Schools
CUSD Superintendent Holds Q&A at Dana Hills High
Joseph Farley discusses issues including the ACLU lawsuit, school safety and the relationship between the media and the district.
Parents got a chance to quiz the Capistrano Unified School District superintendent on the state of local education Wednesday night.
At Superintendent Joseph Farley took questions about issues including the safety of schools, an lawsuit against the state and the media and their relationship with the district.
"I think the way you judge a school district is by student achievement,” Farley said. “I think we can do even better by raising the bar a bit for our kids. They’re doing great, but I think they could do even better.”
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At the 7 p.m. meeting, Farley talked about the ACLU lawsuit against the state over mandatory fees.
“I don’t think we’re far off from what the ACLU wants,” Farley said. “Some of the subtle things we used to do we can't do any more. We can't charge for instruments. We can't sell all sorts of things for a profit, so it's going to have a lot of effect on what we do here.”
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After someone in the crowd asked about the recent shooting at a Northern California elementary school, Farley discussed the safety of the students.
“I think that we are one of the most ready [districts]," said Farley. "I think we have to be prepared, but we can't be prepared for everything.”
Farley also said the media had overblown the conflict between parents, district officials and teachers.
“It's so unfair, really,” Farley said.
As for , Farley said the district has two budgets prepared: one to use if the voters approve the governor's proposed taxes and another if they don't.
He also discussed the issue of drugs in the school district.
“It's something we take very seriously,” Farley said. “The board is talking about random drug testing.”
“I like that he was just totally open to what the parents wanted to know,” said Laguna Niguel resident Kathy Young, who has a child at Dana Hills High School.
“I think he's very visible since he's become superintendent,” said Valerie Lindeborg, also of Laguna Niguel. “I thought that it was nice that he cared.”
More than 70 people attended the community meeting, according to Marcus Walton, district chief communications officer.
The event was part of the superintendent’s Back to the Classroom community meetings, which began in September 2010. The superintendent will hold another meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Kinoshita Elementary, at 2 Via Positiva in San Juan Capistrano.
