| San Diego Unified School District (2008) (formerly of Parham & Rajcic and Orange County Office of Education) |
| 2 Bresee put Assistant Superintendent Richard Werlin on the stand to quote JoEllen Hamilton. JoEllen Hamilton was kept out of the courtroom. Hamilton had contradicted Werlin in her deposition. |
| Months earlier, the true document had been submitted to PERB. |
| How did Mark Bresee win the Larkins OAH case for CVESD? |
| 1. Atty. Mark Bresee of Parham & Rajcic, who went on to work at Orange County Office of Education and San Diego Unified School District (2008), submitted a phony document, prepared by Rick Werlin, to OAH. |
| None of the teachers listed below appeared to testify at CVESD OAH hearing. Most likely this occurred because those teachers who had been deposed had contradicted themselves and Richard Werlin. Maura Larkins' own attorney Elizabeth Schulman refused to point out to the Professional Competence Commission that the district's witnesses contradicted themselves and each other. Instead, she and Mark Bresee agreed to have notes written by these people accepted into evidence as if the writers had been sworn in. Legal Question #1: Are these teachers therefore guilty of perjury? Legal Question #2: Did the lawyers violate the law? |
| The Capistrano Dispatch "The Capistrano Unified School District board of trustees approved the contract for Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter on June 2, but not before three trustees walked out in protest. "The contract passed 4-0 after trustees Ellen Addonizio, Larry Christensen and Anna Bryson left. "... the board voted to rescind the contract it had approved February 25, based on legal counsel from Mark Bresee of the Orange County Department of Education. "The rescinded contract had garnered controversy after claims that a “golden parachute” was later inserted without board approval, violating the Brown Act. [Maura Larkins' note: It looks like Mark Bresee is taking lessons from San Diego's Homero Suarez, who changed his own contract. The GCCCD board approved, and offered Suarez indemnification for any wrongdoing past or future.] "...Though Carter signed the contract, he is not accepting the full amount of $273,000 annually... he would be back-paid if and when he decides to accept the contracted amount..." [More about Capistrano School District] |
| SAN DIEGO EDUCATION REPORT |
| mauralarkins.com |
| San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) |
| Attorneys who have helped cover up wrongdoing by submitting untrue testimony and falsified documents in schools are in charge of training both new board members and new school attorneys. |
| California Council of School Attorneys CCSA/CSA Joint Annual Meeting November 29, 2007 San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina Session for New Attorneys and for Those Who Can’t Remember: The Basics of Personnel/ Student Discipline/ Client Relations Mark Bresee, Counsel, Orange CDE |
| Mark Bresee! |
| Who trains new school attorneys? |
| 3. Werlin was apparently told--perhaps by Bresee-- to woo Larkins' attorney Elizabeth Schulman with stories about his family connections being similar to hers. Werlin did so, to great effect. Schulman kept evidence out of the hearing about Werlin's wrongdoing. |
| 4 Bizarre antics on the part of Judge Ahler, who took panelists into a side room while COURT WAS STILL IN SESSION, and later claimed that documents accepted into evidence and recorded in his own handwriting did not exist. |
| Why did Mark Bresee need to do these things to win? Because he was covering up crimes. |
| Attorney Mark Bresee Bresee CVESD hearing Bresee's Phony Documents Bresee and OAH Bresee and school attorneys Bresee and Schulman Missing Bate-stamped docs Bate-stamped docs produced |
| A few Bresee Court Cases CVESD v. Larkins D034530 Kidder v. Grossmont Union High School District, et al. Cause called on merits. Mark Robert Bresee, Esq. argued for respondent. Michael J. Kumeta, Esq. argued for appellant. Cause submitted. COURT OF APPEAL OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT--DIVISION ONE September 11, 2000 State of California, Court of Appeal Fourth Appellate District, Division 3 May 23, 2001 CIVIL SUSAN DOWLING v. IRVINE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT G022641 Merits. Cause called. Michael L. Gilmore argues for appellant. Mark R. Bresee argues for respondent. Cause submitted. CIVIL PBI MARKET EQUIPMENT Torrance Unified School District Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Education December 10, 2007 Ratification of Agreement with Mark Bresee, Esq. for Personal Liability Litigation Services |
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| Castle Park Teacher Reports |
| SDCOE's Dan Shinoff is the "eraser" and Mark Bresee helps with the paperwork. |
| CUSD Superintendent Accepts Pay By Lacey Nadeau San Clemente Times Jun 6, 2008 “What matters is what you do tonight to correct and address all of that,” Bresee told the board..." "...The approval of the new contract, which does not include the above phrase, passed June 2 with only four votes, as trustees Ellen Addonizio, Larry Christensen and Anna Bryson walked out of the meeting. Christensen excused himself after saying he wasn’t comfortable voting and feared the board was in violation of the Brown Act. Addonizio expressed frustration that the contract the trustees rescinded wasn’t the contract with the controversial phrase... |
| SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2008 ...A.02. Pledge of Allegiance ...D. Board Member Items ...D.03. Employment Agreement with Mark Bresee, General Counsel E. Action/Information Items - Human Resources, Labor Relations and Ethics... K.22. Agreement with Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, LLP |
San Diego Unified School District Board Actions for July 8, 2008...
Luis Acle, John de Beck, Shelia Jackson, Mitz Lee and Katherine Nakamura present. The board made
the following appointments/reassignments, with effective dates to be determined...BRESEE, Mark,
General Counsel...
Luis Acle, John de Beck, Shelia Jackson, Mitz Lee and Katherine Nakamura present. The board made
the following appointments/reassignments, with effective dates to be determined...BRESEE, Mark,
General Counsel...
Downloaded Aug. 5, 2008:
SDUSD
Legal Office Staff
Theodore Buckley--
REPLACED BY MARK BRESEE
General Counsel
tbuckley@sandi.net
Diane Harrelson
Legal Secretary II
dharrelson@sandi.net
Jose A. Gonzales
Deputy General Counsel
jgonzales@sandi.net
Adel Epley
Legal Secretary I
aepley@sandi.net
Sandra T.M. Chong
Assistant General Counsel
schong@sandi.net
Bonnie Roe
Legal Secretary I
broe@sandi.net
Patrick Frost
Assistant General Counsel
pfrost@sandi.net
Lydia Oakes
Legal Secretary I
loakes@sandi.net
SDUSD
Legal Office Staff
Theodore Buckley--
REPLACED BY MARK BRESEE
General Counsel
tbuckley@sandi.net
Diane Harrelson
Legal Secretary II
dharrelson@sandi.net
Jose A. Gonzales
Deputy General Counsel
jgonzales@sandi.net
Adel Epley
Legal Secretary I
aepley@sandi.net
Sandra T.M. Chong
Assistant General Counsel
schong@sandi.net
Bonnie Roe
Legal Secretary I
broe@sandi.net
Patrick Frost
Assistant General Counsel
pfrost@sandi.net
Lydia Oakes
Legal Secretary I
loakes@sandi.net
| San Diego Unified School District |
| What are San Diego Unified School District trustees thinking? When you fire your lawyer, but you keep paying him, it looks like you wanted him to do the things that got him fired, but you fired him anyway so that you look good. This appears to me to be indemnification of a public entity lawyer, and it doesn't smell good to me. By EMILY ALPERT Voice of San Diego August 6, 2008 "... [SDUSD] trustees gave the green light to a $217,500 contract that would allow attorney Mark Bresee to keep his paycheck and health benefits for up to a year if he were fired. Bresee's salary is 16 percent higher than the attorney he replaced, Ted Buckley. And like the agreement the school district struck with Buckley, his agreement provides that if San Diego Unified fires him, he will continue to receive his salary and benefits. "Buckley was contracted to receive his pay for up to 18 months; Bresee would receive his for a year or the remainder of his contract, whichever is less. Buckley said the provision did not apply because he had decided to retire from the school district." |
| Principals Question A.M. Meeting on School Bond Voice of San Diego After Superintendent Terry Grier asked principals to attend a meeting about volunteering to help pass Proposition S, the $2.1 billion facilities bond on the ballot for San Diego Unified schools, principals union leaders and bond opponents are concerned that the school district overstepped the line between informing its employees and advocating. High school principals received an e-mail from their supervisor asking them to "please attend" an early morning meeting at the Girl Scouts headquarters, which is not a San Diego Unified building. Nobody knew what the meeting was about, said Bruce McGirr, president of the Administrators Association. They were surprised when Grier began speaking about the bond measure and asked them to sign up for phone banks touting Proposition S. Bond campaign consultant Larry Remer said the meeting was held to solicit volunteers to help pass Proposition S, and to inform principals of how to avoid violating the law, which bars them from using public resources to campaign. "Everybody was there on their own time as a volunteer and it wasn’t on school property," Remer said, adding that he did not call or lead the meeting. But McGirr said it left principals "a little bit queasy. It didn’t seem very voluntary to anybody." An outside expert said the meeting steered clear of campaigning with district funds because the meeting was not held on San Diego Unified property. As long as the employees weren’t expected to be at their schools, it probably wasn’t a violation, said Robert Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies. Principals have no set work hours listed in their agreement with San Diego Unified. "If they’re not expected to be in school, it’s not a problem," Stern said. "It might raise some questions in terms of forcing people to be there, but it doesn’t seem like any money was expended." Parent blogger Paul Bowers has an interesting take on the meeting and how it could impact the dynamic between Grier and principals, who have voted to unionize: For a man thwarted daily by the teacher’s union, why would he add fuel to the rising fire of the Administrator’s Association? ... I’m surprised how poorly Grier has treated his employees. Principals are possibly his most important set of employees. Clearly the low opinion he has for these boots-on-the- ground workers will cost him their support. I’m playing phone tag with school district attorney Mark Bresee, who attended the meeting, about his understanding of the meeting and the law. Update: I spoke yesterday with Mark Bresee, general counsel for San Diego Unified, who said he voluntarily attended the meeting. He characterized it as an informational meeting to explain that principals could not use school district funds, supplies, services or equipment to promote the passage or defeat of Proposition S, and to inform them about volunteering opportunities. "The bottom line is, even if this meeting had happened in the board room at 11 o'clock in the morning I still think it was perfectly legal," Bresee said. -- EMILY ALPERT October 10, 2008 |
| School Attorney Mark R. Bresee |
| Prosecutors: Capistrano school board violated state law The board broke open-meeting laws when it gave its superintendent a raise at a closed meeting, but it won't be subjected to litigation because the district is in financial turmoil. Los Angeles Times By Stuart Pfeifer September 11, 2008 The Capistrano Unified School District board violated state law by awarding a pay raise to its superintendent at a meeting closed to the public, the Orange County district attorney's office has concluded. The vote earlier this year on the pay raise marked the latest in a series of alleged violations of California's open-meeting laws by the Capistrano school district board of trustees, according to the district attorney's report, which was made public Tuesday. Prosecutors in the Sept. 2 report said they would not pursue sanctions against the beleaguered district because the board later rescinded the pay raise and because the district is having financial difficulties. |
At its Feb. 25 meeting, trustees met in closed session and voted to award a
$58,000 pay raise to Superintendent A. Woodrow Carter and then failed to
disclose their decision in a public meeting, according to a letter to the district
signed by William J. Feccia, a senior assistant district attorney.
In addition, Carter signed a contract that provided him with $400,000 in
severance pay if the board fired him, even though the board did not discuss
such a benefit, Feccia concluded. Rather, the severance clause "appeared" on
the contract without the board's approval, Feccia said in the letter.
Capistrano schools trustees rescinded Carter's pay raise June 2 after a public
outcry about the manner in which it was awarded.
In its investigation of the pay raise, prosecutors listened to a recording of the
closed-door Feb. 25 meeting. The recordings revealed "a disturbing disdain, if
not outright contempt, on the part of some members of the [board] for public
opinion and their own constituents," Feccia wrote.
Two of the board members who voted to award the pay raise were recalled
from office June 24 and replaced by trustees who pledged to follow
open-meeting laws.
Before that recall, the district attorney's office had "seriously considered"
initiating legal proceedings against the board, Feccia wrote. Prosecutors
decided not to do that because the litigation would create a financial burden
for the district at a time of financial turmoil and because a new majority on the
board has promised to follow open-meeting laws.
stuart.pfeifer@latimes.com
| Home Why This Website SDCOE CVESD Castle Park Elem Law Enforcement CTA CVE Stutz Artiano Shinoff Silence is Golden Schools and Violence Office Admin Hearings Larkins OAH Hearing |
| Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz should share blame with Mark Bresee for failure to produce documents Deposition by Stutz law firm, which tries to shift responsibility |
| Capistrano Unified School District |
| Parham & Rajcic |
| Latest CVESD lawsuit: the Danielle Coziahr case Atty. Pamela Dempsey for school district Attys. Laura Joan Farris and Dan Carroll for plaintiff |
Dec. 2007 Pamela Dempsey loses lawsuit against CVESD |
| California Council of School Attorneys CCSA/CSA Joint Annual Meeting November 29, 2007 San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina Session for New Attorneys and for Those Who Can’t Remember: The Basics of Personnel/ Student Discipline/ Client Relations Mark Bresee, Counsel, Orange CDE |
| 1) Mark Bresee of Parham/Rajcic and Orange County Dept. Ed |
| Who trains new school attorneys? |
| These attorneyes are in charge of training both new board members and new school attorneys. |