By Jack Pott

April 1, 2014 (Alpine) –Alpine parents have finally found a way to build the long-promised high school. 

“The odds of counting on the Grossmont Union High School District were just unwinnable,” said Sal Casamassimo, Chair, Alpine High School Citizens Committee.  “We twice voted for bond measures to build the school, and both times they spent all the money on other projects not even listed in the bond.”

Parents got signatures to divorce from the district and unify with the Alpine Union School District.  But after learning that this process would take several more years, Alpine parents decided to pool their resources and take a gamble—literally. (click "read more" below for full story)

Resident submit signatures to unify AUSD, split off from Grossmont District

"How deaf can this CBOC be without being complicit and compliant with the Board Majority’s political bias towards Alpine, as cited by the Grand Jury?”—GUHSD trustee Priscilla Schreiber

By Miriam Raftery;  Janis Mork also contributed to this story

February 1, 2014 (Alpine) – At a contentious meeting of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) on January 30, Chris Loarie testified that the Alpine High School Citizens Committee  (AHSCC) has submitted final signatures to the County Office of Education for unification of the Alpine Union School District (AUSD).  Frustrated by the GUHSD board’s repeated  refusal to build an Alpine high school despite two bond measures for that purpose, Alpine parents aim to bolt from the Grossmont District and expand the AUSD to include high school students and ultimately, build a high school.

Others, including an attorney and a district trustee, are leveling sharp criticism at the CBOC for turning a blind-eye to findings of a Grand Jury report on the District’s failure to fulfill its promises to Alpine voters, a report titled “Fool me once, fool me twice.”  Critics contend that the CBOC has ignored facts and further, that the Chair has exhibited bias  and presented skewed information for oversight committee members.  

By Miriam Raftery

May 21, 2013 (Alpine) – The San Diego County Grand Jury has issue a report blasting the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) for repeatedly axing plans to build a 12th high school in Alpine despite voters twice approving bond measures to construct the new high school. The report is descriptively titled Grossmont Union High School District—Fool Us Once, Fool Us Twice?

The Grand Jury found that “residents of the GUHSD and the greater Alpine area deserve clarity from the School Board regarding the proposed 12th high school."

The report referenced several past articles published in East County Magazine.

By Miriam Raftery

“How many more children are going to have to die before we get a high school in Alpine?” – Rose Urdahl, Alpine resident
 

Update November 11, 2011:  Mother discharged from hospital

May 27, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Two proposed options for new boundary lines in the Grossmont Union High School District will be presented by the District’s Boundary Committee at a public meeting on Thursday, June 2 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Instructional Resource Classroom, 301 North Mollison Avenue in El Cajon.

One plan, Model 12, includes redrawn boundaries to include a 12th new high school planned in Alpine. An alternative plan, Model 9, provides a contingency in case the Alpine High School is not built and redraws boundaries for the District’s nine existing non-chartered high schools.

“This is a watershed meeting,” said Doug Deane, chairman of the committee. “If there are different viewpoints, people need to speak June 2 at our meeting….Every high school will be affected, whether or not there is a twelfth high school built.”

We understand that there may be (again) a declared "delay" of the 12th GUHSD HS startup. This will effectively kill this project forever. -- Bill Weaver

By Bill Weaver

By: Jeremy Los

January 19, 2011 (Alpine)--The proposed 12th high school in Alpine continues to face hurdles as the push for its groundbreaking soldiers on. The latest obstacles facing the potential campus are the potential missed enrollment trigger as well as the prospect that the school will not service all the students in the area.

November 6, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Grossmont Union High School District’s board has announced a special budget workshop on Tuesday, November 9th upstairs in the Cuyamaca College Student Center, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway. The public session will begin at 5 p.m., with discussion of the new Alpine High School at 7:30 p.m.

By Bill Weaver

July 29, 2010 (Alpine) -- This summer season is full of behind the scenes activity surrounding our 12th Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) high school. It will be located on the land adjacent to Viejas Creek, south of Viejas Mountain, immediately south of the I-8 freeway, and ½ mile east of the Albertsons store.

Creative learning model is part of agenda at June 8 forum on Alpine's new high school

By Megan Werland
Alpine resident and member of the 12th HS Design Team

May 29, 2010 (Alpine) -- On June 8th, the GUHSD’s 12th High School Design Team will introduce its curriculum and architectural design to the community of Alpine and Blossom Valley (BV).

People will see innovation that will inspire them and may even make them a little nervous. Because after all, a school of the future will not look like the high school we attended when we were younger. Not to worry, parents!

By Miriam Raftery

May 19, 2010 (Alpine) – Short of smoke signals, Viejas Vice Chairman Robert “Cita” Welch couldn’t have delivered a stronger message to members of a committee appointed by the Grossmont Union High School Board to recommend names for a planned new high school in Alpine. Despite a “long and proud tradition” of working with the District, Viejas has "increasing concerns" over a proposal to name the school after Ronald Reagan, Welch said.

"Your actions WILL have an impact on our future relationship with the district," he told committee members, then added that former President Reagan “is NOT well-regarded in Indian Country.  At best he didn’t really care too much about Native Americans. At worst—and in some well-documented cases—he showed outright contempt for Native Americans. This should matter to each of you."

Board meets May 13; Critics slam GUHSD for secretly stacking advisory board with conservative political figures

By Miriam Raftery

May 12, 2010 (Alpine) – Why doesn’t the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) want the public to be given the names of people appointed to serve on a committee to name Alpine’s planned new high school?

“It’s a secret that East county’s high school district evidently would prefer you didn’t know,” stated a San Diego Union-Tribune editorial.  The GUHSD board forced the newspaper to file an official public records act request to obtain committee members' names.

The list suggests the GUHSD trustees hand-picked political figures, a large majority of whom support naming the new school after former president Ronald Reagan.