Summary Δ
Developer Fees Increased
Approved an increase in residential new construction fees between 89.7% and 279% (see item #14)
Special Ed Defense Funds
$50,000 going to fight Special Education families instead of serving the students. (See item #11)
LFMS Portables to SCHS
Las Flores is getting new music buildings and the current portables are being moved to SCHS to replace the coaches’ buildings. (See item# 21)
Gym/Pool Building at SCHS
The gym/pool building is approved at SCHS. (See item #34)
Staff Fabricates Facts
Staff appears to make up facts as they go, when addressing the Board, to support items they want passed. (See item # 34)
Competitive Bidding
CUSD has new contractors after many years with the same businesses. (See notes)
Conflict of Interest Policy
Conflict of Interest policy made more restrictive. (see item #43)Hiring and Placement of Relatives made a little more restrictive. (See item #44)
Vehicle Use Policy
District Vehicle can no longer be used for personal use. (See item #45
Teamsters Raise
Teamsters raise totals $1.1 million over 2 years-Students need a bargaining unit. (See item #48)
Categorical Money Redirected
Categorical money transferred from intended programs to transportation and Special Education. (See Item #49)
Budget Increases Class Sizes and Cuts at Schools
Class size increased, custodians cut at the high schools, loss of one assistant principal at each high school and .5 assistant principal at each middle school, one classified position lost at every school. (See item #50)
Conflicting Statements by Board and Staff
Staff and board member made conflicting statements. (See opening statement and item #34)
Memorable Comments Δ
Anna Bryson, when supporting her vote to pass the budget that increases class size (thus reducing the number of teachers on each campus), cuts custodial staff at the high schools, reduces assistant principals and cuts classified positions at the district and sites, stated she hopes staff will fix it and put the teachers and custodians back at the schools once the State finalizes their budget. Apparently, Ms. Bryson hasn’t learned what the parents know. Once cuts are made, the services NEVER come back to the schools or students.
Board Briefs Δ
Mike Darnold was absent from the meeting
Sheila Benecke opened the meeting by announcing that a new student board representative had been selected out of eleven excellent candidates. The student is from San Clemente High School. This announcement conflicts Marlene Draper's announcement at the CUCPTSA meeting on June 11th that they were having a difficult time finding students willing to apply.
#14 Developer Fees Δ
Public hearing - Currently developer fees for residential properties is $2.63 per square foot. The board approved increasing the fees on new construction to $4.99, provided the state is matching school construction funds at 50%. If the State Allocation Board stops providing matching fund for school construction, the fee will increase to $9.97 per square foot.
Example:
Currently a 2500 square foot house has school fees of 2500 x $2.63=$6,575
Under alternative 2 the fee will be 2500 x $4.99=$12,475 (89.7% increase)
Under alternative 3 the fee will be 2500 x $9.97=$24,925 (279% increase)
Draper and Benecke were concerned that the district must have the revenue to build new schools.
Christensen and Addonizio felt this could impact the ability of people to afford houses, especially young people and could have a negative impact on the economy of the entire area, especially given the slow down in the housing market.
Passed 4/2
#42 Lot Line Adjustment Δ
Public Hearing
Passed 6/0
Again, multiple consent calendar items were pulled for discussion.
#1 Minutes Corrected Δ
#4 Special Ed Δ
Pulled by audience member Ron Lackey Special Education.
Passed 6/0
#11 Legal Fees Δ
Pulled by audience member Ron Lackey. He questioned the payment of $50,000 to The Law Office of Caroline A Zuk. She is hired to represent the District in opposing Special Education families. He felt the money would be better spent serving the children. CUSD is 5th in the state in number of claims fighting Special Education families.
#15 Contractor Licensing Δ
#16 Term of Contractor Agmts Δ
#18 Staff Creates Crises Δ
#21 LFMS Portables to SCHS Δ
#22 Asphalt Contractor Δ
#9 Salary Matrix Clarification Δ
#29 SJHHS AV Equipment Δ
#30 SJHHS Musical Instruments Δ
#31 SJHHS Weight Equip Δ
#29, 30 and 31 SJHHS Spending Δ
Eventually it was explained that the items listed in the agenda are bid prices that can be used to purchase equipment for any school. (This item was discussed for a long time and as an observer one could see the stories being concocted and changed as the discussion progressed. In the end it was difficult to know the truth).
#34 SCHS Wrestling Room Δ
Pulled by an audience member to thank the board for the wrestling room. (This is the same project that was approved only to obtain bids to see what the cost would be and suddenly it is being approved under the consent calendar).
#37 Tesoro Shade Structures Δ
Pulled by the audience to request Tesoro considered for shade structures, as the students have nowhere to sit out of the sun. The speaker presented photos of various schools with adequate shade, including Aliso Viejo HS, which was build with the same plan.
#38 Δ
Passed 4/2 - Christensen and Addonizio voted no
#39 Classified Layoffs Δ
Two speakers. Each stated that CUSD is laying off the Classified Employee of the Year. Employees are currently working at their maximum and once the reductions are in place, parents should be notified that the service to students will be diminished. Draper stated it is unfortunate.
Passed 4/2 - Christensen and Addonizio voted no
#40 Δ
Passed 4/2 - Christensen and Addonizio voted no
#38, 39 and 40 Resignations, Terminations, Employment Δ
Resignations/terminations/employment were pulled by Addonizio to discuss after the budget discussion, as they pertain to the budget. All votes were held until after the budget passed 4/2.
#43 Conflicts Policy Δ
2nd reading of board policy 9270, Conflict of Interest. There was a great deal of discussion on this item. Addonizio and Christensen pushed for a restrictive policy and Draper and Benecke did not like the restrictions. The board finally adopted a policy that restricts CUSD contracting with companies that employ family members of CUSD employees. Contracting companies must disclose to CUSD if their employees are related to anyone employed by CUSD. Board members must disclose if they have a remote financial interest or any family member has a management position in a company seeking business with CUSD and then the board must vote to determine if they should enter into the contract. All in all a very confusing discussion and we’ll have to see the final policy when it is posted to the website.
Passed 6/0
#44 Hiring Relatives Δ
Hiring and Placement of Relatives adopted with minor changes. Passed 6/0
#45 Vehicle Use Δ
New policy outlining the use of District Vehicles. District vehicles may not be used to commute between home and work. All district vehicles are to remain on CUSD property when not being used for district business.
Passed 6/0
#46 Purchasing policy Δ
Purchasing policy ties up a few loose ends and outlines who can authorize purchases and states all approved purchase orders are to be recorded in the minutes.
#47 Competitive Bidding Δ
Policy change to Bids. This is another policy that we will have to wait and see how the final product reads, once it is posted to the website.
#48 Teamsters Raises Δ
Passed 4/2
#49 Block Grants Δ
Approval of Block Grant Flexibility Transfer - Transfer of categorical money allocated to SLIP (15%), Professional Development (15%), Targeted Instructions Improvement (15%), GATE (10%), Peer Assistance (10%) to Transportation and Special Education.
Passed 6/0
#50 Final Budget Δ
Hearing - The budget was presented with no changes since the tentative final budget was approved 6/1 on 6/4/07.
Four speakers:
One who stated that this is the 4th class size increase she has addressed the board about and that each time CUSD is faced with financial difficulties they balance the budget on the back of the students. She listened to several of the trustees talk about treating everyone the same, when they were discussing the employee raises but they are not treating the students the same as the employees. Once the cuts are made they never go back, in the good years, and lower the class size or add back in staff.
Another speaker asked the board to reconsider the budget as the cuts will be devastating to the schools and students. Class sizes have been increased 4 times since 1998, custodial staff has been cut to the level that they can’t keep up with the needs, assistant principals help keep students safe on campus and campus supervisors are must of schools filled with 2,700 to 3,200 teenagers.
Still another speaker reminded the trustees that two of them had been involved in a prior Grand Jury investigation, Marlene Draper as a board member and Sheila Benecke as the chairman of the PAC for Measure A. It was the actions CUSD took while promoting that campaign that got CUSD investigated the first time.
The trustees were reminded by all speakers that they are here to serve the students and the cuts in the budget diminish the education and create increased safety risks.
Stiff spoke for the first time in several meeting to say that the final budget is not the final budget. It will come back to the board again once the State passes a budget. He thinks it is terrible that we are down to one locksmith as that is a security issue.
Sherine Smith confirmed for Ms. Bryson that the number of students per class is limited only by the space available. Ms. Bryson asked if it was possible to have classes with 42 or more students and Smith stated yes.
A district report presented to the board, when discussing cuts in April 2006, listed six pages of possible cuts. They were listed as Do-Able, Manageable, Painful and Draconian. It has been stated over and over that the financial problems in CUSD are due to the board not making the necessary cuts in the past. While it may be true that they did not make all the cuts needed, they did make many cuts that have directly and negativity impacted the students. Below are some, but by no means all of the prior and current cuts.
2006 Cuts:
Reduce grounds staff 5%, painful cut- -School grounds would not be maintained at acceptable standards, greatly impacting the “curb appeal “ of our schools.
Reduce custodial staff 5%, painful cut- -Schools would not be maintained and cleaned as frequently, potentially causing health and safety issues.
Delay opening of SJHHS until 2007/08-draconian cut- Deferring opening would result in the enrollments at all of our high schools to be well over 3000 students each. It would be difficult to accommodate these enrollments at our schools because of the lack of space for portable buildings.
Eliminate high school locker room attendants-painful cut-The elimination of locker room attendants would create safety and health issues. In addition to supervising and maintaining the locker room, the attendants check equipment to ensure it is safe to use, support the athletic programs and assist coaches with equipment check-out and maintenance. The elimination of locker room attendants would place a further burden on coaches and custodians.
Reduction of overtime-manageable cut- the majority of District’s overtime costs are for custodial, Maintenance and Operations and Transportation personnel. A reduction in overtime would result in diminished service to school sites. Particularly during exigent circumstances.
2007 Cuts:
Reduce grounds staff additional 5%, draconian cut - School grounds would not be maintained at acceptable standards, greatly impacting the “curb appeal “ of our schools causing safety issues.
Reduce custodial staff 5%, draconian cut - Basic activities such as emptying wastebaskets, sweeping classrooms and cleaning bathrooms would not be done on a daily basis. Schools would not be maintained and cleaned at current standards, potentially causing health and safety issues.
Increase class size, draconian cut - Class sizes are already too large. Teachers would have to devote more time and attention to classroom management and would be unable to give timely feedback on assignments because they have so many to grade. In some cases, class sizes would be so large that it would be difficult to squeeze all of the students into the classroom.
Reduction of classified personnel at each site ($55,000)Close/Consolidate Small School, painful cut - Students would be relocated to a school in an adjacent area causing a potential disruption to their lives. Transportation costs would increase. Principals would have to be reassigned.
Eliminate some bus service, draconian cut - Would impose a major hardship on students using bus service, especially many of the most economically deprived students. Would also aggravate already difficult traffic situations, creating gridlock conditions at many schools at both opening and closing times for schools.
#51 Capital Facilities Δ
Capital Facilities - Source and Use. Held over to the next meeting
Public Comment Δ
One speaker pointed out that the district is cutting critical positions at the schools and keeping 13 district office positions which pay in excess of $110,000.
Several speakers from Laguna Niguel thanked the board for the excellent programs offered such as Destination Imagination, LA Marathon. A student from ANHS spoke and listed all his accomplishments and thanked the board for his excellent educational experience.
One woman pledged to help in the schools, but pointed out the she is a parent that is not part of any group and the small number of divisive community members Sheila and some of the other board members speak of is not small at all. She is willing to commit her time when the leaders are trustworthy.
Barb Shangraw made a presentation to the board that CUSD parents contributed over 600,000 volunteer hours to the schools. The hours are valued at over $4 million, based on minimum wage.
The last two speakers were moved to the end of the meeting.
Both speakers addressed the issue of the Ladera Ranch teacher dismissed by the principal. One speaker discussed concerns about Lois Anderson breaching a confidential conversation. The parent was assured confidentially of their talk; the parent went on to state the principal was told of their conversation and told the parent she knew about it . This is the same principal that nine speaks told the board on 6/4/07 was retaliatory. One of the speakers stated that the small divisive group Sheila Benecke and others speak about is sitting at that table and she pointed to the table where staff members were sitting.
Notes Δ
At the June 4, 2007 board meeting Board President, Sheila Benecke, announced that the board appointed Anna Bryson, Ellen Addonizio and Sheila Benecke, with Marlene Draper, as an alternate, to begin a new search for an interim Superintendent. Due to missing the first interview, Anna Bryson was replaced on the committee by Marlene Draper. Thus, Sheila and Marlene again hold the majority in another critical decision, that is, the selection of candidates to be brought before the full board for employment consideration.
District Wide Facilities Master Plan
(#40 from the 6/4/07 board briefs) - This is a long range, comprehensive plan. Hall recommends collaboration with parents, staff, and community. The needs assessment will be brought to the board in August and the entire process will take approximately 6-8 months. The demographic study is being worked on now and staff wants to run it by the superintendent prior to the board (so we will first need to work on hiring a superintendent). Currently the district has to:
Architectural Firms
Hire 3 architectural firms to work on site needs assessments (the three firms have divided up the schools). These meeting have already occurred.
Demographic Study
Complete a demographic study and look at when students move to and from private schools, interdistrict transfers, intradistrict transfers, charter schools, and growth. Must also consider the Ranch development.
Source and Use of Funds
Obtain source and use for all finds. CUSD has 13 mello roos districts, in addition to redevelopment funds. The source of all district funds needs to be incorporated into one document. (Too bad they already spent most of the money from these funds on the new district office, Arroyo Vista and San Juan Hills High School
Needs priority could be:
Health and safety, code, restrooms, roof improvement
New construction for growth
Facility infrastructure such as a theatre
Enhancement not included in 1-3
Competitive Bidding
After years with the same contractors has CUSD discovered the practice of true competitive bidding? New contactors have been awarded business. Odd, and one must wonder, “What changed?” Perhaps Mr. Doomey and Mr. Crawford’s departure from the district?
Environmental Firm
Environmental Firm awarded to The Planning Center and UltraSystems after approximately 26 years with Culbertson, Adams and Associates.
Painting Contractor
Painting contract was awarded to Prime Paint Contractors, Inc. after 7 years with Patterson Painting.
Plumbing Contractor
Plumbing contract was awarded to Pacific Plumbing Company after 21 years with Montano Plumbing.