Howard Hill's Campaign Against LBUSD
A Public Record for Laguna Schools (publicrecordlaguna.com)
- Published:
- 2026-05-28
- Retrieved:
- 2026-05-29
Op-ed arguing that a legitimate health-and-welfare benefits-contribution compliance issue — documented by the Michael Bishop & Associates audit and corrected by the December 16, 2025 board vote to absorb roughly $1.04M with no employee clawback — was turned by trustee Howard Hills into a personal pressure campaign against district staff and leadership. Rule characterizes Hills as repeatedly using the $1.77M figure rather than the ~$1.04M corrective amount, funding FUTURE-banner full-page ads in the Laguna Beach Independent, and circulating an April 2026 email titled '[CONFIDENTIAL: Unofficial Communications Management].' The referenced email is not independently in this record; its existence and contents are Rule's characterization. Substack page header renders May 29; archive listing shows May 28 (filed 5/28, companion to her 'Brown Act Smoke, Governance Fire' piece).
Key points
- Frames the benefits issue as a compliance problem requiring correction, distinct from fraud or scandal, citing the independent Michael Bishop & Associates audit.
- States the December 16, 2025 board vote absorbed approximately $1.04M from district funds (about $173k annually, ~0.2% of annual spending) with no employee clawback.
- Asserts Hills repeatedly used a $1.77M figure despite the corrective amount being ~$1.04M.
- References an April 2026 email titled '[CONFIDENTIAL: Unofficial Communications Management]' addressed to Sheri Morgan, Steve McIntosh, George Weiss, Kate McMahon, and Michele Monda — not independently in the record.
- Ties the FUTURE-banner full-page Laguna Beach Independent advertising (May 8, 2026 reference) and outside messengers to a coordinated pressure effort during collective-bargaining negotiations.
Cited by 2 events
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Constitutional protection is not the same thing as ethical conduct, and having the right to do something does not mean a sitting trustee should use paid ads, outside messengers, and unofficial press coordination to pressure the district he was elected to govern.
Erika Hennon Rule op-ed published 2026-05-28 at publicrecordlaguna.com, Howard Hill's Campaign Against LBUSD.
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A real issue is not the same as a scandal; a compliance problem is not the same as corruption; and a benefits-administration error is not proof that teachers stole from students.
Erika Hennon Rule op-ed published 2026-05-28 at publicrecordlaguna.com, Howard Hill's Campaign Against LBUSD. Rule's framing of the benefits corrective action; she states the absorbed amount was ~$1.04M against Hills's repeated $1.77M figure.