Hypocrisy
CUSD spokesperson says CUSD is a 'full disclosure' agency, but district stonewalling tells a different story
Jul 23, 2007 Filed in: De Nicola,
Beverly | Dixon, Joe
Beverly DeNicola, email to The Full
Disclosure Network "When
we talked a few weeks ago you said that our
district was stonewalling. I pointed out that you
and I had never talked, and that I would be happy
to provide you with any any information any time,
just as I do with reporters and members of the
public. I have spoken to our Board President, and
Mrs. Benecke has asked me to provide you with
information on her behalf. Neither she nor I will
be available for an on-camera interview at this
time. I am looking forward to receiving the
questions that you said you would be sending to
me. I will respond completely and honestly to your
questions, except that, as I stated before, I am
unable to address questions that go to the recall,
which is a political process, or the legal process
involving our former employees. CUSD is a 'full
disclosure' agency. Give us a chance to prove that
to you."
DeNicola sent this to Full Disclosure in response to an email from Leslie Dutton, whose repeated attempts to interview the CUSD trustees and Superintendent Fleming for nearly two years had been rejected by the district. As CUSD's Director of Communications, DeNicola carries on the tradition of her predecessor, David Smollar, by spinning to cover the district's obvious stonewalling.
DeNicola sent this to Full Disclosure in response to an email from Leslie Dutton, whose repeated attempts to interview the CUSD trustees and Superintendent Fleming for nearly two years had been rejected by the district. As CUSD's Director of Communications, DeNicola carries on the tradition of her predecessor, David Smollar, by spinning to cover the district's obvious stonewalling.
District sycophant Kutnick tows party line for Benecke and Draper by ignoring facilities equity and hypocritically accusing others of politically exploiting children
Nov 07, 2007 Filed in: Kutnick,
Erin
Kutnick made these remarks after the November 5, 2007 CUSD board meeting where she spoke as an advocate of a new stadium for San Juan Hills High School. Kutnick is a long-time advocate of the old guard Fleming trustees and an outspoken opponent of reform at CUSD. Kutnick's statements were hypocritical since it was her anti-masterplan-pro-stadium-spending crowd who flagrantly used their own children as political pawns that night. By contrast, not one of her opponents objected to the stadium (they just wanted to fix broken schools first), and not one of them brought their children to the meeting as political pawns to put emotional pressure on the trustees.
When the meeting was over, Kutnick approached the dais to publicly deride Trustee Stiff (who had made the motion to table the item) and then, in a tantrum, she stepped outside the room where she loudly criticized her opponents, using profanity within earshot of SJHHS children who had attended the meeting that night. Nice touch, Erin! Kutnick has children who attend San Juan Hills High School and Capistrano Valley High School.
Fleming-era trustees can't be trusted in closed meetings, especially in judgment of children with zero tolerance policies they would never apply to themselves
Oct 22, 2007 Filed in: Russell,
Tom
Russell made these remarks during Public Comments. Russell is the spokesperson for the CUSD Recall COmmittee.
Smith does right by his old district, but ignored or covered up bad priorities and waste at CUSD
Jul 19, 2007 Filed in: Smith,
Dennis
So, after Smith prematurely announced his implausible plan to "grow into" the CUSD Taj Mahal last May, he now gets his priorities straight as he helps the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District spend virtually all of $195 million in bond funds on improvements for children. Too bad he couldn't have been correspondingly honest and candid about the unresponsive and out-of-touch Fleming trustees who wasted tens of millions of redevelopment funds and tax revenues on improvements that could have, but did not benefit the children. Smith is the former CUSD interim superintendent who resigned six days after the Orange County District Attorney announced indictments against former CUSD administrators James Fleming and Susan McGill. Smith quickly retreated to resume his duties as superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, a post he never technically quit while acting as interim superintendent at CUSD.
Fleming addresses his controversial image in connection with special education issues
Dec 03, 1999 Filed in: Fleming,
James
Fleming was asked about concerns over a special education controversy surrounding Fleming while he was being interviewed as a candidate for the position of superintendent of the Clark County School District in Las Vegas Nevada. Fleming is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.
Fleming too bureaucratic, bad for low-achieving students
Dec 02, 1999 Filed in: Cunningham,
Patricia
Patricia Cunningham, The Las Vegas
Sun "Fleming is exactly
what we don't need. He's too bureaucratic and he
puts on a good face. It's everything low-achieving
students don't need in education."
Cunningham made this remark after watching Fleming in action while being interviewed as a candidate for superintendent of the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cunningham is the chairwoman for the Alliance for Social Justice.
Cunningham made this remark after watching Fleming in action while being interviewed as a candidate for superintendent of the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cunningham is the chairwoman for the Alliance for Social Justice.
Fleming dodges real issues in pathetic attempt to take the moral high ground
May 26, 2007 Filed in: Fleming,
James
Fleming lists achievements during his tenure, such as building campuses and winning National Blue Ribbons for high-achieving schools, and says a district-commissioned [Judge Waldrip] investigation found no laws had been broken. That report criticized Fleming for actions that were “ill-advised and imprudent.” Hey, earth to Jimbo! Those decisions may have ticked people off, but those aren't the decisions you're being prosecuted for. Just think for a minute. Could it be the years of lies, deceit, retaliation, defamation and other abuses that have finally caught up with you? It was not your "responsibility" to cross every ethical and legal line possible. And as for the district-commissioned Waldrip report, it was only a matter of time before this made-to-order whitewash would be raised as a defense. Fortunately, the District Attorney looked into the same matters, and guess what? He saw at things a little differently.