The San Diego County Committee on School District Organization will hold public hearings on the Grossmont Union High School District Governing Board’s proposed change to trustee area elections. This comes swiftly after the Boards 4-1 vote to break up the district into five areas, with each area electing its own trustee. It also voted to request a waiver of the chosen redistricting map from the San Diego County Committee on School District Organization.
The San Diego County Committee on School District Organization will hold public hearings on the Grossmont Union High School District Governing Board’s proposed change to trustee area elections. This comes swiftly after the Boards 4-1 vote to break up the district into five areas, with each area electing its own trustee. It also voted to request a waiver of the chosen redistricting map from the San Diego County Committee on School District Organization. This stems from proposed litigation if the District does not adopt by-trustee area elections by November 2016, challenging that the District is violating the federal Voting Rights Act with the District’s diverse population of minority voters..
This plan from the Board is in high contention with many in the community as two of the trustees fall into District 4, Board President Robert Shield and Trustee Priscilla Schreiber. With Shield no up for reelection until 2018, Schreiber would be automatically kicked off the board, unable to run again until 2018. Schreiber has been a strong advocate for a high school in Alpine, proposed by the District with use of Proposition H funding.
With four public forums scheduled, here are the instructions for public and written speaking provided by San Diego Board of Education:
The recording secretary will tape-record the entire meeting.
Prior to the opening of the public hearing, participants will be asked to provide their names and addresses on an attendance sheet. The completion of the document is voluntary, and all persons may attend the meeting regardless of whether a person signs the sheet.
Persons wishing to address the County Board must complete a blue speaker registration card, indicating whether they wish to support or oppose the proposal. Alternatively, a pink information card may be used to submit comments and/or indicate support or opposition in writing.
The President of the County Board of Education, acting as the County Committee on School District Organization, shall announce the opening of the public hearing and ask all those present and desiring to speak for or against the proposal to turn in a completed speaker card to the secretary. Speaker cards will also be collected during the hearing.
1. The order of speakers will be as follows:
Spokesperson(s) for the Grossmont Union High School District
Individual speakers called from speaker cards in the order submitted
2. The designated spokesperson(s) for the school district shall have 10 minutes for an initial presentation.
3. Individual speakers shall have up to 3 minutes to present testimony. The Board President may reduce the time allotted to each speaker based upon the number of requests to speak. Speakers shall direct all testimony to the County Committee. Individual speakers will be requested to limit remarks to new information regarding the proposal and will not be permitted to cede any of their allotted time to another speaker.
4. County Committee members may address questions through the President to any speaker.
5. When all persons desiring to speak on the proposal have been heard, the President shall declare the public hearing closed.
6. The County Committee on School District Organization will not take action on the proposal to establish by-trustee area elections or the trustee area plan at the public hearing. It is anticipated that the County Committee will approve or disapprove the proposal at its regular meeting on April 13, 2016.
Written information submitted for the County Committee’s review must be provided to the County Office of Education no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, to ensure distribution to committee members and the school district at least 24 hours prior to the April 13, 2016 meeting.
March 17
6:00 p.m.
La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Board Room
4750 Date Street
La Mesa, CA 91942
March 28
6:00 p.m.
East County Regional Education Center
924 East Main Street
El Cajon, CA 92021
April 4, 2016.
6:00 p.m.
JoanMacQueenMiddleSchoolLibrary
2001TavernRoad
Alpine,CA91901
April 5
6:00 p.m.
Jamul Intermediate School Library
14545 Lyons Valley Road
Jamul, CA 91935
April 6
Lemon Grove Library Community Room
3001 Shool Lane
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
April 11
6:00 p.m.
Lakeside Union School District Admin. Center
12335 Woodside Avenue
Lakeside, CA 92040
