ALPINE HAS ITS DAY IN COURT-- AND A CHANGE OF HEART FROM GUHSD BOARD MEMBER STIERINGER

East County News Service

December 25, 2014 (Alpine)—There are two major new developments in the battle over a high school for Alpine.  At the December 11 meeting of the Grossmont Union High School District, trustee Jim Stieringer stunned fellow board members by announcing his support for unification—the effort by Alpine parents to break from the GUHSD and unify Alpine Union School District (AUDS) to include K-12 grades, so that it can build the high school that the GUHSD has failed to build.

Stieringer stated that he had come to the realization that the GUHSD board “will never build the high school.” View the announcement at 1:12:15 on this video: http://vimeo.com/114398240 . But with Priscilla Schreiber the only other trustee on the five-member board who supports the unification, Alpine parents still have no confidence that the GUHSD board will withdraw its opposition to unification.

Then on Friday, a Superior Court Judge Heard a lawsuit filed by Alpine taxpayers and the AUSD seeking an injunction to prevent the GUHSD from spending funds intended for the Alpine high school.  Voters twice approved bond measures, Prop H and Prop U, that included funds for the project.  A Grand Jury report sharply criticized the GUHSD board for failing to build the school as promised.

The judge went into closed sessions with each side separately, then jointly, before continuing the hearing until January 8^th.