You are cordially invited to a debate for the candidates vying for four seats on the Capistrano Unified School District school board.
Patch is sponsoring the debate, which will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino Del Avion in San Juan Capistrano.
Although the candidates are running for individual geographic territories known as trustee areas, the debate will cover all four races. The voters impacted are:
- Trustee Area No. 1: Dana Point, Capistrano Beach and parts of San Juan Capistrano
- Trustee Area No. 2: Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza and parts of San Juan Capistrano
- Trustee Area No. 3: San Clemente
- Trustee Area No. 5: Aliso Viejo
This will be an authentic debate, not just a candidate’s forum. The candidates will not know the questions in advance. Candidates may have up to two minutes to answer the questions, and others may have a one-minute rebuttal.
Patch Local Editor Penny Arévalo will moderate the debate.
The candidates will not participate in the advertised candidates forum/debate promoted by the Patch, the information blog site, scheduled for the same night. “We would support a candidates’ forum if one were hosted by a credible, non-partisan organization such as the League of Women Voters”, said Children First President, Fran Sdao. “This particular event is sponsored by a local blog that provides a platform for chatter supported by opinions. It has little to contribute to a positive conversation about important issues. Our candidates’ time will be better spent meeting with constituents and voters.”
My only hope is that enough voters are paying attention to what's actually going on with this district and this election. My fear is that they're not.
As for the candidates, the people will vote Nov. 6. Patch does not endorse candidates. We will be there to report.
I can tell you most parents do not yet understand what is going on. That is why CUSD adpoted a budget that includes the fifteen furlough days- which they had to do to submit a "balanced" budget- you would look at the Budget Disclosure Statements June 27th, 2012 Board Meeting "Budget Adpotion". But if you read the collective Bargaining Disclosures - they clearly do not include 15 Furlough days- They include 5 furlough days with an option to negotiate additional days or "other things" after the election, but no later than November 30, 2012- So the Calendar and Employee contracts do not match the adopted budget which means the budget is not really balanced. Of course they did not want to put the 15 furlough days into the Calendar or parents would have been paying a lot more attention- especially when you look at the cuts the district has made to staff, programs and instructional minutes -
Teachers 1.2% pay cut Classified .7% pay cut Teamsters 1% Management 8.9% What the kids have lost: Class size increase of 14 kids (elementary School) from 20:1 to 34:1 Shorted school year by 15 days Reduced or eliminated art, music school & library block grants, PE grants, summer school, CalSafe, CAHSEE instruction, PAR Deferred Maintenance- how much longer can you do that? Cut instructional materials Reduced Counselors, elementary music teachers, psychologists and resource teachers on special assignment Reduced home to school transportation from 47 to 18 routes operated under parent pay program. Seems like all of the cuts are to the education of children.
G. Langdale San Clemente, CA.
I thought I saw that Ken Lopez Maddox was going to be in attendance. He was one of the Trustees who had to sign off on the settlement, and it bought him a hangin'. In all seriousness, he may be a good source to discuss this as well. The total of the settlement was $683k between 4-5 families. I think the majority of that was given to the attorneys, and the remainder was wrapped up in trust funds for the children of the plaintiffs. Reardon has one autistic child, I believe. This child does not attend CUSD schools. I have seen the original lawsuit and the settlement, but it has been a while since i have looked at it. If Penny wants a copy to post, I can send her what I have.
Sorry, but no comments I've made have contained any cheers for anyone, with the exception of Shelly for her respectful comments. I try to correct misleading statements and ask pertinent questions. I try to do it respectfully. Oh wait, I also cheer for the exceptional teachers and staff of CUSD and the parents who support them in the education of their students.
If you want to know where Alpay, McCormack and Pritchard put the priorities of anyone other than CUEA, you'll have to look under a bus.
Can you provide a list of the questions asked at your debate and the answers of each candidate? Why does a setting have to be challenging? Why not simply ask questions intended to inform rather than challenge? Life is challenging but not in the same way as a debate setting. Who cares whether someone sweats when they are seeking a solution to difficult situations? Who cares (and how can you define) who looks presidential? I would rather read the questions and answers. Presidential debates have become less informative as the years have gone by. Pundits follow up each one with their own take. You followed up your debate with one of the shortest articles written about CUSD in a while. Little information was offered.