building was a catalyst for the recall campaign
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Mehta,
Seema
Seema Mehta, The Los Angeles
Times "Construction of the
center was controversial in 2005, when community
members and parents grew increasingly critical of
the board's decision to build it while hundreds of
classes were being held in aging trailers. The
center was a catalyst for a recall attempt against
the district's seven trustees. The recall failed
to make the ballot, but three recall advocates
were elected in November."
Mehta is a reporter for The Los Angeles Times.
Mehta is a reporter for The Los Angeles Times.
Admin building controversy is just one of many to plague CUSD in recent years
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Mehta,
Seema
Seema Mehta, The Los Angeles
Times "The
administrative center is just one of the
controversies to dog the district in recent years.
Although many of the district's 56 schools are ranked
among the state's best, other brouhahas have included
an Orange County Grand Jury probe; a raid of district
headquarters by the district attorney; the
resignation of its longtime superintendent after
accusations he kept an "enemies list"; and disputes
over attendance boundaries, a high school's location
and portable classrooms."
Mehta is a reporter for The Los Angeles Times.
Mehta is a reporter for The Los Angeles Times.
Recall advocates said decision to lease showed that building the admin building was wrong, other options should be considered
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Russell,
Tom
District critics called the construction of the three-building complex unnecessary and extravagant. Reform advocates pointed out the false dilemma presented by the district - the old administrative facilities vs. the extravagant new Taj Mahal, without any consideration of alternatives like those modeled by other, more prudent school districts. The excesses of the new administration building are now clear - it is both extravagant and physically excessive. The district should call for a thorough, independent feasibility study to consider alternatives that are more prudent and fair to everyone, such as a sale/leaseback arrangement or a sale and relocation of operations to unused or under-utilized facilities in the district (a sensible option chosen by other award-winning, but more prudent Orange County school districts). Russell is the spokesman for the CUSD Recall Committee.
Smith touts admin building pros but ignores cons and prudent alternatives
May 09, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
District officials continue to promote the Fleming rationale for the new building - consolidation of operations, expansion needs for the next ten years - and a new twist by Smith - lease revenue from the portion of the building to be given to schools in the district. There was no mention of a comprehensive feasibility study to consider more prudent alternatives or any discussion about district-wide priorities and proper allocation of limited capital resources -- just plans to stay in the overbuilt facility until the district grows into it over the next ten years. Smith is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
CUSD will lease a third of its $52 million Taj Mahal for $400,000 per year
May 08, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
Volzke is the publisher of the Capistrano Dispatch.
Smith plans to lease entire wing of Taj Mahal & consolidate operations, calls $52 million admin building a "good investment"
May 08, 2007 Filed in: Miller, Sam
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "New Superintendent
Dennis Smith said the move will earn the district
about $338,000 annually, which he will then
distribute to older schools to use as they please
for facilities upgrades. The district will
consolidate its operations into the building's
center wing and northernmost section. The
southernmost section will be rented out ... Smith,
though, said it was a good investment and its size
will be needed as the district grows in the coming
decade."
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
CUSD has made Mission Viejo a donor city for school projects elsewhere, unfair to the children and taxpayers of Mission Viejo
May 06, 2007 Filed in: O'Brien,
Sharon
Sharon O’Brien, The Orange County
Register “Mission Viejo has
been a donor city to this school district for
years and the result has been new and improved
facilities elsewhere and a Taj Mahal of a district
office. Meanwhile, high school parents have to
raise funds to get the theater that every other
CUSD high school already has, and elementary and
middle school families have to send their children
to some of the oldest and most neglected schools
in the district.”
O’Brien is a CUSD parent and resident of Mission Viejo.
O’Brien is a CUSD parent and resident of Mission Viejo.
RSM city council made tax audit of CUSD top priority after discovering proof CUSD misinformed the community
May 01, 2007 Filed in: Beall, Tony
Beall is the Mayor of the City of Rancho Santa Margarita.
Trustees to consider millions in budget cuts, leasing out district office space to raise $400,000 per year
May 05, 2007 Filed in: Volzke,
Jonathan
Volzke is the publisher of the Capistrano Dispatch.
Trustees owe public an explanation for the lies they told or condoned
Oct 12, 2006 Filed in: Casserly,
Barbara
Barbara Casserly, The Capistrano
Dispatch “Now is the time for
the CUSD Trustees to explain to the public why
they lied, or allowed lies to be promulgated
repeatedly by Jim Fleming. Time after time,
publication after publication, the public was
informed that the funds for the administration
building were restricted to bricks and mortar in
San Juan Capistrano. Prominent members of the
public continue to believe that every dime for the
new administration building could only be used for
an administration building in San Juan
Capistrano.”
Casserly is a Mission Viejo resident and PTA leader.
Casserly is a Mission Viejo resident and PTA leader.
Fleming spins to justify Taj Mahal with more dishonest rhetoric
Jun 29, 2006 Filed in: Fleming,
James
Fleming tries to justify the district's new administration building with half-truths that completely ignore the gross inequity of cramming students into substandard portables while splurging on administrative faciliites that aren't just nice, but according the press, is probably the nicest in the entire State of California (KCET, Life & Times) or even the country (ABC 20-20). Fleming is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
Fleming confirms selfish, misplaced priorities of trustees and staff
Jun 29, 2006 Filed in: Fleming,
James
So, Fleming admits that six years ago, while the district was beginning a series of deficit budgets and student overcrowding and facilities deficiencies had become a crisis at schools like Capistrano Valley High School, CUSD was developing a "comprehensive" plan for its new administration building. During the CUSD Recall campaign in 2005, Trustee Marlene Draper tried to cover for CUSD's embarrassing, decrepit portable classrooms, telling the press that the district had a "strategic plan" to remove them - a plan that was at least two years old. Of course, Interim Superintendent Charles McCully later confirmed that no such strategic plan existed and, to add insult to injury, immediately following the recall campaign, the Trustees showed their true colors by voting unanimously to pay for a study to maximize portables at every campus in the district. Even if Draper had been telling the truth about the "strategic" plan for the kids, it wouldn't have held a candle to the "comprehensive" six-year plan the trustees and staff dishonestly and secretly carried out for the new administration building. Fleming is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
Fleming publishes CUSD's dishonest admin building spin, lies about savings, CSR and funding source
Jun 29, 2006 Filed in: Fleming,
James
The district kept the leases anyway, putting Fresh Start children into the old administration building they said was too dangerous for administrators due to possible train derailments; the $550,000 they expected to "recapture" was offset by more than $1 million in annual interest payments for the financing of the new administration building; and Associate Superintendent Dave Doomey later admitted that the "restricted" construction funds story was a lie. Fleming is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
If possible, admin building should be sold and money spent on facilities and supplies for the children
Aug 31, 2006 Filed in: Plepler,
Pat
Guest columnist Plepler is a Dana Point resident.
Many thought the proposed great expense of the new admin building was a joke
Aug 31, 2006 Filed in: Plepler,
Pat
Guest columnist Plepler is a Dana Point resident.
Smollar enlightens Erin Kutnick that no amount of PR could overcome facts of CUSD wrongdoings
Aug 10, 2006 Filed in: Smollar,
David
David Smollar, The Capistrano
Dispatch "Unfortunately,
no communicator on Earth could stem community
anger that built from genuine controversies over
attendance boundaries, school overcrowding in
Rancho Santa Margarita, machinations concerning
San Juan Hills High and Dennis Gage, and the scope
of an expensive new education center. As to the
new center, maybe Kutnick could offer me
suggestions on how to be a better communicator,
when for more than three years Fleming never told
me that the cost would be covered almost half
through Mello-Roos fees, not solely from
redevelopment funds from San Juan Capistrano. You
may learn someday, Erin Kutnick, that your
communication is only as good as the truth of the
information given you by the people you have to
trust for the truth. I learned about the center’s
complicated financing only after real journalists
filed public records requests for funding
details."
Kutnick is a columnist for The Capistrano Dispatch. Smollar is the former Director of Communications at Capistrano Unified School District.
Kutnick is a columnist for The Capistrano Dispatch. Smollar is the former Director of Communications at Capistrano Unified School District.
Critics right, district admits lies about admin building funding but says "move on" with no accountability
Dec 03, 2006 Filed in: OC Register
Enormous salary increases paid to two of CUSD's worst offenders
Jan 02, 2007 Filed in: Winsten,
Mike
Mike Winsten, Trabuco Canyon
News “CUSD provided three
enormous salary increases to two of CUSD’s most
controversial deputy Superintendents -- Dan
Crawford and David Doomey. ... Doomey (who many
believe is the person most responsible for
creating the CUSD portable classroom crisis)
admitted CUSD had provided “misinformation” to the
public as to how CUSD would fund the new
$52,000,000 administration office ... During the
recall, Crawford was roundly criticized for
publishing a letter in the O.C. Register that
grossly understated the total number of portable
classrooms actually utilized by CUSD.”
Trustees tried to conceal settlement involving millions in illegal, closed session
Jan 02, 2007 Filed in: Winsten,
Mike
Mike Winsten, Trabuco Canyon
News “The minutes from the
illegal July 30, 2005 CUSD closed session meeting
which were published in the O.C. Register reveal
that Draper attempted to conceal the terms of a
multi-million dollar settlement with the
construction contractor for the infamous
$52,000,000 administration building. Despite the
fact that CUSD had a “Guaranteed Maximum Price”
contract with Valley Commercial Contractors to
construct the building, CUSD agreed to pay an
additional $3.8 million in settlement costs
without any public explanation.”
Smollar testifies that Fleming lied about consultant Mike Eggers and the funding sources for the new administration building
Sep 15, 2006 Filed in: Smollar,
David
Deposition of
David J. Smollar, Lackey vs.
CUSD, p.
137 "Q There's a sentence,
and I'll read it to you, "I no longer believe
myself capable of communicating a true picture of
CUSD." Why did you write that? A Because of what
had occurred both with the lying on Eggers, the
lying about his voucher, and the fact that the
superintendent was still writing in his -- or
dictating in his documents that the funding was
redevelopment money, it could only be used for,
you know, limited purposes, I mean, we were still
trying to pedal that line."
Former CUSD Communications Director Smollar testifies that the district lied to cover up illegal express advocacy in its hiring of political consultant Mike Eggers at taxpayer expense, and to cover up the truth about the financing of the new administration building with its "redevelopment funds" lies.
Former CUSD Communications Director Smollar testifies that the district lied to cover up illegal express advocacy in its hiring of political consultant Mike Eggers at taxpayer expense, and to cover up the truth about the financing of the new administration building with its "redevelopment funds" lies.
Subcontractor says CUSD payment delays among worst in 30 years
Feb 08, 2007 Filed in: Patterson,
Russ
Russ Patterson, Laguna Niguel
News "...the
district’s delays ‘are among the worst’ in his 30
years of working with public
agencies.”
Patterson comments on the district's refusal to pay $1.6 million to various contractors in connection with the construction of the new administration building. Patterson is president of The Patterson Company, a subcontractor that did $310,000 in masonry work on the project, which has been completed and occupied by the district for several months.
Patterson comments on the district's refusal to pay $1.6 million to various contractors in connection with the construction of the new administration building. Patterson is president of The Patterson Company, a subcontractor that did $310,000 in masonry work on the project, which has been completed and occupied by the district for several months.
Doomey admits public was misled, but takes no responsibility as public is told to "move on"
Nov 30, 2006 Filed in: Doomey,
David
Associate Superintendent Doomey was finally forced to admit that the district had lied about the funding sources for the new administration building, but he continued to stonewall parents who wanted explanations for this deceitful conduct, avoiding all blame or accountability and, in essence, expecting offended constituents, who had been deceived about the spending of tens of millions of tax dolars, to simply "trust" him and the district ... again.