"We won't be silent as anti-public education politicians try to steal opportunities from our students, our families, and our communities to pay for tax cuts for billionaires," said the head of the nation's largest labor union.

By Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams

March 20, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday afternoon directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of shutting down the Department of Education.

By Alexander J. Schorr

Photo, left, via Grossmont Education Association: angry crowd turns back on Acting Superintendent Sandra Huezo and the GUHSD board

March 13, 2025 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont Union High School district staff and its students have been protesting the board majority’s controversial firings of teaching, librarian, and counseling positions in recent days, including student walk-outs, picketing at schools by parents and teachers, and a petition signed by more than 3,500 people opposed to the cuts. Opponents held a rally outside Wednesday night’s contentious board meeting, where 500 people filled the hall and every speaker criticized the board’s action.  But their pleas fell on deaf ears, and the board chairman refused to allow a motion by trustee Chris Fite that would have reversed the vote authorizing the lay-offs.

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

March 9, 2025 (Los Angeles) -- The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association are suing the Trump administration over a threat of funding cuts and investigations of schools that integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their policies or lessons.

By Miriam Raftery

March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Threats issued by President Donald Trump targeting colleges, universities and student protesters are illegal and unconstitutional, according to legal and civil liberties experts.

Today, Trump posted on his social media account, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.  American students will be permanently expelled or depending on on the crime, arrested.NO MASKS!”

The post comes on the heels of two executive orders issued by Trump which seek to pressure higher education officials to target immigrant students and staff for exercising First Amendment freedom of spech rights, including pro-Palestinian protesterrs or students critical of the U.S. government, culture, institutions or founding principals. Today's Truth Social post goes further, demanding that even students who are U.S. citizens be expelled and imprisoned for participating in campus protests if deemed "illegal.".

By Miriam Raftery

February 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- At 4:30 today, the Grossmont Union-High School District is holding a special meeting to considering firing 49 employees including all high school librarians.  Others targeted include English teachers, psychologists and more.

Opponents of cutting librarians have set up a website at  https://sites.google.com/view/save-guhsd-librarians/home. It includes a petition which has gathered over 1,100 signatures as of late this afternoon.

“The Grossmont Union High School District Board majority is pulling the same shady tricks as last year. They are planning layoffs claiming no money when they are holding a 13% reserve fund. This is well over state requirements,” says Jay Steiger, former GUHSD candidate who previously served on the district’s bond oversight committee.

 View the full list of 49 positions on the chopping block.  The 4:30 p.m. meeting of the GUHSD board will be held today at El Cajon Valley High School’s multipurpose room, 1035 East Madison Avenue in El Cajon.

By a school counselor, who asked to remain anonymous

Photo:CC by SA via Bing

February 13, 2025 (El Cajon, CA) -- The Grossmont Union High School District is set to eliminate 22 school counseling positions next year. This is not just a number—these are people who are on the frontlines, working day in and day out to support our students through mental health crises, academic struggles, and life challenges. Does the public understand what this means? Does anyone care that the care for our kids is about to drastically decrease?

School counselors do far more than manage schedules and guide college applications. We are the ones who step in when students are on the brink of despair, offering a safe space when they feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Today, I saved a life. I had a student walk into my office feeling like there was no hope left, contemplating ending their life. But I was there. I listened, I acted, and I made sure they got the help they needed before it was too late.

By Alex Schorr

Photo,Left to Right: Dr. Gary Woods (President, Area 3 Trustee), Robert Shield (Vice President, Area 4 Trustee), Scott Eckert (Clerk, Area 2 Trustee), Jim Kelly (Member, Area 5 Trustee), and Chris Fite (Member, Area 1 Trustee).

February 9, 2025 (El Cajon) – Teachers, parents, and community members leveled sharp criticism of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board of trustees during a special budget workshop meeting on February 6. Numerous speakers objected to the board’s creation of a costly new chief of staff position and waiving of board policies to do so, after the board majority earlier voted to lay off numerous employees, including many teachers.

East County News Service

January 24, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The  San Diego County Office of Education has announced numerous school closures today due to the Border 2 Fire as well as power outages.

Power outages have resulted in closure of all Mountain Empire Unified School District and Warner Unified School district campuses today, as well as all Borrego Unified School District and Dehesa School District schools.. Currently over 19,000 customers are without power due to public power safety shutoffs, with more than 63,000 more at risk of losing power. For updates on power outages due to public safety shutoffs, visit https://www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.

The Border 2 Fire has caused closures of the following schools:   Eastlake High, Eastlake Middle, East Hills Academy in the Sweetwater Union High School District,High Tech High in CHuula Vista, Arroya Vista Charter School, and in the Chula Vista Elementary School District Arroyo Vista, Camarena, Eastlake, Liberty, Marshall, Olympic View, Salt Creek, and Wolf Canyon elementary schools are closed; all other CVESD schools remain open but on rainy day schedule due to poor air quality.

Source:  Grossmont Union High School District

January 17, 2025 (El Cajon) -- Superintendent Mike Fowler has announced plans to step aside from his duties until March 1, 2025, as he receives treatment for a malignant brain tumor. After his diagnosis, Fowler underwent a successful surgery in December. He has now begun a rigorous treatment schedule which will require him to remain on leave through February. As a result, the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Governing Board took official action during a January 16 Special Governing Board meeting to appoint Sandra C. Huezo as Acting Superintendent.

January 8, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for San Diego County mountains and valleys today and tomorrow due to high winds and extreme fire danger. The strong winds that have fueled two large wildfires decimating Los Angeles County are forecast to move into San Diego County next.

This is the driest winter period measured from October 1 through January 8 since 1850, according to the National Weather Service, increasing fire danger.

Due to high winds and potential power outages, schools in six local districts will be closed today. The San Diego County Office of Education announced the closures for:

• Julian Union Elementary School District
• Julian Union High School District
• Mountain Empire Unified School District
• Ramona Unified School District
• Spencer Valley School District
• Warner Unified School District

“The safety of students and school staff is of the utmost importance to San Diego County school districts,” officials said in a news release.

In Los Angeles County, devastating fires have collectively destroyed over 1,000 homes and two people have died, the Los Angeles Times reports.

East County News Service

December 17, 2024 (Lemon Grove) – Students at Lemon Grove Academy Middle School saw a student with what appeared to be a firearm in his backpack on Friday, December 13, but didn’t report it to school staff until Monday, December 16.

School administrators immediately contacted the Lemon Grove substation. Deputies questioned the 14-year-old student and his parents. The firearm turned out to be a plastic BB gun that the student showed to classmates. The BB gun was seized without incident, says Lieutenant Joe Barry.

Source:  Cal Coast Cares Foundation

December 9, 2024 (San Diego) - The Cal Coast Cares Foundation has awarded $75,000 in grants to local educators to support innovative STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Math) projects in San Diego and Riverside counties.

Source:  San Diego Sheriff's Department

November 22, 2024 (Alpine) - On Thursday, November 21, around 5:30 p.m., the San Diego County Sheriff's Office was notified by the administration of Shadow Hills Elementary School in Alpine about threats made by two students against a group of students and teachers.

District earns Partnership of the Decade Award; leaders honored

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

October 31, 2024 (El Cajon) - On Friday, October 25, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District was honored with a Partnership of the Decade Award from the East County Economic Development Council at their 40^th Anniversary Gala. The event celebrated the accomplishments of the East County EDC, as well as their valued partners. The East County EDC recognized the most impactful partnerships over the past decade, and honored organizations that have played a crucial role in driving economic development in East County.

Hear audio of full interview aired on KNSJ

October 20, 2024 (San Diego) -- Victor Crosthwaite Contreras is the founder of  Early California Speaks, an organization that provides historical recreations for schools and other locations. East County Magazine recently interviewed him for our radio show on KNSJ, where he spoke about the multicultural programs offered. He also provided a dramatic reading bringing to life a soldier from the first Spanish expedition here.

Early California began in 2019, “direct of my ancestry and working with Old Town San Diego State Park,” Contreras says. He became involved in Old Town through his  mother for the 200^th anniversary of San Diego, where descendants of those early residents were asked to provide documents and stories and artifacts of early California.

“I’m a retired teacher, so schools are close to my heart, and of course California history is close to my heart because of my ancestry,” he says. Also an accomplished actor, Contreras was the head of the theater department at the school of performing arts in Chula Vista, as well as Cal State San Marcos.