By Jake Christie

March 4, 2013 (Alpine)--The Alpine Union School District Trustees Board discussed security measures at its latest meeting, in light of recent out-of-state school shootings. But the audience (including many teachers) was far more interested in the economic viability of the district than any security program.

Superintendent Tom Pellegrino began with a rundown of what the Alpine district was planning to do with security.

February 26, 2013 (San Diego)-- As one of 6,000 homeless or unaccompanied youths in the San Diego Unified School District, Jorge Palacios could have easily dropped out of school.  But he didn’t.  Now, his determination to graduate and move on to a college education was rewarded when he received keys to a newly refurbished vehicle from Caliber Collision’s Recycled Rides program last Friday.  

Caliber Collision’s Recycled Rides program partners with insurance companies to donate refurbished vehicles to individuals and service organizations in need.  Jorge’s new vehicle was donated by Esurance and refurbished by Caliber Collision associates who volunteered personal time to repair the car and solicit donations from local businesses to help with expenses such as gas and insurance.

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2013 (Alpine)—In the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, school districts across America are examining security procedures to consider the unthinkable – how to respond if confronted with a gunman aiming to commit mass murder.

The debate is raging in Alpine, where at least one parent is calling for armed guards in public schools.  On February 21, the Alpine Union School District Board will hear a report from Superintendent Pellegrino on school safety measures in place and new concepts to consider—ranging from enhanced lockdown procedures to potentially, adding armed guards and perimeter controls to local campuses.

By Jake Christie

ECM editor Miriam Raftery also contributed to this story

February 20, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--In a four-to-one vote, the Grossmont Union High School District Governing Board  this week decided to not adopt a resolution to resubmit building plans for a 12^th high school in Alpine. There was no public input from the small audience, and the item was not discussed until about an hour and 30 minutes into the meeting. The Board members voted 4-1 to defeat the motion, with only Jim Stieringer voting in favor of his resolution.

By Walt Meyer

February 19, 2013 (Lakeside)--New careers as the wave of the future was a key theme in a guest lecture February 12 given by Chuck Brands at El Capitan High School.  Brands is a local sustainability and solar energy expert who is also vice-president of Heartland Coalition and director of its UnitedGREEN division.

Last fall, Brands coordinated a class at Southwestern College to teach a new technology that uses all relevant data to map a building so that owners and occupants can manage their energy consumption and plan to adapt the building for energy innovation. The students were team-taught this pioneering class by experts from across the country under a grant from SDG&E to the Heartland Coalition.

February 18, 2013 (Washington D.C.) –“Everyone has a teacher from their past who inspired them. Teachers play a significant role in a student’s development and as our nation’s builders, which is why it is so important to give teachers the opportunities to grow as educators,” a press release from Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) states. However, many school districts lack a method for giving teachers and principals the developmental feedback to help them reach their ultimate professional potential. 

Davis, along with Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) has introduced legislation that they believe will give teachers the feedback and the support they deserve.

February 12, 2013 (Santee)--Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) today released comments on a case of teacher misconduct in California’s public education system.  Brentwood Unified School District refused to fire a teacher after she kicked a five-year-old “special needs” student to the floor.The district stated that its hands were tied due to “flaws in the California Education Code” which prevented it from firing the teacher, Jones noted.

“Are you kidding me?” said Jones.

 The teacher was ultimately convicted of misdemeanor child abuse, but was allowed to continue teaching for two years, the Mercury News reported.  An investigation found that at least 11 employees failed in their legal duty to report suspicion of child abuse in earlier incidents.

Framework to Advance Jobs, Schools & our Environment

January 30, 2013 (San Diego)--To initiate implementation discussions about Proposition 39 passed by the voters, Senate Appropriations Chair Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) convened the Subcommittee on Fiscal Oversight and Bonded Indebtedness in San Diego on Friday, January 25, Joining Senator De León on the dais were Senate Appropriations Committee member Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach) and San Diego representatives Senator Marty Block, and Assembly members Toni Atkins and Ben Hueso. Panelists from education, labor, business and environmental organizations outlined pitfalls to avoid when spending the more than $2 billion in energy efficiency funds generated by the initiative.

Photos by Stephen Harvey/Grossmont College photographer

January 25, 2013 (El Cajon)--Spring semester begins January 28 at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges in a restorative vein, with hundreds of classes added back as the result of California voters’ approval of Proposition 30, the governor’s sales and income tax measure.

The November victory at the polls allowed the colleges to restore 235 course offerings for the new semester that had been cut when the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District approved its budget .The action was taken to prepare for the worst-case scenario of the district losing $5.6 million in funding had voters rejected Prop. 30.

Peg Marcus, Grossmont College’s student body president, shares a laugh with the campus mascot, Gizmo, this week as the campus prepares for the start of the new semester Monday, Jan. 28. 

January 22, 2012  (San Diego)--After finding recent studies showing that one in four freshmen in the U.S. do not complete their first year of college, despite giving college a try, a team at CollegeAtHome.com decided to create an infographic that would show some of the reasons why.

Is it possible that high school students simply do not have a realistic idea of what college is actually like? Also, it may be possible that many of these students simply don’t see the point of staying in college due to the slow job market.

January 17, 2013 (La Mesa) – La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board trustee Penny Halgren announced her immediate resignation at Tuesday’s meeting.  Halgren said she is moving to Aracadia Los Angeles County to be with her boyfriend.  Halgren has served on the board since 2002 and was reelected in 2010. 

Asked whether the opening will be filled by appointment or by special election, Barbara Martinez, executive assistant to Superintendent Brian Marshall, told ECM, “That will be up to the Board to decide at the February 5 meeting.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 15, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Visitors to websites for several high schools in the Grossmont Union High School District on Saturday morning found material posted by a hacker.

“One of the District's web servers was compromised,” district spokesperson Catherine Martin told East County Magazine.  Several school home pages were “replaced with photos of Osama Bin Laden and some commentary,” she added.

December 27, 2012 (San Diego) -- People of all ages are struggling to comprehend the shootings that took place in Newtown, Conn. In particular, children and teens are likely struggling to make sense of the things they are seeing and hearing regarding the tragedy on television, at school, and among their peers. Many children will have questions and be in need of additional comfort in the coming days and weeks. San Diego County Library has put together a list of resources that parents can use to help answer questions and reassure children of their safety and comfort.

Education News and Notes

By Anat Tour, math teacher and children’s author/illustrator

December 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--December is a busy time for the holidays, but if you are a high school senior this is the season to get your college checklist in order.

In addition, here are my picks for this month’s top stories of interest to local students, teachers, and parents: