Greater Orange News Service

ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
a news service of Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Independent insight into OUSD

Trustees Smith and Kimberly Nichols last meeting
as Neo Conservative Board wins

Orange Unified School Board Trustees Melissa Smith and Kim Nichols last night as OUSD Board members will be this Thursday November18, 2010. Nichols was defeated by private school teacher Tim Surridge in the November 3rd election and Smith’s home was moved out of Trustee Area 1 she was serving. Both Smith and Nichols were part of the original Citizen Board that was swept into power in the 2001 Orange Recall election. At the same time, Trustees Kathy Moffat, John Ortega and Rick Ledesma were also elected as part of the Citizens Board. However, that original five trustee alliance over the years has been shattered. The strains on the alliance over the years were numerous: from selections over superintendents and Board officers and Board procedures; to the issues over the Santiago Revocation actions and the law firm involved in that attempt; splits on how to deal with controversial Trustee Steve Rocco; and basic personality and political allegiances have often boiled to the surface over the years during OUSD Board meetings and fractured the one time allies. Shifting allegiances and long–ago departures of the other OUSD Trustees made this November’s election a struggle between two competing blocks, one lead by Rick Ledesma, and another lead by Nichols. Ledesma made the feud very public by publicly endorsing Surridge over Nichols. In losing, Nichols is the first of the one-time Citizen Board trustees to be defeated at the polls. Ironically, in this election, Ledesma defeated Steve Rocco who in a strange way helped bring about the downfall of the Nichols block that at one point had tried to recall Rocco After failing to recall Rocco, it was the Nichols Realignment that shifted not only Rocco, but Smith out of their respected Trustee Areas, thus preventing both of them from running for their old trustee seats. That realignment also paved the way for Mark Wayland and Alexia Deligianni to be elected in 2008 who allied with Ledesma. This year, Smith’s open Area 1 seat was won by Dianne Singer who is regarded as ally of Moffat. Current Board President John Ortega is considered to be an independent moderate swing vote, while Ledesma, Wayland, Deligianni, will be joined by Surridge as the new OUSD Neo Conservative Board majority.

Surplus Killefer site to be sold for at least $3.4 million
Action Item 12 A (page 3) on the November 18, 2010 Board Agenda is a resolution to sell OUSD’s Killerfer site as surplus property for not less than $ 3.4 million. The site is at Walnut and Lemon Streets in Orange. In addition, Agenda Item 12 B (page 11) forms a new 7/11 Committee to evaluate the former Silverado and Riverdale sites for recommendations on potential disposal of the sites.

INSIDE the October 14, 2010 OUSD Board Meeting
Information Item 13 A- Annual Audit Report
Information Item 13 B – Review of Naming of Facilities Bylaws- relating to a proposed renaming of Esplanade to Lorenzo Ramirez Elementary School
Information Item 13 D- Legislative Coalition Chair Christina Bayles reports

INSIDE the OUSD Budget
Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2010:
$ 385,000
2010 Attorney Fee Tally:
5/27/10 Dannis, Woliver & Kelley $ 30,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert $ 55,000
5/27/10 Parker & Covert (to 6/11) $300,000
TOTAL $ 385,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2009: $1,041,000
2009 Attorney Fee Tally:
11/13/08 Parker & Covert (for 1/09 -6/09) $ 200,000
3/12/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (Sp. Ed) $ 50,000
3/12/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 98,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (09-10) $ 400,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (Special Ed) $ 200,000
6/18/09 Parker & Covert (property) $ 55,000
6/18/09 Atkinson, Andelson, Loya (property)$ 35,000
Total $1,038,000

2009 Consultant/ Speaker Fee Tally:
01/24/09 Leadership Associates Consultants $ 3,000
2009 TOTAL $1,041,000

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2008: $901,200.00

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2007: $704,090.00*

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2006: $849,717.00*
2006 Administrative Conference/Travel: Total $ 18,317 *

* JUNE 8th, 2006 Trustees VOTE to Give OUSD Superintendent the power to
APPROVE OUSD Travel Requests taking this item OUT of the PUBLIC AGENDA

Total for Watched Tax Dollars approved in 2005: $978,300.00

Former Superintendent Godley’s Retirement Bonus running total (beginning 8/2008): $30,460.00*

* The Godley Retirement Bonus presented here is an estimate of the amount in “bonus retirement” accrued since the Superintendent’s retirement on 6/30/08 using a 6% lifetime formula calculated here at $1210 a month since 8/08. The actual retirement plan the former OUSD Superintendent opted to take is not public information and the figures presented are only as an estimate of the taxpayer costs after the OUSD trustees voted against an amendment to exclude Godley from the retirement program. The on-going estimated figure is presented as a reminder to the community of the high cost in educational tax dollars the OUSD Board vote to allow the former Superintendent to participate in the 6% retirement incentive cost the OUSD education community in tax dollars. Godley retired from OUSD on June 30, 2008 after he worked for the school district for a little over five years.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: THURSDAY November 18, 2010 OUSD BOARD ROOM
For AGENDA-CLICK ON: LAST MEETING

CLOSED SESSION- 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm

For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015

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