Incoming School Trustees Face Tough Call : Education: Orange Unified’s 4 freshmen may help decide fate of 2 top administrators accused in sex harassment case. One calls the situation ‘overwhelming.’

Hours after being sworn into office tonight, four freshman Orange Unified School District trustees in all likelihood will be called upon to determine the fate of two top administrators who have been investigated on sexual harassment allegations.

At stake for the new members--none of whom have ever held elected office before--may be whether they can honor campaign pledges to move the 26,000-student district ahead or become mired in the kinds of problems that swept two incumbents out of office and forced two others not to seek reelection in November’s election.

If the Board of Education decides the allegations against Deputy Supt. Richard L. Donoghue and Chief Financial Officer Joyce Capelle have foundation, it can dismiss the administrators. Should the board do so, it would create an even larger leadership vacuum in a district that already has been without a permanent superintendent for more than a year.

“The whole situation is overwhelming,” said newcomer Trustee Rick Ledesma, a 31-year-old corporate cost analyst. “We need to get to what is happening and make the right decision and get it behind us as soon as possible.”

The district already has to contend with a $20-million lawsuit filed last week by Capelle and Donoghue, alleging, among other charges, invasion of privacy and defamation. Attorney Dale Gronemeier, who represents both administrators, has steadfastly denied the sexual harassment allegations and claims his clients are the target of a “witch hunt.”

Donoghue, 48, is accused of inappropriate touching and using sexually offensive language, and Capelle, 39, is alleged to have tolerated sexual banter in the workplace.

For the first time tonight, the four new trustees--Martin Jacobson, James Fearns, Max Reissmueller and Ledesma--and the three incumbent trustees are expected to hear the specific allegations of sexual harassment leveled at Donoghue and Capelle.

“All I have heard up to now are rumors and generalities,” said Jacobson, 40, who runs his own accounting firm. “It’s going to be our first night, and we are probably going to have to make a major decision.”

During a closed-door session, interim Supt. Marilyn Corey is expected to make recommendations on Donoghue and Capelle based on the findings of the district’s investigators. Punishment for sexual harassment ranges from a verbal reprimand to termination, according to school policy.

While recognizing the public relations advantages of quickly resolving the matter, new board members said they don’t want to sacrifice fairness at the price of speed.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot like the rest of (the board members) have in the past couple of years,” said James Fearns, 63, a youth probation officer. “I want to be as fair as possible. I think we are going to play it pretty cautious.”

Reissmueller, 25, views the board’s upcoming decision as an opportunity to restore a positive image for the district.

“We knew what we were getting into in this district when we ran for office,” said Reissmueller, an electronics technician supervisor. “I may not have been around when the mess was made, but now I’m going to clean it up.”