September 13, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Adult Reentry Program will host “Who Foots The Bill,” a free informational meeting for adults interested in returning to school to reenter the workforce, learn a new career, earn a college diploma or upgrade skills for a job promotion. The event is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Speakers include financial experts offering advice on estimating and planning for college expenses, along with information on admission procedures, transfer programs and financial aid.

Whitman’s support for more deep education spending cuts at issue in race for Governor
 

By Miriam Raftery
 

September 10, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Mark Yudof, president of the University of California and Jack Scott, chancellor of the California community college system have resigned from the California Chamber of Commerce board of directors in protest of the organization endorsing Republican Meg Whitman for Governor. The leaders sharply criticized the Chamber for taking a partisan stance, the Los Angeles Times reports.

September 9, 2010 (San Diego)--Before the new school year gets even busier for your favorite high school junior or senior, the San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB) is inviting all 11th and 12th graders to write and submit a 400-word essay on the importance of marketplace ethics and receive up to a $1,500 scholarship from the BBB.

Calls provision allowing school lunch equipment purchases "wasteful spending"

August 31, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon) , a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, voted against sending H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, to the full House for consideration. 

The bill aims to make school lunches more nutritious and get junk food out of schools. The goal is to improve children's health and cut down on childhood obesity, a national epidemic.  From 1980 to 2009, childhood obesity in America has tripled--and poor nutritional habits are largely to blame. In California, 30.5% of all children are obese, putting them at higher risk of diabetes and heart problems later on.

Head of nation’s largest college system faults two-thirds rule for impeding passage of state budget;  remarks made during visit at Cuyamaca College

August 27, 2010(El Cajon)--Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Chancellor Cindy Miles welcomed California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott to Cuyamaca College on Thursday for a candid discussion with the region’s community college and business leaders. Topics ranged from the state budget crisis to a bill just passed that will smooth transition for students from two-year campuses to state universities.

By Nancy Clement & Dawn Clement

Share creative ideas to assist people of all ages on tips to save money and improve their lifestyle!

August 28, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) —Want to save money on your college textbooks? Why buy when you can rent? Now you can rent textbooks from Bookrenter for a semester. Check their website to see if the book you are interested in is available--with 3 million titles, chances are good that it will be. They offer free shipping to your door and at the end of the semester, UPS comes and picks it up so you do not have the hassle of re-selling a textbook you no longer need.

Amid budget gridlock, Governor proposes taxing services statewide

August 25, 2010 (Sacramento) – Assemblyman Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) today warned that while the budget is stalled in the Legislature, students cannot receive the funds distributed through the Cal Grants program.

August 25, 2010 (El Cajon) --Donald H. Harrison, creator of San Diego Jewish World, an online newspaper, has been selected as the new instructor for the class that produces the Grossmont College student newspaper, The Summit.  In addition to a print version of the student newspaper, Harrison says he is planning for a web-based “Griffin News Service” to feature a calendar of on-campus events, stories written by students, as well as audio and video features.

August 23, 2010 (Sacramention)--Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) announced today that AB 184 has cleared the Legislature and is now awaiting action by the Governor. The bill prevents the California Department of Education from requiring school districts to repay the state for Special Disabilities Adjustment funding that they received in the last fiscal year and already used to teach special-needs students in their classrooms.

East County News Service

August 23, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD, a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County, has selected nine recipients for its 2010 Health Tech Careers scholarships. The students, who are currently pursuing medical field jobs in positions often defined as technicians, applied for the scholarships by submitting an essay on “Where I will be in my career five years from now.”

August 18, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Heritage of the Americas Museum on the campus of Cuyamaca College in El Cajon offers a special program including both a hieroglyphs workshop and an extended tour of Egypt.  Students will practice their new skills, reading the ancient writing that they find on museum artifacts--as well as in temples and tombs. Participants may attend the workshop or the tour, or both.

San Diego County Receives 25% of Total Funds, Provides Educational Resources to Military Families and Their Children

East County News Service

August 12, 2010 (Lemon Grove) -- Seeking relief for school districts already scrambling to cope with unexpected cash shortages and budget revisions, Assemblymember Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) announced that AB 184 has cleared the Senate Education Committee. This legislation provides statutory authority to allow school districts to recover critical special education funding that they received during the last fiscal year to meet the needs of students in their classroom.

Simulation labs with high-tech mannequins mimic real-life hospital scenarios

August 9, 2010 (El Caj on) – – Vanessa Cordova, newly hired nurse at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, quickly assesses the situation. A 46-year-old patient, J. Smith, had been admitted after collapsing at home and losing consciousness.

Flurry of new charter approvals raises questions over state funding priorities in an era of budget shortfalls
East County Magazine Special Report

By Miriam Raftery
 

August 5, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – In the 2009-2010 school year, California approved more than 88 new charter schools at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. Recent charters approved include middle schools opening in districts that already have schools with high academic achievements--new charters with oversight provided by a district with middle school test scores that rank in the bottom 10% statewide.

These findings, discovered by East County Magazine, raise serious questions about budget priorities at a time when the state faces a $20 billion deficit.  What are the long-range consequences of approving numerous charters, all entitled to a portion of public education funds? 

July 31, 2010 (Escondido) -- Jena Glasgow enters her senior year this fall as a Dairy Science major at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. When the Ramona resident graduates next June, she aims to enter veterinary school in pursuit of a career supporting health of dairy cattle and food animals. The San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee recently selected Glasgow to receive both the 2010 Farm Bureau Scholarship ($1,300) as well as the 2010 Leo McGuire Sr. Memorial Scholarship award ($1,200).

July 31, 2010 (Escondido)– Eleven  San Diego County agriculture students have been awarded scholarships from the San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Program. This year, the San  Bureau's Scholarship Committee awarded $16,000 in varying amounts to the students.

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.

Longtime instructor and musician will oversee arts, languages and communication department; aims to build performing arts center for campus

East County News Service

July 27, 2010 (El Cajon) – Steve Baker has been named dean of the department of arts, languages and communication at Grossmont College. Baker began his career with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District as a music instructor in 1985, and has taught at both Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges. At Grossmont, he was music department chair and interim dean before his latest appointment.

Baker has been a professional musician for over 40 years. In his career as a pianist, he has performed with numerous national and international recording artists. The Steve Baker Trio specializes in Brazilian and Afro-Cuban-influenced jazz and performs in varied venues.

July 27, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College Adult Reentry Program will host “Your Tomorrow Starts Here,” a free informational meeting for adults interested in returning to school to reenter the workforce, learn a new career, earn a college diploma or upgrade their skills for a job promotion, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, in Room 220 on the college campus. Admission and parking are free.

East County News Service
 

July 24, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Mountain Empire School District, which serves rural areas of East County is asking for donations of backpacks and other school supplies for students. Communities in the district, which serves many poor families, include Boulevard, Campo, Clover Flat, Dehesa, Guatay, Jacumba, Pine Valley, Potrero, and Tecate.
 

Donations may be brought to locations in Alpine or Campo prior to Back to School Night on August 31.
 

New School to Serve Up to 40 Children

 

July 13, 2010 (Spring Valley) The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) opened a 2,500 square-foot new preschool in Spring Valley in late June that will serve up to 40 children.

“The County of San Diego always strives to make a positive impact on the lives of its residents, especially children,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

East County News Service

Committee takes action to protect students at other CSU campuses, but fails to reverse change in admission policy at SDSU

July 1, 2010 (Sacramento) – AB 2401, which would require San Diego State University and other CSU campuses to give priority to local students who meet admission requirements, failed to secure passage and was held by the Senate Education Committee yesterday. However a companion bill, AB 2402, which would increase transparency by requiring CSU campuses to provide notification and public input prior to change admissions policies for students in their local service area, passed the committee.
 

July 1, 2010 (El Cajon) – Dr. Stuart Savin, currently out on medical leave, will be returning to Pennsylvania with his family and, as of July 1, will no longer serve as president of Cuyamaca College. The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board and Chancellor Cindy L. Miles express their appreciation to Dr. Savin for his service and wish him a speedy recovery and the best in his future endeavors.
 

July 1, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- Ralf Swenson has been tentatively selected as the next superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District contingent on successful contract negotiation, a positive community visit by the Governing Board to his current school district and further routine background checks.

By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero

June 30, 2010 (San Diego) -- What kind of “brain food” does the San Diego Jewish Academy feed its students? Whatever it is, it’s working!

Eighth grade student Sara Frank recently won first place in the Medicine category, four professional society awards, as well as the Sweepstakes Award at the San Diego Science Fair for her project, “Do You See What I See,” before going on to compete at the California State Science Fair. It is a truly impressive accomplishment for the eighth grader.

At the same time, the school’s team of 9th and 10th grade students won first prize nationally for inventing a system that purifies gray water from your washing machine for use in irrigation, and will go on to compete internationally in the Gildor Project’s final round in Israel.

2 BILLS BY BLOCK TO HELP LOCAL STUDENTS WILL BE HEARD WED. IN SACRAMENTO

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2010 (San Diego) – “What was once my dream had become a nightmare on the day I was notified that I was denied admission,” Donna Chanthalangsy, a student who had met all requirements for admission to San Diego State University. “I was angered, saddened and disappointed.”  She is among 1,740 local students rejected by SDSU due to a last-minute rule change made by SDSU president Stephen Weber.

Nearly 5,000 students on waiting lists due to 50% cutback in classes;
veterans on G.I. bill and students on financial aid risk losing funds

East County News Service

June 21, 2010 (El Cajon) – Higher education funding cuts due to the California state budget crisis have forced Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District to severely reduce summer course sections, despite growing demands for classes from students seeking to retrain for new careers and complete general education requirements to transfer to four-year universities and colleges.

Despite efforts to keep budget cuts from harming students, the colleges have been forced to slash summer offerings by 50%.

June 23, 2010 (La Mesa) -- The 10th annual Summer Healthcare Saturday, East County’s largest free health fair, held  June 19th at Grossmont Center, was by far the most successful ever, according to Mike Cully, president/CEO of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.  The event was organized by the Chamber and co-sponsored by Grossmont Healthcare District, Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Alvarado Hospital and Grossmont Center.

Videos showcase talents of Dykes and Kruger Brothers

June 22, 2010 (El Cajon) – A full house packed a benefit concert held at Cuyamaca College to support shop programs at local high schools—including a guitar-making course and a class in which students rebuilt a classic roadster car. World-famous musicians Doyle Dykes and his daughter, Haley performed, along with the famed Kruger Brothers.

Highlights included a performance by Dykes on a Taylor Guitar made from the last liberty tree in America, which was toppled by a storm. The trees served as gathering spots for patriots in the Revolutionary War era. Bob Taylor, owner of Taylor Guitar, salvaged seeds and has planted them across America. Dykes has since played sweet strains of patriotic tunes on a liberty guitar in USO shows for American troops overseas.

Bill to limit fee increase to be heard Monday in Legislature

By Miriam Raftery

June 18, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The California State University Board of Trustees today voted to raise CSU fees by 5% for undergraduates and graduate students and by 10% for doctoral education students. For full-time undergraduates, that amounts to a $204 annual increase—bringing total CSU fees to $4,230 starting in fall 2010.

Gavin Newsom, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, called the hikes “unacceptable” and noted that CSU has raised fees seven times in eight years—including a 32% hike last year alone.

“That cost is pricing very many would-be students out of the chances of getting a college education,” said Pat Washington, an instructor at San Diego State University and a leader with California Communities Unitied Institute.