Escaping Controversy, Former CUSD Administrator Returns

Originally published at 08:54 a.m.

A former Capistrano Unified administrator, one of two employees who recently left Laguna Beach Unified in a swirl of controversy, is back at Capo.

Deni Christensen, who served as principal at Capistrano Valley High School before moving to district headquarters as an executive director in 2011 is back as an executive director “on special assignment,” the school board decided at Wednesday’s meeting. CUSD spokesman Marcus Walton said he did not yet know what that special assignment was.

Christensen left Capo to take the position of assistant superintendent of instructional services at Laguna Beach Unified in June 2012.

Last month, critics of Laguna Beach Superintendent Sherine Smith, also a CUSD alum, lodged charges of cronyism for hiring buddies and seemingly arbitrarily giving them raises and new titles.  

Although no specific allegations were brought against Christensen, she told the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot that she didn’t want to get caught up in the controversy.

"I don't want to be in a situation where people view my hiring as cronyism within the district," Christensen told that paper. "I don't want to be part of a distraction. The teachers don't need that and the kids don't need that. I want what's best for the district and the kids."

Just this week, another former Capo administrator, Gerald Vlasic, who served as Laguna’s director of human resources, resigned his position as well. Vlasic was an elementary principal in Capo from 2003-09.