“Children are the precious treasures of their parents and not the property of the state,” said Capistrano Unified School District candidate Linda Shepard.
In one month’s time, voters will decide who will be elected to three of seven open seats on the Capistrano Unified School District’s Board of Trustees: Areas 4, 6, and 7. Here, special focus is given to Area 7, CUSD’s northernmost district containing portions of Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita.
Its current representative, Judy Bullockus, is not seeking reelection after a nearly decade-long tenure on the Board of Trustees. Much more often than not, she voted in alignment with the conservative, pro-charter majority—but it would be unfair to say she was in complete lockstep with the coalition.
The candidate Bullockus has endorsed as her replacement is Linda Shepard. We reached out to both Shepard and her opponent, Ron Ruef to produce profiles on their respective bids for the Area 7 seat.
Linda Shepard is a Mission Viejo resident, businesswoman, educator, and mother of two. She serves as Chair of a CUSD Committee tasked with evaluating schools for potential mergers or closure. Additionally, she is the former Chief Financial Officer for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.
According to Shepard, she assisted in the development of the Science Center, has served as a classroom volunteer and created programs such as “Family Night of Math and Science” and “Astronomy Night” programs for local schools. Additionally, she has taught in MBA programs and volunteered with scouting organizations for nearly two and a half decades.
Our conversation was characterized by a sense of optimism not often seen from newcomers, who are—understandably—more prone than incumbents to point out their dissatisfaction with the way prior leadership has governed. In particular, Shepard praised CUSD for its “excellent standing within the State and nationally,” as well as its most recent CAASPP results, which show around 72% of students meeting or exceeding expectations for English Language Arts and 62.7% doing the same for Math.
These figures are up from two years ago, when the conservative coalition first assumed majority control of Orange County’s largest school district.
Many community members still feel there’s room for improvement, and the same can be said for the issue of parental rights. When Trustees Davis and Bullockus attempted to put forward a parental notification policy in 2023, it was shut down by the pro-union majority at the time.
Shepard explained that many school districts have struggled to pass and uphold similar policies because it so often results in a costly lawsuit from current Attorney General Rob Bonta. For that reason, she vocalized support for Bonta’s challenger, Michael Gates, “as he will not sue school boards that uphold parental rights.”
“Bonta did lose one case,” Shepard points out. “As a result of Mirabelli v. Bonta, decided by the US Supreme Court on March 2, 2026, California will have a tougher time stopping schools from telling parents about gender transitioning or changes in students’ personal pronouns without their parents’ knowledge.”
She went on to explain in great detail the role parents can and should play in various policy areas, including helping the district screen and curate library selections. And while a significant portion of public school curriculum is directed at the state level, Shepard expressed that she intends to be a strong voice for more local control: “with more demand for change (parents and school boards must be vocal), the free market will respond.”
Repeatedly, she stated that she wants to hear from parents and condemned attempts by Sacramento to pass laws allowing school administrators to keep secrets about children from their parents.
“Children are the precious treasures of their parents and not the property of the state,” said Shepard. “Teachers and parents should work together for what is best for each child. Parents know and love their children more than any teacher or administrator ever could. There should be mutual respect among teachers and parents to work together for what is best for each child and not undermine each other as either a loving adult or as an authority figure in the child’s life.”
Shepard let us know she has no affiliation with the Capistrano Unified Education Association—likely because she sees opportunity for charter schools at CUSD—and that they have endorsed her competitor.
She is, however, endorsed by Trustee Bullockus—as previously mentioned—as well as Trustees Lisa Davis, Lisa Zollinger, and Jennifer Adnams.
We asked Shepard about her level of concern for CUSD’s declining enrollment which also directly affects state funding. Naturally, the Committee she chairs is acutely aware of this given the recent merge of Marblehead and Clarence Lobo Elementary Schools after years of waning attendance at the former. She described how CUSD is moving to a self-funding property tax model this year rather than the per diem per student State payment, which will affect how the district manages cashflow.
“The school board is the steward of local taxpayers’ dollars. Money should be wisely spent to produce a well-educated next generation… Given many years of declining enrollment, we must be vigilant to ensure that taxpayer funds provide an excellent education for students while right-sizing the organization for the number of students served,” she said.
For more on Shepard’s candidacy, please consider reading her responses to the Orange County Register’s 2026 election questionnaire. Ruef’s responses can be found here.
