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Thursday, December 12, 2013
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIAL REPORT
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent
insight into OUSD
a news service of
Orange
Net News
/O/N/N/
OUSD Male Trustees shut Women
Trustees out of meaningful Board leadership roles
The Orange Unified School Board voted along gender lines, 4
male trustees to three women trustees, to give the two most significant OUSD
Board of Education leadership roles to men trustees Thursday December 12, 2013.
Trustee John Ortega election as OUSD Board President was on
a 4-3 vote. Trustee Mark Wayland nominated Ortega and Trustee Rick Ledesma
seconded the nomination. Trustee Diane
Singer nominated Dr. Alexia Deligianni and Trustee Kathy Moffat seconded the
nomination.
The 4-3 vote saw the three women trustees voting for
Deligianni and the four male (Ledesma, Surridge, Wayland and Ortega) trustees
voting for Ortega.
The OUSD Board Clerk job also split along gender lines. Kathy Moffat nominated Diane Singer for the
clerk's position with Dr. Alexia Deligianni seconding the nomination. Trustee Mark Wayland was nominated by Trustee Rick Ledesma and
seconded by Trustee Timothy Surridge. The four males again voted together 4-3 giving
Wayland his third term as OUSD Clerk.
Moffat nominated Dr. Deligianni for a
second term as OUSD Vice President and Diane Singer second it. The male trustees did not nominate anyone for
the insignificant role of Vice President and Deligianni was elected 7-0.
Moffat and Singer lose vote over meetings
After Ortega assumed the role of OUSD President, the OUSD
Board took up Agenda Item 9B, the 2014 Board Meeting Calendar.
Moffat questioned the change in the Agenized proposed
calendar with an earlier version that included more meeting dates. OUSD Superintendent
Michael Christensen explained that some of the meeting dates included in the earlier
calendar had now been moved to "stand-by" date status.
Moffat argued for more meeting dates arguing that others on
the Board, including John Ortega had last year called for more meeting dates.
Moffat made a substitute motion to send the dates back to
staff to add regular meeting dates for consideration. Meanwhile, Singer argued if more dates were
not added then pushing the time back to allow the Board to get its work done
and the public time to attend and not have to wait until late at night on
meeting nights.
Ledesma, Wayland and Ortega all expressed doubts about
adding meeting dates. Wayland insisted that if the Board stayed
"focused" during meetings then they could get the work done in a
reasonable time. Other arguments ranged from stress on staff time to being able to schedule meetings as needed.
Ledesma stating that unlike Singer and Moffat, he had not
heard from anyone in the community that was concerned about the meeting times. Moffat reminded the OUSD Board that the
Peralta community representatives all
through last year had made repeated remarks about the timing and frequency of
meetings.
Timothy Surridge remarked that meeting scheduling should be
at the staff's discretion. Surridge also noted that the Orange City Council now
only meets once a month and credited " my conversations" with the Council that they only meet once a month.
In the end, on a voice call vote asked for by Moffat the
vote was 4-2. Deligianni, without
explaining her reasoning, joined Ortega, Ledesma, Surridge and Wayland in defeating Moffat's amendment.
Moffat and Singer voted for it.
The vote was again split 5-2 in approving the calendar for
the 2014 Board meetings.
ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found
at:
the Greater Orange News Service
http://greaterorange.blogspot.com/
ORANGE
Unified Schools INSIDE
and the
Greater Orange News Service
are independent news services of /O/N/N/
Orange
Net News
“Greater Orange
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Surridge's failed Year of Living Dangerously...
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent
insight into OUSD
a news service of
Orange
Net News
/O/N/N/
OUSD Board to elect
new officers after Surridge's failed Year of Living Dangerously
The
Orange Unified School Board is set to elect officers at their December 12, 2013
School Board meeting for the next 12 months.
The election could have major consequences for not just the 2014 OUSD
Trustee elections, but also a possible 2014 OUSD School Bond.
In
December of 2012, the Orange Unified School Board elected Timothy Surridge for
a second term as OUSD Board President.
Surridge's second term has been one of the most controversial and
contentious policy years in OUSD history since the years leading up to the 2001
Orange Recall.
Surridge's
contentious Year of Living Dangerously
started with his public policy statement of his "vision" for OUSD at
the January 17, 2013 OUSD Board Meeting. That was when Surridge outlined his
goals for the coming year. Those goals included investment in schools by the
local community, exploring
using unused portions of school sites for city recreation purposes, and dealing
with "the size" of the OUSD governing body ( the Board of
Trustees).
By any
means of measurement, over the past year Surridge failed to deliver anything but
controversy across the Greater Orange Communities.
The
Surridge "vision" included what many community members characterized
as a “radical
un-democratic plan” to eliminate two OUSD Trustee seats. This "Surridge
Plan" was seen as ultimately stripping away representation from Villa Park and Anaheim Hills on the Orange
Unified School Board to consolidate power for the Surridge majority.
Publicly
stating the reasoning for his plan was “a turn-over” of superintendents,
Surridge tried to begin to build a case that having more than five trustees on
a school board leads to a higher turn over of superintendents. He offered no evidence
to support his theory.
In
fact, there was no evidence to support his assertion. Almost as fast as he
presented it, Surridge's theory was promptly debunked ( CLICK ON DEBUNKED ). In fact one of the reputable academic
studies circulating throughout Greater Orange after the "Surridge
Plan" was introduced reported that five member school boards are actually
more unstable for superintendents
because one election can completely change a board majority that
supports a district's superintendent.
OUSD Trustees Kathy Moffat (Trustee Area 4- majority Villa Park
neighborhoods) and Diane Singer (Trustee Area 1-majority Anaheim Hills
neighborhoods) have been the minority on the OUSD Board since
Surridge was elected and have frequently clashed with Surridge (an Orange
resident) over numerous policies, especially his center piece effort to
privatize surplus property and build high density apartments on the Peralta
Site.
They were not alone. Many City
of Orange and Villa
Park officials and
numerous leading citizen’s have also been outspoken opponents of the Surridge
backed plan to lease the Peralta site property. The Villa Park
headquartered Foothills Sentry
too has been a leader in
reporting on the Peralta deal and its stories were routinely blasted by
Surridge and his allies on the Board.
Surridge wasted no time in working on his "vision" of reconfiguring the OUSD Board. As Board
President, Surridge added Informational Item 13 D to the February 21, 2013 Board
Agenda. The agenda item titled a “Discussion Requested by Board President
Surridge”, the item description
on page 30 states:
At the January 17, 2013 meeting,
during the Board President’s Report, Mr. Surridge laid out a vision for the
District. Included was the reduction of the Board of Education from seven to
five members. Additionally an intereste [sic] has
been expressed regarding term limits for members of the governing board.
Mr. Surridge has requested that the
Board discuss reducing the number of Board members and term limits.
At
that February meeting, with his "superintendent" theory debunked,
Surridge glossed over the original reasoning he had stated was the purpose in
his introducing the item -to keep superintendents longer.
While
Surridge tried to change his “vision” approach to the “just starting a
discussion”, approach, Trustee Kathy Moffat quickly pointed out that
Surridge had offered no concrete reasons for the radical board change-except to just do it.
The Greater Orange Community Organization blasted
not only the "Surridge Plan", but also Surridge ally OUSD Trustee Mark
Wayland for his call to do away with district-wide voting in favor of “election by Trustee Area only” votes
to elect trustees. GOCO made
the case that an area like the Peralta community would have no electoral
recourse if the other 6 Trustees voted to build apartment buildings- but its
"local" Trustee “safely” oppose the project. Under such a scenario,
the Peralta voters could not influence other trustees with election upsets-
just their trustee- who would have political cover by opposing anything
unfavorable in their Trustee Area. Nor could any other group-civic, business, school, environmental etc. have any political
clout with trustee
area only elections.
At
the February meeting, Trustee Diane Singer brought up the fact that there could
be possible Voter’s Rights Act problems
in changing the trustee numbers and voting arrangements. While she did not
specify, a change that diluted the
minority vote, (which is concentrated in specific neighborhoods, in specific
Trustee Areas) could prove to be an expensive problem for the cash strapped
district if a deep pocket organization like the ACLU (which took on the
district in Colin vs. OUSD and won a precedent setting case) challenged
a trustee area change. Just this year, OUSD backed down from a lawsuit threat
by the deep pocketed National Rifle Association over an OUSD student wearing an NRA t-shirt.
Another
focus of attention in Surridge’s February Agenda was term-limits. Originally
brought forward as a campaign promise by OUSD Trustee Dr. Alexia Deligianni
when she ran five years ago for her first term, Deligianni –has taken no action about term limits since her
election. Deligianni also said nothing on the subject during the discussion at
the February meeting. Ironically, speaking in favor of term limits at the
February meeting was OUSD Trustee John Ortega. Saying he has "always
favored term limits", Ortega failed to point out that after being originally
elected in 2001, he has filed to run for office each successive time he has
been eligible, thereby negating any personally imposed term limits he believes
in.
Later
in the year, Surridge ally Trustee Rick Ledesma also took an aim at the "Surridge
Plan" stating that when he goes to public meetings throughout the Greater
Orange communities, when it comes to discussing the schools, people want to
know what seats the OUSD majority wants to eliminate. Not exactly the subject a
school board trustee wants to be foremost in the community minds when it comes
to schools.
While
the "Surridge Plan" died a quite death, Surridge's push for high
density apartments at the Peralta Site had the Greater Orange Community in a
complete revolt throughout most of the
year. Month after month, against universal opposition, not one community member
publicly supported Surridge and the Board majority's position on Peralta.
To
make matters worst for the High Density Apartment majority, which were all the men
on the OUSD Board, was the degrading and demeaning manner they spoke to the plans
opponents who were all the OUSD women trustees. The men's tone, attitude and
bullying toward the women did not go unnoticed in the Greater Orange
Communities that are filled with women elected and civic officials, PTA moms
and women activists.
Surridge's
Year of Living Dangerously could have far reaching effects with the 2014
election cycle and the 2016 election cycle.
With Rick Ledesma and Timothy Surridge on the ballot in 2014 ( along with
Kathy Moffat and Diane Singer) the Peralta community could flex its politcal
muscle by using the ties it has forged with anti-growth and open space
advocates
The
2014 OUSD races and the elusive OUSD School Bond quest really starts with the
vote on Thursday night for the 2014 OUSD leadership. Another term of Timothy Surridge could prove
disastrous for OUSD as Surridge runs for re-election. Both Ledesma and Ortega have had experience
as President, but both of them also can be irritated into confrontation with
Moffat and Singer- not a good look. Wayland has repeatedly ruled out leading
the Board and while there is no doubt Dr. Deligianni would welcome the duties,
her reputation in Greater Orange is well known and with a possible OUSD School
Bond would she be the leader of OUSD that the Trustees want representing the
Bond effort?
Perhaps
the late OUSD Trustee Robert Viviano's short-lived rule for rotating officers
is looking really good right now to a number of OUSD Trustees.
INSIDE the December 12, 2013 Agenda
Agenda
Item 9 B- 2014 OUSD Calendar-
Moffat and Singer have been pushing to revert back to bi-monthly meetings for
the OUSD Board. Coming right after the leadership election, look to this item
to be the first test of the new OUSD President in setting the tone for the 2014
OUSD Board.
Agenda
Item 13 B- First Interim Financial
Report.
NEXT OUSD BOARD MEETING December
12, 2013
Next OUSD Board Meeting -OUSD BOARD ROOM
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
ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found
at:
the Greater Orange News Service
http://greaterorange.blogspot.com/
ORANGE
Unified Schools INSIDE
and the
Greater Orange News Service
are independent news services of /O/N/N/
Orange
Net News
“Greater Orange
Friday, December 06, 2013
Greater Orange Weekend: Santa,Plaza Tree lighting and Villa Park Boat Parade!
Late Thanksgiving piles Christmas traditions over this weekend
Santa to Tour Villa Park December 7th before heading to North Pole
Few people outside Villa Park may know that Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their Southern California vacation residence right here in Greater Orange at the Claus Villa in Villa Park. Each year before making the final push towards getting ready for that Christmas Eve world tour, the Claus family spends a weekend at their Villa Park get-a-way. Traditionally, Santa has thanked his home-away-from home neighbors with the Annual Villa Park Santa Tour winding his way through the Greater Orange “Hidden Jewel” in a bright red fire truck. This year’s tour is Saturday December 7, 2013 from 8:00 am- 5:00 pm.
Santa has been known to drop by or stop along the route where ever there is a gathering of believers. For more information contact the Villa Park City Hall at 714-998-1500. The Annual Santa Tour is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.
Annual Villa Park Great Inland Boat Parade-December 8th, 2013
Being land-locked never bothered many in Greater Orange, especially in Villa Park where the Annual Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade takes place on Sunday December 8th, 2013. this year a new route sails through the backwaters of Villa Park, from starting at 5:00 pm, the mighty Villa Park Fleet sails to the Villa Park Towne and Community Centre arriving around 6:00 pm. for more hometown festivities including a tree lighting ceremony and entertainment.
The Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.
The Christmas holiday season’s official Greater Orange kickoff celebrates 19 years of tree lighting ceremonies in the Orange Plaza
This year's guest narrator is former Orange Police Department Lt. Dave Hill, recently retired after a distinguished 30 year career.
The 350 voice Orange Master Chorale choir led by Orange High’s world famous choir director Michael Short and a 60 piece orchestra in the traditional Choir Procession and Tree Lighting Ceremony.
The festivities start at 3:30 pm on Sunday December 8th 2013 with food booths and kids activities including those holiday photo ops with none-other than Santa himself followed by the official choir and tree ceremony starting at 5:15 pm.
In case of rain please call the official Orange Special Events Hotline for details: 714-744-7278.
Santa to Tour Villa Park December 7th before heading to North Pole
Few people outside Villa Park may know that Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their Southern California vacation residence right here in Greater Orange at the Claus Villa in Villa Park. Each year before making the final push towards getting ready for that Christmas Eve world tour, the Claus family spends a weekend at their Villa Park get-a-way. Traditionally, Santa has thanked his home-away-from home neighbors with the Annual Villa Park Santa Tour winding his way through the Greater Orange “Hidden Jewel” in a bright red fire truck. This year’s tour is Saturday December 7, 2013 from 8:00 am- 5:00 pm.
Santa has been known to drop by or stop along the route where ever there is a gathering of believers. For more information contact the Villa Park City Hall at 714-998-1500. The Annual Santa Tour is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.
Annual Villa Park Great Inland Boat Parade-December 8th, 2013
Being land-locked never bothered many in Greater Orange, especially in Villa Park where the Annual Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade takes place on Sunday December 8th, 2013. this year a new route sails through the backwaters of Villa Park, from starting at 5:00 pm, the mighty Villa Park Fleet sails to the Villa Park Towne and Community Centre arriving around 6:00 pm. for more hometown festivities including a tree lighting ceremony and entertainment.
The Great Villa Park Inland Boat Parade is sponsored by the Villa Park Foundation.
