January 23, 2019 (El Cajon) - Grossmont Adult School is completing its second round of multi-level English as a Second Language (ESL) classes with Viejas Casino & Resort. In these classes, employees – and local community members – spend three hours, twice a week in class improve their on-the-job English skills.

Source:  Cuyamaca College

Photo:  A participant in the 2018 Cuyamaca powwow

January 16, 2019 (El Cajon) - Native American tribes from throughout the West will be well represented at Cuyamaca College’s 5th Annual Powwow on Feb. 2 – a free, public event celebrating American Indian culture complete with bird singing, gourd dancing, storytelling, and more.

By Miriam Raftery

January 9, 2019 (La Mesa) – La Mesa’s Mayor, Councilmembers and members of the public voiced frustration and at times, anger at the outcome of an independent investigation commissioned by the city into use of force by La Mesa police school resource officer Scott Wulfing, who was shown on video knocking a handcuffed female student to the ground at Helix High School in January of last year.

Attorney Scott Tiedemann gave the presentation on the report prepared by Barry Aninag of B.A. Investigations, a former Irvine police commander. Aninag reportedly interviewed some 20 witnesses—but the public and council will not be permitted to read the report or statements from any of those interviews, due to confidentiality laws protecting investigations into police misconduct.  Those witnesses did not include the student, Brianna Bell, who was knocked down, and who has filed a lawsuit against the city.

Nor did the report include any details on what transpired on campus before the take-down show on the video. The report also had zero information on whether any investigation was conducted by the school or the school district, or results of any such inquiries.

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

December 12, 2018 (El Cajon) -- Cohesion and excellence are concepts often expressed in threes. The Three Musketeers. The Three Tenors. The Three Wise Men. The Triple Crown. The three Olympic medals. The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District has a winning trio of its own – the winners of the 2018 Chancellor/Classified Senate Award -- who were lauded Tuesday night by the Governing Board in recognition of their exemplary work. The jobs of the winners – Rochelle Weiser from Grossmont College; Gwen Nix from Cuyamaca College and Gabriella Avila-Garcia from District Services, are varied, representing the broad expanse of tasks performed by non-instructional staff.

East County News Service

December 3, 2018 (Poway) — The San Diego Academy of Horsemanship is announcing availability of its after school program. The program provides safe, educational and physically challenging activities for school-aged children in grades K-12 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. By providing a variety of ranch and equestrian activities and academic mentoring, the program offers enriched, relaxing, fun experiences. 

East County News Service

November 19, 2018 (San Diego) – San Diego State University campus police are investigating a robbery that occurred Sunday, November 18^th at 5:21 p.m. at the SDSU MTS Transit Station located at 5200 Campanile Drive.  The suspects reportedly pushed the victim and then took a cell phone while exiting the trolley. The victim sustained minor injuries and detectives are following up on several leads. 

East County News Service

November 12, 2018 (Lakeside) – The Sheriff’s department announced tonight that a 14-year-old student at El Capitan High School has been arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall for making criminal threats on social media toward the school.

East County News Service

November 9, 2018 (Lakeside) -- Blake Coleman of the Lakeside Middle Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter in Lakeside, California, took home 2nd place at the 2018 National FFA Agriscience Fair in the Plant Systems category, Division I of the competition.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos, left to right:  Rebecca McRae, Charda Fontenot, and Megan Epperson

November 7, 2018 (La Mesa-Spring Valley) – Three seats are open in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District due to three conservative Republicans stepping down.  Two slates have been vying for those seats and with 63% of precincts tallied, voters appear to have split among the conservative and reform slates. The common factor among the three currently in the lead is gender: all three are women in an election season that’s seen women winning races across the nation.

Teacher Rebecca McRae and lactation consultant/parent Charda Fontenot, both endorsed by the district’s teacher’s union and by the Democratic party in the official nonpartisan race, are currently in first and second place with 21.25% and 15.34%.  Megan Epperson, a parent backed by the Republican Party, has 15.19%.

Source: Alpine-Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce

November 1, 2018 (Alpine) - Residents in the Mountain Empire Unified School District are being asked to find out more about Measure JJ, a $15-million bond to renovate aging facilities at eight schools in sprawling rural East San Diego County.

Reform candidates’ slate reveals opponents used deceptive tactics, including fake photo, misleading claim on backing by teachers, and scare tactic over theater program

Listen to our interview aired on KNSJ

East County News Service

October 26, 2018 (La Mesa) – Chardá Fontenot is representing a slate of three candidates running to bring changes to the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District board. She says  she wants to increase transparency, bridge the achievement gap between minority and white students, bring back sixth grade camp, increase revenue sources and restore respect by board members to students, teachers and parents. 

She’s also criticized an opposing slate for deceptive tactics used in their campaign, including running a fake candidate photo and misleading voters on which slate has backing from the LMSV Teacher's Association.

Fontenot has served as a district advisory council representative, parent volunteer, and currently chairs the school site council. A mother who once attended schools in the district herself, she’s also  a certified lactation counselor who owns a lactation business.

Hear her full interview on KNSJ 89.1 FM at the audio link and scroll down for highlights.

Updated October 25 with additional information from the Superintendent regarding this decision.

By Miriam Raftery

October 24, 2018 (La Mesa-Spring Valley) – At the request of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, San Diego County’s Registrar of Voters has slashed the number of schools used as polling places from 14 in the June primary to just five in the November gubernatorial general election. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 20, 2018 (El Cajon) — Cajon Valley Union School District was recently featured in an article in Forbes, The World of Work - In Elementary School, highlighting the El Cajon district’s World of Work program by Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart.

By Miriam Raftery

October 8, 2018 (Alpine) –A legal settlement between the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) and the Alpine Union High School District (AUSD) contained a non-disparagement clause that has effectively muzzled Alpine education leaders and concerned parents from criticizing the GUHSD board.