Greater Orange News Service

Inside the March 13, 2014 OUSD Board Meeting-El Modena

The Orange Unified Board of Education held another one of  their highly acclaimed "on-the-road" Board meeting on Thursday March 13, 2014 at El Modena High School  . The OUSD Board and El Modena community will be previewed the El Modena High School Needs Assessment Plan.

Attending the meeting were all the OUSD Trustees including Kathy Moffat who was suppose to be teleconferencing from a private residence in the city of Crofton Maryland.  The Brown Act specifically states that the teleconferencing place must be a "public place" with public access .

Moffat had announced that she returned to California for the birth of  two grandchildren. She stated that she had planned to teleconference because of a meeting in Washington D.C. she was to attend. The address listed on the March 13th Agenda had Moffat teleconferencing from a private home at 1566 Farlow Ave Crofton, Maryland. The private residence is 22 miles from Washington D.C.

Votes taken at a meeting  in violation of the Brown Act could be invalidated. That could create problems considering the importance of many of the agenda items that were approved that evening. The Trustees votes to approve included: the sale of the Walnut site; the legally required Second Interim Budget and Fund Transfer Authority;  the policy on allowing emergency defibrillators; and the hiring of a firm to conduct polling for the planned 2014 OUSD High School Bond measure. 

In theory -all of those votes could have been invalidated by an illegal meeting.

Orange Net News was alerted by it's parent organization the Greater Orange Community Group that the local watchdog group had contacted the state-wide Brown Act watchdog group Californian's Aware for possible action over possible Brown Act violations.

Orange Unified has admittedly made Brown Act mistakes with past teleconferencing. Orange Unified has both won and lost other Brown Act related court cases in the past.

Villa Park High School Facilities pl next up

After three successful marathon "on-the-road" meetings, the last meeting to review the Villa Park H.S. facilities master plan promises to be a short meeting with only a few items. In Closed Session the Trustees will hire a new high school assistant principal. Cero Villa Middle School will have its turn at wooing the trustees and audience after OUSD's other middle schools gave rousing  State of the Middle School presentations at the three other "on-the-road" meetings. Finally, the Villa Park community will be treated to the architects master facilities plan for Villa Park High School.

That's it. No other business except OUSD's unique two Public Comment opportunities are on the agenda.  

NEXT OUSD BOARD MEETING March 27, 2014

Next OUSD Board Meeting -Villa Park H.S. Cafeteria

CLOSED SESSION- 5:30 pm

OUSD Regular Session: 6:00 pm

For AGENDA-CLICK ON:  VP MEETING

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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