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Grossmont students speak out
against calendar cuts
By Lori Bledsoe
The Alpine Sun
EL CAJON — The Grossmont Union High
School District is moving forward, despite the budget hardships
and woes. The newly discussed calendar, and reassignment of
program sites are raising concerns among students and parents.
One student in particular is questioning if research was truly
looked at in regards to saving money.
Several concerned community members were present at the
board, to address how the board, and the district is handling
the budget crisis. Many in the district have received notice
that their jobs are on the cutting list for the coming year, and
people are scrambling. Another way the district is trying to
handle the money crunch is to cut two paid days for each
employee.
Lori Miller, a nurse at the Viking Center, suggested to
the district that they make cuts proportionate to the wages. She
said that even though a hamburger and fries may cost the same to
everyone, a person who is higher on the pay scale can better
afford those items. She is not opposed to the cuts, but wants to
see the burden fairly shared. For instance, an employee making
$30,000 a year may be cut two days wages, and a person making
ten times that amount should be cut proportionally, by 10 times.
Another concern that the board listened to, is the
moving the Homestead programs onto campuses instead of having
their own facilities, creating campuses within campuses. This,
in the eyes of the community members, will create problems. One
parent wants to know why the students needed to be fenced in,
instead of having their needs met in an available and welcoming
environment.
The newly discussed calendar is also a problem.
Students are upset that they are loosing valuable preparation
time for testing, and well as instructional time. They feel that
by rearranging the calendar in the way that is presented for the
next year, they are being cheated. One student who did the math,
told the board that if they looked at the “numbers” they would
find that their plan would not work to save money, but may cost
the district money.
Katy Wright, the Program Manager for Proposition H and
U, was on hand to give a brief report on the progress of both
Bond Issues. Wright was proud to announce that everything is
moving along as planned. The announcement regarding the chosen
site for the 12th high school will be made at a future board
meeting. Currently, the DEIR is still being studied by the CBOC
(Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee).
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