CUCPTSA LEGISLATION NEWSLETTER REPORT – JANUARY 2007
LOCAL
Meeting with Senator Dick Ackerman on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - Tustin office
Attendees were: Kim Anderson, Franchesca Mazariegos, Maryanne Rose, Cori Tanner, & Jody
Vaughn. The appointment lasted about one hour. We began by presenting the Senator with a
plaque from the legislation team and it read,
“Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Senator Dick Ackerman in recognition of your
support for public education and your work on behalf of all students within Capistrano
Unified and the state of California”.
We thanked him again for his commitment and dedication to ensuring that this year’s education
budget was so positive. We gave him our legislative agenda for the year and told him that our top
three priorities are IDEA, CA K – 12 School Finance and Secondary School Reform.
He shared that:
 Governor Schwarzenegger would not divert IDEA funds if the federal government were to
increase its promised share of IDEA. (This happened once before under the Davis
administration).
 He plans to make recommendations to the Governor for block grants as he believes that is
the safest way to ensure that the money goes where it is most needed yet gives school
districts some flexibility too.
 With regard to the CAHSEE, he supports either exempting out certain students (as the way
it is currently is not fair to either students or school districts) or an alternative measuring
exam.
 He supports funding schools based on Average Daily Attendance (the way it is currently)
and not changing to any kind of an bi-annual or monthly enrollment system.
CUSD Board meeting – Monday, January 8
25. SCHOOL CALENDARS: Consideration and approval, the 2007-08 & 2008-09 School
calendars. Option 1 - Approved Unanimously.
(Calendar is now available from www.capousd.org).
26. FISCAL AUDIT: Consideration and approval, acknowledgement of receipt of the fiscal audit
for year ending June 30, 2006 - Approved Unanimously.
27. INTERNAL AUDIT COMMITTEE: Consideration and approval, formation of an Internal Audit
Committee. Interim Superintendent McCulley suggested a committee made up of board members
and members of the public - Approved Unanimously.
28. FOXBOROUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Consideration and approval, repurposing of
Foxborough Elementary School - Approved Unanimously.
29. BOARD POLICY REVISION: Consideration and approval, revisions to Board Policy 5111.1,
District Residency - Approved Unanimously.
30. GRANDFATHERING POLICY PROPOSAL: Consideration of proposed revisions to the
attendance boundaries originally adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 28, 2005.
Failed for lack of second to motion.
31. CHARTER RENEWAL: Consideration and approval, Opportunities for Learning Charter
Renewal - Approved 6 Yea – 1 No.
32. FISCAL CRISIS AND MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE TEAM (FCMAT):
Report to the Board regarding FCMAT services.
33. CONTRACT REVIEW: Consideration and review of contract with Culbertson, Adams, and
Associates for preparation of a Five-Year Master Plan and Environmental Documentation for
districtwide school facilities. Trustee Draper excused herself from dais for discussion.
34. CONSTRUCTION REPORT: Report to the Board on portable v. modular v.
permanent classroom school construction costs.
CUSD Facilities Project Workshop January 9, 2007
The intent for the workshop was for CUSD to present to the board information regarding:
 facilities projects already in progress;
 facilities projects previously approved by the Board of Trustees, and anticipated timelines
for completion;
 proposed facilities projects which require direction from the Board of Trustees.
It was mentioned that no action was required from the Board of Trustees unless it was to
recommend that staff place proposed facilities projects on future board agendas for consideration.
Members of the public were permitted to pull blue cards before the presentation began – 4
speakers were heard.
District staff presented a status report on various district facility projects:
 Arroyo Vista School – K-8 Conversion, Phase 3
 Carl Hankey School – 6th Grade Addition, Proposed K-8 Conversion
 Newhart Middle School – 2-Story Classrooms, Campus Improvement
 Marco Forster Middle School – Track, Artificial Turf
 Aliso Niguel High School – 2-Story Classrooms, Parking Improvement
 Dana Hills High School - 2-Story Classrooms, Interior Improvement
 San Clemente High School – Auxiliary Gymnasium/Pool Building
 San Juan High School – Pool/Stadium, Roadway Improvement
 District-Wide – State Relocatable Phase-Out Plan
 Projects: Winter 2006 – Various School Campuses
Marlene Draper recommended that the Marco Forster track and artificial turf proposal, and the
San Clemente auxiliary gymnasium and pool building proposal be placed on the February agenda
for the Board’s consideration.
For more information, please contact CUSD.
STATE
State budget
On Wednesday, January 10, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $143.4 billion state budget
that eliminates the state’s net operating deficit. Schools would get an increase of $1.8 billion, far
less than the nearly $5 billion increase for education last year, but within the expectations of
education leaders.
State of the State address
The Governor will seek $23.1 billion in new bonds for school and university construction on the
2008 and 2010 ballots, which he estimated would build 10,000 classrooms and renovate 38,000.
He also wants to give parents more access to school data, such as graduation rates, after-school
offerings and elective classes.
Career Technical education
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to expand programs that prepare students for the 21st
century economy. The Governor's proposed 2007-08 budget includes $52 million to improve
career technical education programs by enhancing curriculum, increasing teacher recruitment and
training and maximizing bond funds for new facilities. Career technical education integrates core
academics with technical and occupational courses to give students a pathway to postsecondary
education and careers.
AB 1381 – LAUSD mayoral takeover
In December, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs ruled that the mayor's takeover of
even part of the school district is unconstitutional. The ruling means that AB 1381 did not become
law on January 1, 2007 and has been invalidated. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has promised an
appeal.
FEDERAL
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Rep. George Miller of Martinez, who's the incoming chairman of the House Education Committee,
and, with Sen. Ted Kennedy, one of the co-authors of NCLB, agrees that the law needs fixes
especially in weighing the achievement of English learners and handicapped students.
He's also willing to consider proposals from California and other states that school progress be
measured by year-to-year growth rather than movement toward that 100 percent proficiency
goal. But he's leery about abandoning a drop-dead date. "We can't give away the integrity of the
act," he said. If the schools think that mere "growth," no matter how little, is enough for students
to be competitive in the global economy, the country is likely to be back on the slippery path to
mediocrity.
What's certain is that until the federal and state accountability are "harmonized" -- Bersin's term - there'll be continuing public confusion about what different scores and proficiency reports mean.
In California, as elsewhere, hundreds of schools that are doing well according to the state's
"growth" model are underperforming in moving toward the federal proficiency target.
Although NCLB is up for renewal this coming year, and while it's already the subject of hearings,
the chances of major revisions before the 2008 presidential election -- or even on anything more
than a temporary extension -- are low. Given the controversies, neither the administration nor
Congress is eager to touch the subject any sooner than necessary.
And yet it's also true that, as Miller says, "When you have poor kids, poor schools and poor
teachers, how can you expect a good result?" To change that requires a major -- and well
targeted -- investment, including serious reforms in the nation's tired schools of education,
another item on Miller's agenda. And it will require a continuing national push. "If NCLB is gone,"
as he says, "America's poor kids will again be forgotten."
By Peter Schrag – Sacramento Bee - Wednesday, December 20, 2006
STOP Underage Drinking Act Approved
On Thursday, December 7, both houses of Congress passed the Sober Truth on Preventing
(STOP) Underage Drinking Act (H.R. 864 / S. 408). The legislation requires the secretary of
health and human services to issue an annual report card to Congress rating each state's
performance in enacting, enforcing, and creating laws, regulations, and programs to prevent or
reduce underage drinking.
In addition, the legislation requires the secretary to establish an interagency coordinating
committee to guide policy and program development across the federal government on underage
drinking and to award grants aimed at reducing the rate of underage alcohol use and binge
drinking among students at institutions of higher education. The legislation also requires the
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to design, test, evaluate,
and disseminate strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of communitywide approaches to
preventing and reducing underage drinking.
PTA Advocacy Week Is Coming
Get ready! PTA National President Anna Weselak has designated the week of February 19, 2007,
as PTA Advocacy Week. This special week will be a time for PTA members to meet with their
federal, state, and local lawmakers and tell them that children and education should be their
highest priorities! The week is scheduled to coincide with federal legislators' district work period,
when they will be in their home offices to talk to their constituents. (This ties in perfectly with our
scheduled breakfast with our locally elected legislators on Feb 23 – see below).
The second session of the 109th Congress has ended, and the 110th Congress reconvened on
January 4, 2007
(Courtesy of National PTA - Dec 12, 2006)
UPCOMING
Sunday Jan 28 – 30: Cori Tanner, one of the Legislation Co – chairs, will be attending the
CA State PTA Legislation Conference in Sacramento.
Tuesday, January 30: Jennifer Timm, Cori Tanner & Kim Anderson, plus other legislation team
members, will be joined by Assistant Superintendent, District Operations - Carolyn Williams, in
Sacramento for the day as we visit legislators and key education groups.
Friday, February 23: The district and the Legislation team Co-chairs will be hosting a legislator
breakfast for our locally elected Senate and Assembly members. All six have been invited Senators Dick Ackerman, Tom Harman and Mark Wyland & Assembly members Mimi Walters,
Chuck DeVore & Todd Spizer.