Full Disclosure Network :: CITIZEN OUTRAGE PROVOKES SCHOOL DISTRICT SHAKE-UP

Comments to date: 33. This is page 1 of 4.


Kathleen McInerney Stockton,CA	Posted: 10:34 pm [PST] on June 29 2009
Stockton Unified School District: Malfeasance, misappropriation of funds, intimidation, retaliation...hopefully, there will be an investigation!

Dania Hall Freeport, NY	Posted: 03:11 am [PST] on June 05 2008
I am a NYS teacher who was illegally fired in 2005 as I completed my probationary period. I received no due process of law regarding my termination, and the career that I had worked for 10 years was destroyed at the whim of the new superintendent who came on board the same year that I was to receive tenure. The board “approved” my termination at the meeting of May 2005, behind closed doors at a secret executive meeting, the same year that I completed my probationary period as the district’s sole orchestra director. I lost my position and my career was also destroyed. Since that time I have appealed to numerous state judicial agencies with legitimate legal cases, and have at this point exhausted my legal remedies. I am now pursuing a Fed lawsuit, however, since I have been left financially destitute, I also cannot afford a lawyer and have done all my legal work so far pro se. Therefore, this Federal Lawsuit is probably also an exercise in futility. Obviously, my journey has exposed the blatant corruption of the NYS judicial system and absence due process of law in our present educational system. A state-wide scandal is now being unveiled regarding our school law firms who have been double and triple dipping in the NYS pension funds for decades. These law firms have defended the ongoing corruption of school officials, making it all possible. Obviously, there is much more to my story. Since 2005 I have discovered the thousands of teachers like me who have been subject to the same atrocities which confirms that education has become a corporate and corrupt enterprise. My website can be accessed at

Jon Fischbach Los Angeles	Posted: 07:13 am [PST] on March 11 2008
Yeah ! I am outraged too.

amy disston wildomar ca	Posted: 11:09 am [PST] on May 30 2007
cusd joe dixon and james flemming had our house raided simply because they were very angry at a guy named jerry peacock i hate them all they are liars and cheats and deserve triple what they are getting, i would like to know how to stop taxpayers from paying the defense hd68fl@dslextreme.com

CUSD Recall Committee CUSD	Posted: 04:53 pm [PST] on December 05 2006
CUSD BOARD PRESIDENT MARLENE DRAPER CALLED BEFORE O.C. GRAND JURY Scandal-Ridden Board President Forced to Testify for Three Days CUSD Recall Committee Calls For Draper’s Immediate Resignation San Juan Capistrano, CA. As part of the on-going criminal investigation of the Capistrano Unified School District, Board President Marlene Draper just spent three days testifying before the Orange County Grand Jury. A criminal defense attorney charging $395/hour is representing Draper…and, the taxpayers will be forced to pay the bill! Draper appears to be the second elected Trustee forced to testify. Trustee John Casabianca, who was voted out of office on Election Day, was forced to testify in October. Former Superintendent Fleming and the other elected CUSD Trustees have not yet been subpoenaed. The CUSD Recall Committee calls upon Trustee Draper to resign from the Board of Trustees immediately. It will be virtually impossible for CUSD to attract high-caliber candidates to fill the open superintendent's position unless she removes herself and the numerous controversies surrounding her from the school district. Draper has been the CUSD Board President for the past two years. Draper and the CUSD Trustees have stirred numerous controversies: * Taxpayer Funded Criminal Defense Attorneys. The Trustees unanimously approved the engagement of a $400/hour criminal defense attorney to represent former Superintendent James Fleming and a $395/hour criminal defense attorney to represent themselves in connection with the on-going criminal investigation. These costs will come directly out of the district’s General Fund. * Nepotism with CUSD’s Environmental Consultant. As reported in the Los Angeles Times on August 5, 2006, Draper’s daughter, Shawna Schaffner, works for CUSD’s primary environmental consulting firm, Culbertson, Adams & Associates. Schaffner was personally responsible for producing numerous environmental reports and documents that were submitted and approved by Draper and the rest of the Board of Trustees. Most recently, in December 2005 the Board approved a new contract with the firm that will cost taxpayers an additonal $172,000. * Massive Budget Deficit. CUSD has amassed an $18 million budget deficit. * Provided Massive Increases to Scandal-Ridden Administrators. CUSD provided three enormous salary increases to two of CUSD’s most controversial deputy Superintendents -- Dan Crawford and David Doomey. Last week, the Orange County Register reported that Doomey (who is the person most responsible for creating the CUSD portable classroom crisis) admitted CUSD had provided “misinformation” to the public as to how CUSD would fund the new $52,000,000 administration office. In Crawford’s case, his cumulative salary increase amounted to more than $25,000 during a nine-month period. During the recall, Crawford was roundly criticized for publishing a letter in the O.C. Register that grossly understated the total number of portable classrooms actually utilized by CUSD. * Failure to Budget Basic Teacher Increases. CUSD failed to budget anything for teacher salary increases, not even basic cost of living adjustments. * Effort to Suppress Important Information from the Public. The minutes from the illegal July 30, 2005 CUSD closed session meeting which were published in the O.C. Register reveal that Draper attempted to conceal the terms of a multi-million dollar settlement with the construction contractor for the infamous $52,000,000 administration building. Despite the fact that CUSD had a “Guaranteed Maximum Price” contract with Valley Commercial Contractors to construct the building, CUSD agreed to pay an additional $3.8 million in settlement costs without any public explanation. * Harassment of Recall Volunteers. Draper and her husband, Dennis Draper, were the center of police attention in the summer of 2005 when Sheriff’s deputies detained Mr. Draper for harassing recall signature gatherers as Mrs. Draper looked on from her parked car. The CUSD Recall Committee is the organization that led South Orange County residents in the unprecedented campaign to recall all seven elected Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District. More than 177,000 signatures were obtained from South Orange County residents calling for the removal of all seven CUSD Trustees. The campaign focused on the serious financial mismanagement and corruption at CUSD. To learn more about these important issues, please visit our website at www.cusdrecall.com or contact: Thomas K. Russell Spokesperson CUSD Recall Committee Telephone: (949) 459-1220 Facsimile: (949) 459-1217 Email: cusdrecall@yahoo.com

Thank you Recall Committee and ABC Location unknown	Posted: 04:03 am [PST] on November 08 2006
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 Sweep for recall slate in Capistrano Unified Victory a ‘mandate for change,’ one candidate says of the reform group’s coup. By SAM MILLER The Orange County Register Critics of Capistrano Unified leadership won three seats on the board of trustees Tuesday, some 18 controversial months after an attempted recall launched the organized opposition. The so-called ABC slate of Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry Christensen defeated incumbents John Casabianca and Shelia Henness and five other candidates. The trio of challengers, who begin four-year terms when they take office Dec. 11, vowed to change the way CUSD is run, seeking to end a long run of mostly 7-0 votes in the high-achieving, 50,000-student school district in south Orange County. “This is a mandate for change,” Addonizio said. The candidates said they hope to see the inner workings of the district’s planning and finances and restore trust between CUSD and the community. “We don’t know what the status of the district is now,” Addonizio said. “We just want to bring that all to light. The 10-year plans, the five-year plans, the demographic studies, where schools may be needed. … I look forward to bringing it all to light.” Addonizio won in Area 6, which includes parts of Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel, and which has been represented by Henness. Bryson won in Area 4, the Dana Point area represented by retiring Trustee Crystal Kochendorfer. Larry Christensen was elected in Area 7, the seat representing parts of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and unincorporated areas that has been held by Casabianca. The three candidates had run with the financial backing, endorsement and volunteer support of the group known as CUSD Recall. That group - one of two that comprise members of the failed recall attempt in 2005 - spent some $20,000 to support the candidates. CONTACT US: sammiller@ocregister.com or 949-454-7394

ABC Reform Slate Candidates CUSD	Posted: 09:57 am [PST] on November 07 2006
A Special Message From the ABC Reform Slate Candidates To Our Friends and Supporters: What an exciting time! The November 7th Election Day is close upon us, and with it, the tide is about to change at the Capistrano Unified School District. Over the past several months, the three of us on “the ABC Reform Slate” -- Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry Christensen – have been privileged to meet with thousands of CUSD students, teachers, parents and taxpayers. We have visited your schools. You have invited us into your homes. You have shared with us your concerns about the past and your hopes for the future of our school district. We are grateful for the tremendous support you have provided during this long campaign. Like most of you, we came to realize that, under the thumb of Superintendent Fleming, the incumbent trustees had badly failed us. They had squandered millions of our tax dollars due to poor financial and facilities planning and misplaced priorities. This caused the school facilities in CUSD to decay to shameful levels that have negatively affected the quality of our children’s education. We have observed and been offended by the incumbent trustees’ flagrant disregard of the children, parents, teachers and taxpayers they were elected to serve. The trustees have refused to govern in an open, transparent and independent manner. Sadly, they have created a “culture of corruption” within the ranks of the CUSD leadership. This corruption has been well-documented over the past several months in numerous front-page stories and television news reports – not to mention forming the basis for the pending Orange County District Attorney’s criminal investigation of the incumbents. All three of us agreed - enough is enough! We need reform in CUSD, and we need it now. We are proud to run together on the ABC Reform Slate because we share a common mission – to represent you to the best of our abilities as we seek to restore honesty, integrity and accountability to our public school system. We are absolutely committed to making reform a reality. Our diverse professional backgrounds – as an accountant, technology firm owner and civil engineering firm owner - will be invaluable tools and will help us tackle the tough issues that lay ahead. We are grateful to have earned so many endorsements from prominent elected officials and well-respected organizations -- from all ends of the political spectrum. Restoring honesty, integrity and accountability in our school district is not a Republican or Democrat agenda – it is a non-partisan agenda that all Americans can and should embrace. We are strong advocates and supporters of our teachers in CUSD. We appreciate the academic awards and excellence they have achieved. We believe these fine academic achievements are the direct result of the teachers’ efforts and the efforts of our students and parents – achievements obtained in spite of (not because of) the incumbents. Together, with creativity and goodwill, we will build and strengthen partnerships that will lead to continued student achievement in CUSD. We all have a stake in reforming CUSD -- we need to work together to ensure the success of current and future generations of students. We look forward to working with, and listening to, our teachers, staff, parents, community members and civic leaders – all of whom can provide valuable insights. We look forward to a time when everyone who cares about public education in CUSD can participate in the process without fear of insults, humiliation or enemies lists. We promise to serve you with honesty, respect and transparency. We pledge that we will each work to the best of our ability to ensure that every child attending school in CUSD receives the very best education possible in a safe and sanitary classroom. Tuesday, we will take a huge step forward in our effort to reform CUSD. The problems and challenges facing our school district have taken years to develop, and they will not simply disappear on Election Day. However, by working together, we will: • Restore honesty, integrity and accountability to our school district; • Dramatically reduce the number of old portable classrooms; • Reduce class sizes and school overcrowding; • Recruit and support world class teachers; • Provide teachers and students first rate classroom supplies; • Conduct a complete audit of CUSD finances; • Protect your tax dollars from further government waste; and • Regain the trust of those served and employed by CUSD. Working together, we can accomplish great things in CUSD. Let’s start this Tuesday on Election Day! Sincerely, Ellen Addonizio (District Area 6) Anna Bryson (District Area 4) Larry Christensen (District Area 7)

Darryl Reno,Nv.	Posted: 06:55 am [PST] on October 31 2006
Washoe Co. school board does the same thing,sounds like.

SM CUSD	Posted: 10:09 pm [PST] on October 30 2006
Where is a public list of information regarding the targeted parents and students. I have applied for a certified Special Education teaching positions, but have never been interviewed for a position.

Peter Campellone Rancho Santa Margarita	Posted: 06:54 pm [PST] on October 29 2006
It's time to replace the old regime at CUSD. It's disappointing to see a group of Trustee's misappriating funds they promise to protect in the name of the Trustor, we the tax payors. The "hit list" and spending money on lavish buildings rather than on my children for true education. Their behavior is appalling. I have young children in this system and plan to get much more involved now that this behavior has been revealed.