San Juan Capistrano : School Board Will Select New Trustee

Trustees for Capistrano Unified School District have decided to appoint a new member rather than schedule a special election at an estimated cost of $90,000.

“I was very much against making an appointment until I learned the cost of an election,” Trustee Marlene Draper said. “We can’t afford it at a time we are making budget cuts.”

The board voted to solicit applicants for the position to be vacated by trustee Brian R. Demsey, who has announced he will resign in May. Demsey, a 48-year-old insurance consultant and nine-year member of the board whose children have graduated from the school system, said he believes that only parents with children in the schools should be board members.

Applications will be accepted through May 6, with a public forum on May 13.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old, be registered voters and live within Area 5: Capistrano Beach Village and the southern and western portions of San Juan Capistrano. That area includes those who live east of Camino Capistrano, north of San Juan Creek Road, south of Trabuco Road and west of the city limits.

Trustee Crystal Kochendorfer said that probably only 10% of the district’s 100,000 voters would turn out for a special election.

“We would be paying $10 a vote,” she said. “And without a representative cross section of the public, the voting would lose some of its significance. In the last election, we had three seats open, but there were no challengers. That shows, at least at that time, there was little interest in running for the board.”

By law, the board must appoint a successor by May 24 or a special election will be called. District residents can also demand a special election by collecting 1,500 petition signatures.