School districts pushing bond measures have long coveted endorsements from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.
But district superintendents were starting to get sick of the process the Taxpayers Association demanded. They raised concerns to us before Taxpayers Association CEO Haney Hong abruptly resigned late last week.
Voice of San Diego contributor Joe Hong, (no relation), found that the former Taxpayers Association leader repeatedly pushed local district staffers to spend $1,200 a head to attend his group’s course on school bonds.
Dehesa Elementary School District Superintendent Bradley Johnson suspected Hong and his team decided against endorsing his district’s November 2024 bond measure because his team didn’t attend the school bond course. They had endorsed a nearly identical one just a few years before.
Another superintendent described unrelated demands Haney Hong made to secure his support.
Grossmont Union’s Proposed Layoffs
The Grossmont Union High School District isn’t a stranger to controversy. Over the past couple of years, the district has been rocked by some of the culture war dustups that have swept many school districts in East County.
But Trustee Chris Fite said he’s never seen the community push back like it did last week, when the board voted 4 to 1 to approve sending layoff notices to 61 district employees – including almost all of the schools’ librarians. The board meeting was packed. Hundreds of community members, students and teachers showed up to loudly voice their frustration with the proposed layoffs, which, despite the approval, won’t be finalized until mid-May.
The district is facing a $2.5 million deficit, but many in the community feel the positions up for elimination should be considered essential. Many are also questioning the need for layoffs at all, given the district has squirreled away between $30 and $45 million in reserves.
“To me, it doesn’t add up. It does not explain the severity of the cuts,” Fite, the board’s one “No,” vote told our Jakob McWhinney.
Happy Women’s History Month!
We invite you to join us later this month to celebrate the accomplishments of local women with a conversation and mixer featuring some of San Diego’s most influential leaders, including:
- Rep. Sara Jacobs, U.S. Congressmember
- Adela de la Torre, president of San Diego State University
- Martha Gilmer, CEO of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
- Ebony Shelton, CAO of the County of San Diego
The discussion will take place at the Farmer & the Seahorse in the hills of Torrey Pines on March 20 at 5:30 p.m.
We hope to see you there! Reserve your tickets now.
In Other News
- The Carlsbad City Council voted earlier this week to expand the city’s camping ban ordinance to include people living in vehicles. (KPBS)
- The long-decaying 3,600-seat Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park seemed like it might have a new lease on life. But there’s a catch. (Union-Tribune; Warning: This is a subscriber-only story.)
- Lemon Grove residents are continuing to oppose the county’s plan to open a 60-unit tiny home shelter and city council members say they may consider a lawsuit to halt the project. (NBC 7)
- The Coronado Unified School District is taking the operator of the South Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant to court over the ongoing sewage debacle. (10 News)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Jakob Mcwhinney and Bella Ross. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.
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