By Miriam Raftery

February 8, 2016 (San Diego) — The California Faculty Association’s union has voted to go on strike at California State University campuses starting in mid-April unless a 5 percent raise is approved.  In San Diego County, that would include professors, lecturers  coaches, counselors and librarians at San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos.

Source: Cuyamaca College

Photos by Phy Nguyen, Cuyamaca College:  Preschoolers at the Cuyamaca College Child Development Center give rave reviews to fresh, organic food now served. A recent lunch featured Potato Egg Scramble with salsa, corn tortilla, and black beans.

February 5, 2016 (Rancho San Diego) --  Curried chicken salad. Roasted garlic and rosemary bean soup. Roasted turmeric cauliflower.  Menu selections from a hot new restaurant? Guess again. 

East County News Service

February 2, 2016 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is seeking applicants for two scholarship programs for nursing students and students pursuing careers as medical health technicians. Deadline to receive applications for both scholarship programs is 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Applicants for both scholarships must reside within the boundaries of GHD for a minimum of one year, or have graduated from a high school located within the district’s boundaries. Previous recipients of both of these GHD scholarships are not eligible to reapply. For more information and to obtain the criteria and applications for both scholarships, visitwww.grossmonthealthcare.org/operations/scholarship-programs.

By Miriam Raftery

January 25, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s string of spotless audits remains unbroken, with the Governing Board this week receiving unblemished audit reports for the 12th year in a row. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 21, 2016 (Ramona) – The community is invited to a Pro-Am Tennis Tournament and instructional clinic hosted by USPTA elite tennis pro Mike Rogers at La Casa del Zorro Resort. Juan Bautista de Anza Online Charter School students will participate by attending and learning. The event is open to the public and JBDA is excited to celebrate athleticism and School Choice options.

By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2016 (San Diego) — San Diego State University will welcome back Aztecs with new programs, people and places around campus when school begins on January 20. Here’s a look at some things to look forward to:

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Steve Van Zant, former superintendent of Mountain Empire Unified School District, was arraigned today in San Diego Superior Court on a felony conflict of interest charge, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. 

While serving as Superintendent of Mountain Empire, Van Zant pushed through charter schools to operate in other school districts---while profiting by having some of those same charters hire his consulting firm, EdHive Inc.

By Brigitte Garcia

January 12, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Hoverboards were among the hottest gifts of the holiday season, but if you received one this Christmas, you may be having more problems than fun. That’s because these futuristic products have been banned from college dorms, shopping malls, businesses, and other locations due to many hoverboards that have burst into flames.

East County News Service

January 7, 2016 (El Cajon) –  Montgomery Middle School in El Cajon is among six California schools chosen as Exemplars of 21^st Century Learning, a prestigious designation given out by the national coalition Partnership for 21^st Century Learning (p21.org/exemplar-program).  Montgomery Middle School is an International Baccalaureate school that provides an environment of collaboration, innovative technology use, and inquiry based problem solving, all set in real world situations for a diverse population of students.

By Miriam Raftery

December 23, 2015 (Alpine) – Just in time for Christmas,  Judge Joel Pressman issued a decision in the Alpine high school case that gives neither side what it wanted. 

The Judge denied the Grossmont Union High School District’s motions to dismiss the case but also denied a request from Alpine Union School District and Alpine Taxpayers to issue a summary judgment in their favor.

Judge Pressman did determine that the Appeals Court found Grossmont made a promise to build a high school that is binding. However, that promise hinges on whether or not the enrollment trigger was met or not.

Fears of school violence spark concerns among parents

By Miriam Raftery

December 16, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – On Tuesday, an e-mail that threatened bombings and shootings caused Los Angeles Unified School District to shut down and 1,500 schools, impacting 650,000 students. Searches proved the threat was a hoax. A similar threat was received in New York City, where the school district opted to remain open, deeming the threats not credible.

Today,10 News reports that the L.A. e-mail  also warned, “If you cancel classes, the bombings will take place regardless, and we will bring our guns to the streets and offices of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, and San Diego.”   

The e-mail writer claimed to be a Muslim who had been bullied in L.A. schools and claimed to be working with “32 comrades” willing to die. The hoaxter claimed to have pressure cooker bombs hidden in backpacks to be detonated with cell phones as well as “nerve gas agents” set to go off at lunch time,automatic weapons and grenades to massacre students “mercilessly.”

By Miriam Raftery

December 8, 2015 (Alpine) – A lawsuit over a high school for Alpine is slated to be back in Superior Court downtown on December 17at 9:30 a.m.

Alpine taxpayers and the Alpine Union School District have filed a  reconsideration request asking Superior Court Judge Joel Pressman to grant Alpine’s  motion for summary adjudication and deny Grossmont’s motion for summary judgment, in  light of a Court of Appeals decision that found  Propositions H and U contain a promise to build an Alpine High School. 

Grossmont filed a  response asking just the opposite – urging Judge Pressman to deny Alpine’s motion for reconsideration.

Part 2 in our series on foster youth programs.  Read Part 1 here.

By Tasha Matthews

November 25, 2015 (San Diego)--Just in Time (JIT) is an organization that helps foster youth receive necessary resources in finance, education, basic needs, and life skills.  Just in Time for foster youth was a part of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation in 2003 (now known as Promises2Kids).  Since then, Just in Time has vastly expanded, dedicated to helping foster youths through their early adult years. Just in Time has eight programs and is growing more along the way:

November 24, 2015 (El Cajon)--Students coming from foster-care backgrounds struggling to get through college will get much needed help, thanks to a $1.2 million grant the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District will receive from the state starting next year.