Source: Community College Equity Assessment Lab

December 12, 2016 (San Diego) -- A new study finds that approximately one-third of community college students experience the threat of homelessness and housing instability and twelve percent face the threat of hunger.  More than 70% of these students are in remedial math courses.

By Miriam Raftery

December 3, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated Betsy DeVos to serve as Secretary of Education.  But the nomination has drawn sharp criticism from prominent educators due to her support of directing public funds into private and largely religious schools through vouchers, charters and other means.

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2016 (Jamul-Dulzura) — Two military veterans have won seats on the Jamul-Dulzura Union School Board.  Running on a platform of giving back and continuing to serve their community, the pair won two open seats.

Sam Manis is an Army veteran once assigned to the White House communications agency. He is a farmer and cheesemaker, father of triplets  and has served as treasurer of the San Diego County 4H Club.   He stated on his Facebook  page, “I am running for the Jamul-Dulzura Union School Board because I have devoted my life to serving my community and children. As a long time Jamul resident I am deeply rooted in this community and want to support our local schools so every child is able to grow and learn to the best of their ability. As a US Army veteran, I firmly believe in giving back to this great nation that has been so generous to me.”

More than 100 Girl Scouts learned about the future of water in East San Diego County

Source:  Padre Dam nes release

November 10, 2016 (Santee) - More than 100 Girl Scouts from San Diego County joined Padre Dam Municipal Water District on Sunday, November 6 to learn about water, conservation and the future of water in East San Diego County during Padre Dam’s Girl Scout San Diego Day at the East County Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility.

School bond measure also passes

By Miriam Raftery

November 9, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) –The Grossmont Union High School District has been rife with controversies including efforts to parents to split the district apart after the board ignored admonishments by the County Grand Jury  and refused to build an Alpine High School promised in two past bond measures—voting to instead fund a lawsuit defending the district’s stance.   

Yesterday,  voters cast out incumbent  Jim Stieringer, the newest Board member in a wave of anti-incumbency that swept the nation on a day that saw Donald Trump capture the presidency.  His replacement in trustee district 2, the La Mesa-Mt. Helix area, is a teacher.  Voters also elected a teacher in district 1 in Lemon Grove-Spring Valley-La Prensa, carved out through redistricting as a majority-minority district. Here's what the public can learn from these races.

November 7, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Nick Marinovich chaired a school bond oversight committee in the Sweetwater Union High School District, where officials were convicted for illegal pay-to-play.  He resigned his position on the Grossmont Union High School District’s Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, contending Grossmont’s committee acted like a lapdog,  not a watchdog—failing in its oversight duties.

He reached out to us to share his concerns over Measure BB,  a $128 million school bond measure.  

You can hear our interview, originally aired on KNSJ radio, by clicking the audio link: https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...  and scroll down for highlights.

By Priscilla Schreiber, Trustee, Grossmont Union High School District

November 3, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- After reviewing statements made in the San Diego County Taxpayers Association's (SDCTA) campaign literature, "Yes on BB", I thought it would be helpful to the voters if I shared my perspective, as the Board member who did not vote to put this bond measure on the ballot.

My comments (not in bold) follow their statements (in boldface):

Source: San Diego Community College District

October 27, 2016 (San Diego) – The San Diego Community College District has issued the following alert:  As many of you may already know, families across San Diego are receiving phone calls from “virtual kidnappers” claiming a loved one or family member has been kidnapped.  These criminals then demand a ransom amount (usually a few thousand dollars) that can be dropped off at a remote location (often in Tijuana) in exchange for the safe release and return of the “kidnapped” family member. The criminals’ phone numbers are often untraceable.

Please do not meet their demands!  This is a phone scam that local law enforcement and the FBI are investigating.  

What to do when you or your family member receives a similar phone call:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy ECM news partner 10 News

October 25, 2016 (El Cajon)—A 14-year-old football player at Grossmont High School was injured  by lightning that struck nearby while walking toward the locker room after football practice yesterday around 6:15 p.m. 

In 2010,  we reported on a coach at El Capitan High School who kept players on a field during a lightning storm in violation of district policy. “The policy of the GUHSD in thunder/lightning storm conditions would be to immediately seek safe shelter at the first sound of thunder and to remain in said shelter until at least ½ hour after the last sound of thunder,” Larry Pear, director of extended and co-curricular activities at the Grossmont Union High School District,  told us at the time.

Numerous witnesses report seeing lighting strikes throughout the afternoon in the community, right up until the time the student was struck. So why wasn’t yesterday’s football practice at Grossmont High, in the same school district, cancelled?

Source: Grossmont Union High School District

October 13, 2016 (El Cajon) -Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) announced the completion of renovation and modernization work on the main building and theater at Valhalla High School in El Cajon. A re-dedication event was held on Oct. 12 to unveil the new facility to the community.

With a construction cost of $33 million, the 14-month project completely transformed and modernized the 40-year-old main building and the theater, while preserving some of its historical elements.

By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2016 (El Cajon) – Five candidates are running for two open seats on the Cajon Valley Union School District board, according to the Registrar of Voters site. One of them, Jim P. Miller, ran for Superior Court Judge in 2016 and had his Lincoln Club endorsement revoked after it was exposed that he failed to disclose that he had been removed as a Judge Pro Tem by the Superior Court.

East County News Service

October 1, 2016 (Spring Valley) -- In the world of fictional superheroes, Ironman’s alter-ego is Tony Stark, a business-minded intellectual and ingenious engineer.  It fits the theme of what East County Youth Coalition (ECYC) members at Mt. Miguel High School are stressing for their school’s superhero-themed homecoming. The teens are pressing adults to use their intellects to stop providing alcohol to minors.

East County News Service

October 1, 2016 (El Cajon) -- With Election Day just around the corner, here’s an opportunity to get a historical perspective of voting in America.

The Cuyamaca College Department of History, Social and Behavioral Sciences will present “Politics: Past and Present Series 2016,” through the month of October to focus on a variety of political discussion topics, including voter suppression, gender, foreign policy, local propositions, and the role of persuasion in politics.  The free events, sponsored by Student Affairs and led by Cuyamaca College instructors, are open to the public. Refreshments, music and a voter registration drive will cap each discussion.

East County News Service

September 20, 2016 (El Cajon) - Five instructors at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges have been selected by their peers as the academic year’s best faculty members. The honorees were lauded at fall convocations for exemplary service to the East County campuses.