Erin Kutnick’s Blog

In addition to the discussion about California Distinguished schools on Monday night, CUEA President Vicki Soderberg again brought up the issue of the brown act violations.  The “recall-backed” trustees have been quick to point fingers at the others for violating the brown act but slow to admit that they too are guilty.  In addition to the ABC trustees having violated the brown act earlier this year, 4 of the 5 violated the brown act at the August 11 closed session meeting and the teachers are still waiting for the answers.  In a written statement, the teachers again asked who hired Spencer Covert and who paid him to be there.  They are also looking for answers about why Board President Ellen Addonizio tried to put the Superintendent on administrative leave (which was not on the agenda) and why she turned the tape off during that time.  It’s all very suspicious and made especially so by President Addonizio refusing to answer the questions.  This was the second time that a public records request has been made on this subject.  A letter submitted on behalf of the CUEA outlines all of the complaints including a violation of the brown act committed by the recall-backed trustees at a sub-committee meeting as well.

So much for openness, honesty, and integrity…

Last night’s board meeting was interesting as always.   Much shorter than usual, the meeting started with recognitions for dozens of schools in the district that had API growth last year — some schools even having growth of more than 50 points.  The happy mood changed though when agenda item #8 was introduced.  The item was about the California Distinguished and Blue Ribbon Schools and was listed for “action/discussion“.  After a presentation from staff, recall trustee Sue Palazzo who had requested the item be placed on the agenda spoke in a very accusatory tone to the Superintendent about the item.  She wanted to know where the idea of taking the signs down had come from.  According to speakers and members of the audience, it was all her idea.  In the end, there was no action or discussion leaving one to wonder why the item was even on the agenda.  Recall Trustee Palazzo claimed she wanted to know more about the process, but if no action was necessary, wouldn’t a simple phone call to district staff have answered that question?  If she hadn’t intended to have some type of “action” like removing the signs, it didn’t need to be put on the agenda.  An interesting meeting indeed.

It seems like everywhere I go, the main topic is change and as the election draws closer, the theme grows stronger.  People are looking for change.  Change in Washington, change in Sacramento, and change in CUSD.  Our district has undergone a great deal of change already but we still need more.  November is the time to elect independent trustees that are committed to getting our district back on track.  We need strong leadership and trustees that will focus on the future of our district.  We need to work together to get past the turmoil and restore the good working relationships between parents, teachers, and administrators.

In short, we need to remove the politics from CUSD and focus on children, education, budget issues, and improving our programs to better meet our students needs.  I am committed to doing that and I ask for your help to put children first in our district.

Last night I received the endorsements of San Juan Capistrano Mayor Joe Soto and Councilman Sam Allevato.  I also received an endorsement from former Sheriff Brad Gates.

Speaking of endorsements, I am supporting Andrea Kooiman in Trustee Area 2 and Dr. Duane Stiff in Trustee Area 3.  Andrea is a dedicated and caring parent who lives in Mission Viejo.  I first met her 6 years ago when she was the PTA President at Kinoshita Elementary School.  She is now the coach for the Student’s Run LA Marathon program at Newhart Middle School.  She is committed to our students and our district (she graduated from Dana Hills herself) and you can read more about her on her website (link on my homepage).  Dr. Stiff has served on the board for the past 8 years and he has spent the last 50 years in education.   He will bring much needed experience to the board which will be made up of mostly new trustees.

Please join me in voting for Andrea Kooiman and Dr. Duane Stiff.

This week was another great week in my campaign.  The support continues to grow and while the overwhelming support is coming from parents and community members, here are a few key endorsements I received this week.

On Tuesday, I received the endorsement of the Mayor of Laguna Niguel, Paul Glaab.

On Thursday, I received the endorsement of all the classified employees at CUSD.  That means that now both the teachers and the support staff have come out to support myself, Andrea Kooiman, and Dr. Stiff for election to the school board.  This is the overwhelming majority of employees within our district and they are the ones who work so diligently every single day to educate the 50,000+ students in our district.

I am proud to have the support of all of these individuals and I promise, if elected, to work with all of them to improve the quality of education in our district!  If you would like to be added to my list of supporter, just let me know!

The API (Academic Performance Index) was officially released this week for all schools across the state.  These scores are compiled based on the results of the STAR tests that are administered each spring.  Schools are given growth goals each year and the minimum bench-mark for a school to strive for is a score of 800.

We in Capistrano Unified are very fortunate to have most of our schools meet that goal and many exceed it!  Of the 54 regular school campuses, 38 grew or maintained their API scores from last year.  Of the 16 campuses that had a decline in API most of them have already met the 800 goal and the decline was minimal.  For example:  Laguna Niguel Elementary had an API score of 894 last year and they dropped 2 points to 892.  Now while they probably hoped to increase, a score of 892 is fantastic and something to be very proud of.  Forty-six of our 54 schools have an API over 800 and 3 elementary schools have API scores of over 900!

I’ve always said that test scores are not the only way to judge a student or a school, but they are an easy way for many people to compare schools especially when moving to an area and trying to determine where to purchase a home.  From that aspect, test scores affect everyone living in CUSD.  Our district overall API rose 11 points to 837 this year and we are the only large school district in the state with an API over 800.

This is the type of achievement and the high-quality education that I want to preserve.  These scores were not accomplished overnight and they are no accident.  They are the result of many years of hard work and dedication by the teachers and district staff to provide all the tools necessary for success to our students (who are very bright and successful).

Students and their education must always be the priority for our district and I am committed to putting them first.  I am very proud of the students and teachers of our district.  This is a great accomplishment and I know we can do even better if we are committed to working together for the benefit of all children.

I had the pleasure of attending the Coffee Chat hosted by the San Clemente Times yesterday in San Clemente.  I was able to talk to several local residents and meet some great new people.  The more I go out into the community, the more I realize how many people feel as I do about our district.

Almost everyone I’ve spoken to is very concerned about the Recall Committee’s Candidates and the way they control the trustees that they got elected.  There is real concern about the lack of independent thinking.

That is why I am running for school board.  I truly believe that our school board should be made up of seven completely independent candidates.  Each one should come from different perspectives and backgrounds but their primary focus must be on children and education.  Each trustee should be willing to work together to build the best educational programs and the brightest future for our children.  That is what I want to do!

If you know of a group that would like to meet with me and find out more about why I’m running and what I stand for, please e-mail me and let me know.  You can reach me at erinkutnick@gmail.com.

Thanks to Norb Garrett at the San Clemente Times for having me at his coffee chat!

Yesterday marked the first day of school for thousands of Capistrano Unified students including my son.  The first day of school is an exciting time for students to meet their new teacher(s) and re-unite with their friends.

Yesterday was also an exciting day in my campaign.  The Capistrano Unified Education Association (our wonderful teachers) voted unanimously to endorse me for Trustee area 1!  What an honor.  The teachers are the heart & soul of our district and I have always believed that we need to do everything we can to support them.  They are important partners in raising our children and have a major influence in their lives.

The teachers are also endorsing Andrea Kooiman in Area 2 and Duane Stiff in Area 3.  I support these candidates as well as I have met with them both and know them to have the best interest of children as their primary concern.

For all parents, I hope your student’s first day of school was an exciting one and the beginning of a great school year.

These students deserve the very best educational experience that we can give them and that is why I’m running for school board.  Join me in bringing the focus of our district back to the children and their education!

Welcome to my blog.

I am excited to be running for a seat on the Capistrano Unified School District’s Board of Trustees. This is an important election for the entire district.

This blog will be my main online news channel. In the weeks ahead, I will be reaching out to you by posting news and articles here. The good news is that, given the district’s recent history, I will have lots of issues to write about. The bad news is that, given the district’s recent history, I will have lots of issues to write about.

I invite you to check back here often, read what I have to say, and contribute to the discussion — which, I predict, will be lively…