By Jakob McWhinney, Voice of San Diego

File photos via ECM:  GUHSD trustees Robert Shields and Jim Kelly, who were caught on hot mikes. These images did not appear in the original Voice of San Diego article.

March 15, 2025 (El Cajon) -- For weeks now, Grossmont Union’s board meetings have been dominated by crowds of community members furious at the district’s plan to close its budget deficit by laying off more than 60 employees. Those layoffs, which the board approved by a four to one vote two weeks ago, include assistant principals, teachers and nearly every single one of the district’s librarians. 

The scene was the same at Tuesday’s board meeting, when hundreds of protesters packed into Grossmont High School’s gym to advocate the board rescind the layoffs. 

Gary Woods, who voted in favor of the layoffs, said the decision made them “heartsick.” But another trustee was more frank about what he thought about the librarians on the chopping block during a hot mic moment just prior to the meeting’s official start according to a screen recording of the meeting shared with Voice of San Diego. 

By Miriam Raftery

An ECM  Special Report

October 13, 2012 (El Cajon)—The San Diego Grand Jury has launched an investigation into possible misuse of bond funds by the Grossmont Union High School District’s board majority, muliple sources have confirmed to East County Magazine.  

“We’re in a Grand Jury investigation about Alpine,” GUHSD board trustee Priscilla Schreiber told ECM. Schreiber said she learned of the probe “by accident” while in the District’s office.  Schreiber has been a vocal critic of the Board majority (Trustees Gary Woods, Jim Kelly, and Robert Shields) for blocking construction of a high school for Alpine while allowing diversion of school bond funds for costly new projects not mandated in two bond measures, Prop H and Prop U. Both measures were approved by voters and specifically called for a new high school in Alpine.