These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of July 16-July 22.
1. A Reader’s Guide to the Balboa Park Revamp
If the money comes in, Balboa Park’s central mesa is poised for a major overhaul. (Lisa Halverstadt)
2. Lincoln High’s Revolving Door Claims Another Leader
During his short tenure, John Ross helped open a program that allows high school students to take courses for college credit. According to district officials, this year Lincoln had a record high number of graduates who met college entrance requirements. But none of it has been enough to attract a significant number of students back to Lincoln. (Mario Koran)
3. The GOP Convention Debacle That Spawned San Diego’s ‘Finest City’ Motto
As the Republican National Convention in Cleveland reaches its climax on Thursday, the same day that Comic-Con begins in San Diego, here are five facts about San Diego’s close call with Richard Nixon and the national spotlight. (Randy Dotinga)
4. Here’s What Poway Unified Needs to Do to Move Forward
A member of Poway Unified’s school board writes that while it’s good theboard came together to unanimously force out Superintendent JohnCollins, other accountability measures are long overdue. (Kimberley Beatty)
5. SD Confidential: Inside a Lost Gay Past of ‘Fairy Dives,’ Raids and a Fallen Admiral
Before Stonewall (and a gay Hillcrest): Five surprising facts about San Diego’s forgotten gay past. (Randy Dotinga)
6. Opinion: Faulconer’s Opposition to Prop. 57 Is About Politics, Not People
If Mayor Kevin Faulconer really cares about victims of violent crimes, why hasn’t he stood with members of his own community at rallies, vigils and marches as we cried out against violence? (Cornelius Bowser)
7. The Strange Battle to Control a Bunch of Sewage
The Navy plans to pay Imperial Beach to carry away sewage from its new multimillion-dollar campus. The problem: The new campus is not in Imperial Beach. It’s in Coronado. Now Coronado is suing to stop the deal, claiming it should get first rights to the sewage. (Ry Rivard)
8. A Guide to the Latest Charter School Showdown
San Diego County has been ground zero for legal fights over where charter schools can open satellite campuses, or so-called resource centers. Both school districts and charter schools argue the other is driven by profit instead of what’s best for kids. The conversation is so loaded that it’s easy to lose sight of the actual legal point in dispute. So let’s unpack it. (Mario Koran)
9. The Learning Curve: Bilingual Programs Can Outperform English-Only Classrooms
Research offers convincing evidence that quality bilingual programs benefit English-learning students. One study showed English-learners coming out of bilingual programs in San Francisco outperform those in English-only classrooms. It just takes a little longer. (Mario Koran)
10. Why Poway Unified Fired Its Superintendent
The Poway Unified school board could ask a court to force former Superintendent John Collins to pay back as much as $345,000 – the amount forensic auditors flagged as unauthorized pay. In the district’s charges, the board lays out the myriad ways it believes Collins engaged in illegal self-dealing, unprofessional conduct, dishonesty and misappropriation and gifting of public funds. (Ashly McGlone)