Portables
Quotes By Catagory

Newhart is example why city has concern over proposed district-wide EIR

Feb 16, 2007
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Trish Kelly, Saddleback Valley News “I believe our city should be concerned about giving the school district the ability to approve a district-wide EIR and one of our prime examples is Newhart Middle School.” The Mission Viejo City Council unanimously gave authorization to Councilwoman Trish Kelley, who made the request, to send a letter to Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees urging them to rescind the approval of a blanket Environmental Impact Report that would cover every school in the district. Kelley said the EIR would allow the school district to maximize the use of portable classrooms at all school sites.

Poor conditions at Newhart and related impacts in city agenda report

Feb 16, 2007
Amanda Glowish, Saddleback Valley News “The majority of classrooms on the Newhart campus are portables and the increase in student population has had a detrimental impact on the surrounding neighborhoods where many students are dropped off and picked up, according to [Trish] Kelley’s agenda report.” Glowish is a reporter for The Orange County Register.

CUSD admits it has covered the children’s playgrounds with portables

Oct 01, 1999
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CUSD, Key Message Points “We have put portables on so many playgrounds that elementary children lack places to play.” Several years later during the CUSD Recall Campaign, CUSD defended their overuse of portables by denying the actual numbers and percentages of portables at CUSD schools and lying to the public about minimum percentages of portables "required" by the state. The Key Message Points flyer was prepared by CUSD to advocate support for Measure A, a $65 million school bond later approved by voters in 2000.

CUSD portrays portables as a problem when it suits their purpose - when they need money from taxpayers

Oct 01, 1999
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CUSD, Key Message Points CUSD, Key Message Points “Many of our students currently attend school in portable classrooms. We have been forced to convert libraries, storage rooms, hallways and auditoriums into classrooms. Our local schools are severely overcrowded.” Several years later during the CUSD Recall Campaign, with terrible overcrowding and portables still serious issues for students, Marlene Draper and others at CUSD rebuffed reform advocates by denying that portables were a problem and claiming that it didn't matter if the children were taught in portables as long as their test scores were good. The Key Message Points flyer was prepared by CUSD to advocate support for Measure A, a $65 million school bond later approved by voters in 2000.

All portables, no buildings

May 18, 1998
Keith Sharon, The Orange County Register "This week, the Capistrano Unified School District agreed to put an entire school of trailers [portables] in Coto de Caza to relieve some of the overcrowding at Wagon Wheel Elementary."

Sharon is a reporter for The Orange County Register

CUSD spent larger portion of state-mandated developer fees on portables than most districts

May 18, 1998
Jill Harmon, School Wise Press: Learning Bricks "This shouldn't happen. I don't know that my children are ever going to see the inside of a real school classroom."

Harmon is a PTA member in Capistrano Unified School District, where her two daughters attend classes held in portable classrooms. The district has spent a large portion of its state-mandated developer fees, usually used for school construction, for 673 portable classrooms.

Superintendent Fleming on portables

May 18, 1998
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James Fleming, The Orange County Register "I like to call them army barracks."

Fleming is the Superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District.