San Juan Hills HS
Quotes By Catagory

Dangerous pipeline at SJHHS? District spokeswoman sets stage for more CUSD finger-pointing, cites report “approved” by CDE

Apr 18, 2008
Beverly De Nicola, The Capistrano Dispatch "We have a report that was approved by the California Department of Education. We want to see what it says, see if it's accurate and see if there's concerns. Then we can see how we can proceed."

Ignoring the fact that any “approval” by the CDE was based on information provided by CUSD (as lead agency) through its staff (like Dave Doomey) and its consultants (like Culbertson Adams), De Nicola sets the stage for the district to deny responsibility and point its finger at the state. De Nicola is spokeswoman for CUSD.

More CUSD happy tak - but the truth is, SJHHS access is so dangerous, pilot cars are needed to escort parents and students

Aug 30, 2007
Dixon 2
Joe Dixon, The Orange County Register “That exceeds the safety standards for the street, but it is going to be inconvenient.”

Do you think, Joe? A pilot car will guide staggered groups of vehicles through construction on La Pata, BUT district officials said they may allow drivers to move freely through the area if traffic becomes backed up. So, CUSD admits this drastic safety measure is needed to mitigate obvious danger and comply with the terms of the district's EIR, but the district could suspend this badly needed and embarrassing safety measure if traffic backs up too badly. After all these years, and $140 million (and counting) spent, this is the best our CUSD facilities planning wizzards can do? Dixon is executive director of Capistrano Unified’s maintenance and operations.

More CUSD excuses - new SJHHS principal offers more pap to gloss over planning failures and serious safety issues

Aug 30, 2007
Tony Ferruzo
Tony Ferruzzo, The Orange County Register “Whether you are building a new house or a new school, you have to be flexible. There are delays you can predict and those that you can’t predict, and the ones you can’t predict are the most difficult...It will be slow going in, but once they are on campus it will be very exciting.”

Sure, Tony. Just keep up the excuses and happy talk to cover-up another long-term facilities planning disaster from the folks at CUSD. And keep pointing fingers at the roadway as the culprit behind the delays. Be sure to ignore the fact that even now much of the campus looks more like a construction zone that a school. And good luck getting CUSD to take responsibility for the delays for which they clearly were responsible. Ferruzzo is the principal (and spokeshole) of CUSD's newest high school, the controversial, $140 million (and counting) San Juan Hills High School, that has experienced numerous cost overruns, delays and continues to raise serious safety, financing, contracting, facilities equity, environmental and other important issues, yet to be explained by the CUSD trustees or administration.

Superintendent Smith says trustees' plans to open $140 million San Juan Hills High School don't make financial sense

May 07, 2007
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Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch "San Juan Hills High School likely will open with freshmen only. CUSD Superintendent Dennis Smith told trustees Monday about 600 freshmen have enrolled, but only 155 sophomores. Smith said it didn't make financial sense to move forward with trustees' plans to open the school with 9th and 10th graders. A decision needs to be made in about a week."

Volzke is the publisher of the Capistrano Dispatch.

New British study points to power lines as cause of leukemia in children, confirms California study done several years ago

Apr 27, 2007
Dan Endsley
Dan Endsley, The Capistrano Dispatch “I recently passed the new high school on my way to the dump; I mean the regional sanitary landfill. It’s interesting to see how our $140 million is being spent. The next day I read an article in the London Daily Mirror. A new British study points toward high voltage transmission lines as a cause of leukemia in children. It also says adults have a higher risk of several cancers by living or working in close proximity to the same power lines. The article says the new study confirms a California study conducted several years ago. Hello? Aren’t those power lines crossing the front of San Juan Hills High running straight from San Onofre? You can’t get any more high voltage than that.”

Endsley is San Juan Capistrano resident and business owner and a columnist for The Capistrano Dispatch.

Dump site not lined in plastic on side nearest to San Juan Hills High School

Apr 27, 2007
Dan Endsley
Dan Endsley, The Capistrano Dispatch “In addition, while touring our world-class dump, I learned that the whole dump is lined with a heavy plastic liner that keeps the bad stuff (that’s my term, not the dump’s) inside the dump with no chance of leaching out into the surrounding area. That is, all the dump is lined with plastic except the area nearest ... you guessed it, San Juan Hills High. The part nearest the school has a clay lining. Clay is better than sand but certainly not as goof-proof as the thick plastic liner. I’m certainly glad my kids are beyond school age. Maybe they should change the name of the school mascot to ‘The Electric Slide’ or maybe ‘The Sludge Master.’ In the words of Dr. Phil ... ‘what were those folks thinking?’”

Endsley is San Juan Capistrano resident and business owner and a columnist for The Capistrano Dispatch.