By Miriam  Raftery

April 24, 2024 (El Cajon)—The Cajon Valley Union School District’s board of trustees voted during a special meeting April 22 to appoint Emily “Lily” Schworm to fill the vacancy on the board left by the resignation of Jo Alegria.

A bilingual education teacher, Schworm previously ran for El Cajon City Council in 2012. In an interview then with East County Magazine, Schworm said she has taught in the Cajon Valley, La Mesa-Spring Valley and South Bay school districts before choosing to homeschool her children..

In her application for the position, she describes herself as an "extremely invested parent and an experience teacher" who has resided in El Cajon most of her life.

She has also been an active volunteer with Foothills Christian Church including mentoring at-risk youths, after-school groups and more.

By Kirsten Andelman

March 11, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) -- Close to 100 people came before the Grossmont Union High School District board meeting February 22, eager to hear -- and be heard -- regarding disciplinary action taken against four educators at Santana High School after a teenager was sex-trafficked in 2021. 

Updated  February 22, 2024

By Miriam Raftery

February 21, 2024 (El Cajon)— A resignation letter from  Trustee Jo Alegria dated February 15 was read aloud this week at the Cajon Valley Union School District board meeting by board president Jim Miller. 

The County Office of Education has now confirmed that the  Superinendent of Education has received a formal resignation letter from  Alegria, who has represented seat 3, making the effective date February 21.. The office’s chief of staff, Music Watson, says that within 60 days of a vacancy occurring, a district’s governing board must either order an election or make a provisional appointment to fill the vacancy.  View full procedures here.  See map of district seats,below right.

Alegria has served on the CVUSD board for nearly a decade.  Elected in November 2014,  she has also served as board president. Her resignation follows her missing the past two board meetings, and comes after critics posted negative remarks on social media.

In her resignation letter, Alegria said it has been an “honor and a privilege to serve on the board, adding that she believes “passionately in the importance of public education and public service...”

By Jonathan Goetz

February 19, 2024 (La Mesa) -- World Book Day is an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. The main purpose of World Book Day is to encourage people of all ages to discover the joy of books and reading. It also aims to support authors and publishers by raising awareness of their work and protecting their rights, according to Bing's Copilot. It is celebrated on February 23 in many countries around the world, including the United States.

Will the Grossmont-Cuymaca Community College District or the Water Conservation Garden Joint Powers Authority step in to operate the Garden?

By Miriam Raftery

February 16, 2024 (Rancho San Diego) – The Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, a treasured community destination, has closed temporarily amid efforts to reorganize under new leadership.

“As we celebrate our 25^th anniversary this year, we will be undergoing major structural changes,” interim executive director Lauren Magnuson announced in an email sent to media and supporters of the Garden. “A reopening date will be announced in the future...The Garden is committed to reopening and continuing its mission to educate and inspire the community to promote water conservation,” she concluded, adding, “We look forward to welcoming you back soon with a renewed and thriving Water Conservation Garden experience!”

The temporary closure announcement follows months of financial concerns stemming primarily from large loans taken out by the Garden’s former director, Jennifer Pillsbury, during and after COVID.

“Sunshine is said to be the best of disinfectants.” – Louis Brandeis, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1913)

By Alex Welling

February 6, 2024 (El Cajon) -- On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Cajon Valley Union School District’s controversial special meeting to approve former Board President Tamara Otero’s $60,000 golden parachute, current Board President Jim Miller undercut the will of the people again.

Cajon Valley is no stranger to violating its bylaws and California’s signature open meetings law, the Brown Act. Over the years, lawsuits have been threatened and filed; however, no violation has been as overt as what happened at Tuesday’s special meeting. Board President Miller called for a last-minute, improperly noticed meeting at an inconvenient time to force through more than 500 Board Policy updates.

These policies are critical as they define the roles and responsibilities of the Board and its only employee, Superintendent David Miyashiro. They're also extremely controversial in the case of Cajon Valley.

JPA to discuss options in a closed-door meeting with legal counsel

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Dr. Michael Hager, President, Friends of the Water Conservation Garden, and Lauren Magnuson, Interim Director of the Garden

January 30, 2024 (El Cajon) – Friends of the Water Conservation Garden and the garden’s new interim director, Lauren Magnuson, made impassioned pleas at a January 23 meeting,  asking the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to allocate additional funds through June to help alleviate a financial crisis.

The Water Conservation Garden is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year. Magnuson. said, “We supported the community during the pandemic. Now we are hoping that the community will support us.”

The Garden has over $1 million in financial obligations, including large loans taken out during the pandemic and some smaller grant funds slated to be returned. Questions have been raised by the JPA over years of inaccurate record-keeping practices and borrowing by Friends to cover the Garden’s operating expenses, among other concerns.

“The Garden has significantly cut our monthly budget by more than half,” Magnuson told ECM in an interview earlier this month. “We unfortunately had to furlough a good portion of our staff and lean on current staff to absorb those furloughed positions.” She has pledged full transparency and open communication with staff and volunteers, scrambling to pull together financial records and options to help the garden grow and thrive in the future—though the task is daunting.

East County News Service

January 27, 2024 (San Diego) -- Supervisor Joel Anderson asked his staff to compile a list of scholarship opportunities and financial resources to assist students.

“I am aware of the financial barriers that many parents or students face. Having three children go through this process, I understand the value behind scholarship opportunities and the importance behind financial assistance,” says Supervisor Anderson.  “We have made an effort to find a diverse set of scholarship opportunities that will be useful and relevant to you. It’s important to note that many of these opportunities have upcoming deadlines, so we recommend being mindful as these dates approach. Also, if there are any other resources you would like to see included in the list, please send them to paige.bounds@sdcounty.ca.gov and we would be happy to add them.”

Below are the scholarships available for spring 2024: