E-Mail on Bond Measure Backfires

The superintendent of the Fullerton School District said Thursday that he regrets sending an e-mail urging his employees to contribute money to the district’s campaign for a bond issue on Tuesday’s ballot.

Some opponents of the $49.7-million bond issue, which would be the district’s first, expressed outrage at Supt. Cameron McCune’s missive, sent Feb. 7 to principals, in which he wrote, “It is now time to also dig into your pocket for $$$$.”

“I think it is totally inappropriate that he is leveraging or pressuring staff to donate money,” said Chris Thompson, a parent and president of the Beechwood Elementary School’s site council who is opposed to the bond.

“No manager should ever pressure any government employee to donate money to any political cause.”

Officials in the State Department of Education said the e-mail does not appear to be illegal because McCune sent it from home and did not actually urge employees to vote a certain way.

The education code prohibits the use of school supplies and funds to urge the support or defeat of a ballot measure.

In the e-mail, provided by bond-issue opponents, McCune wrote: “As I have shared with you before, the Bond election committee is in serious need of money.... Unfortunately, it was reported today at the Bond committee meeting that to date only a small number of Administrators have contributed.... If you need an envelope, call me.”

McCune said Thursday he wished he could rescind the electronic missive.

“It was not meant in any way to be coercion,” he said. “The awkward part is, in a bond election, we are all expected to participate, but legally we are not supposed to use district time or district funds.”

He did not do so, McCune said. He sent the e-mail from his home computer in response to administrators’ questions about what they were expected to do to support the bond issue, which he said is badly needed to repair aging campuses and construct an elementary school.

School board member Hilda Sugarman, co-chair of the district’s bond campaign, said McCune sent a follow-up e-mail to all district employees Thursday saying it was not his intention to make anyone feel coerced.

Some principals who received the e-mail on their office computers said they did not feel any pressure.

“The e-mail is a request. It’s not tied to our employment in any way,” said Carolyn Milliken, principal of Ladera Vista Junior High School.

“I appreciate the superintendent’s leadership in trying to get the bond passed.”