Miller, Sam
DA charges Fleming with three felonies that carry penalties of up to four years in prison
May 26, 2007
Miller is the South County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
DA charges McGill with two felonies that carry penalties of neary five years in prison
May 26, 2007
Miller is the South County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
District confirms years of deficit spending, confirms reform advocates claims of Fleming Trustees' fiscal irresponsibility
May 09, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "The district has
spent more than it has taken in for five of the
past six years, resulting in a $4.1 million
deficit in this school year and a $6 million
shortfall in 2005-06. Its reserves are a little
higher than the legally mandated 2 percent."
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.
Smith's plans for cuts and increased revenues
May 09, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Eliminating some bus
routes with few riders and consolidating some bus
stops, for a savings of about $1 million; Raising
facilities use fees and selling obsolete school
buses, part of a plan to raise about $400,000;
Cutting staff positions to save about $4.2
million, including $2.1 million in teacher
salaries."
Officials don't know whether the cuts will come from laying off people or not filling positions of employees who leave. Teachers under contract can't be laid off, as pink slips would have had to have gone out before March 15. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Officials don't know whether the cuts will come from laying off people or not filling positions of employees who leave. Teachers under contract can't be laid off, as pink slips would have had to have gone out before March 15. Miller is the South Orange County education reporter for The Orange County Register.
Smith's plans for the new administration building
May 09, 2007
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.
Trustees' attempt to sell surplus land to cover budget deficits comes up short
May 09, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Trustees also agreed
to try again to sell land in Laguna Niguel, a
month after bids for the 2.4 acres on Paseo de
Colinas came in smaller than expected. The largest
bid was $4.8 million, below the $6 million minimum
required. The school district reappraised the land
and has set the minimum bid at $4.8 million."
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.
Smith plans to lease entire wing of Taj Mahal & consolidate operations, calls $52 million admin building a "good investment"
May 08, 2007
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.
McCully confirmed not all district schools meet CUSD standards, contrary to claims of Fleming and Trustees during recall
May 06, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "The images that
recall volunteers most depended on were photos of
old portables that they said showed failures in
facilities planning. City officials in Mission
Viejo and PTA parents at Newhart Middle have
continued to call for more facilities work, and
Charles McCully, who recently served as interim
superintendent, said not all schools meet CUSD
standards."
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.
Trustees hired Smith for several reasons, but based on OC Register report, reform mandate issues were ignored
May 06, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “Smith, who had been
chief in Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, was hired
in March to help the district put the tumultuous
summer in the past, to rehabilitate its
relationship with the community and to keep the
schools’ focus on learning.”
Miller is the south-county education reporter for the Orange County Register.
Miller is the south-county education reporter for the Orange County Register.
Teacher raises will strain district with $4 million more in cuts beyond $9 million shortfall already identified
May 03, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “Union officials
figure the raises mean 8.19 percent more total pay
over two years. The raises could mean more cuts
for CUSD, which had already faced a $9 million
shortfall after years of deficit spending. A
package of proposed cuts will be announced next
week by new Superintendent Dennis Smith.”
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.
Surplus property sale delayed due to low bids, could strain budget
Apr 10, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "The
real estate sale Capistrano Unified needs in order to
balance its 2007-08 budget will be delayed at least a
couple months, after bids for the district's surplus
property came in lower than expected. The district is
counting on the sale – which has been planned since
2004 – in both its budget planning and its teacher
negotiations."
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.
Land sale delay could affect teacher salaries and retirement fund
Apr 10, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Part
of the district's offer to teachers includes a 0.75
percent pay raise once the land sale goes through;
waiting on the sale would mean a delay for when
teachers would see that raise, if agreed to. And
CUSD's 2007-08 budget projections, to which trustees
are still looking to make cuts, depends on the land
sale to erase a $2 million-per-year annual debt the
district owes to a public retirement fund."
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.
Even with cuts, not enough to pay teacher salary increases
Mar 29, 2007
Sam Miller, Laguna Niguel
News “Even
with the expected cuts, CUSD would have little
left over to pay salary increases – about $3.7
million, or about 1.5 percent more for all
employees. Raises typically are nearer to the
state-allocated Cost of Living Adjustment, which
CUSD expects to be more than 4
percent.”
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.
New superintendent gets lucrative compensation package
Mar 13, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “Smith,
superintendent since 2000 of the 27,000-student
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, will be paid
$255,000 annually plus benefits – including $900 a
month for a car and a $33,000 tax-sheltered
annuity each year – to lead the 50,000-student
CUSD.”
Miller is the education reporter for the Orange County Register.
Miller is the education reporter for the Orange County Register.
Waldrip finds lists and employment arrangements inappropriate
Mar 07, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “A
January report by retired judge Stuart Waldrip ...
said a variety of actions by staff members were
inappropriate or gave the appearance of
impropriety. Those included two lists of recall
leaders Fleming kept and district staff members'
relatives' employment for a contractor doing
business with Capistrano
Unified.”
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.
District has spent $5,000 on Fleming's defense, but now there's evidence of Fleming's wrondoings
Mar 05, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register “The
district has spent about $5,000 on Fleming's
defense. Since the initial decision, three new
trustees – who ran on a reform platform – were
elected, and a district-commissioned investigation
found evidence of "imprudent" actions taken by
Fleming.”
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.
Waldrip hired at $400 per hour to investigate specific issues
Jan 05, 2007
Sam Miller, The Orange County
Register "Former Orange County
Judge Stuart Waldrip was hired last summer at $400
per hour to look into claims that the district had
kept a list of political opponents, violated the
Brown Act with closed-session meetings, and sent
district staff to the Registrar of Voters to
examine confidential recall petitions."
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.
Trustees avoided cuts and paid raises during recall by depleting reserves
Nov 24, 2006
Sam Miller, Saddleback Valley
News “It is a turnaround
from last year, when the district gave teachers a
raise, reinstated spending such as the popular
class-size reduction program and avoided cuts that
officials had warned were pending. The district
avoided those cuts last year by spending reserve
funds down to the legal minimum of 2 percent. No
such cushion exists this year. Those reserves are
gone, while services, programs and employees must
still be funded.”