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Jemma Stephenson
Jemma Stephenson is the K-12 education reporter. Before California, she covered education in Alabama at the Alabama Reflector and Montgomery Advertiser. She has one cat.
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El Distrito Unificado de San Diego llega a un acuerdo con los docentes para un nuevo contrato y evitar la huelga
Las partes están resolviendo dos cuestiones: un contrato vencido y una acusación de prácticas laborales desleales en relación con la carga de trabajo de educación especial.

San Diego Unified reaches deal with teachers on new contract, avoiding strike
The parties are resolving two issues — an expired contract, and an unfair labor practice charge over special education caseloads.

How well can you recite a poem? 16-year-old contest winner shares ‘what really makes poetry impactful’
Sylvie Terjesen, a Canyon Crest Academy junior, won the regional Poetry Out Loud recitation competition Tuesday. Next she'll head to the state finals.

Years after A3 charter school fraud case, San Diego County plans to help students with $25M recovered from it
To support vulnerable students, the funding will help expand community schools, strengthen partnerships with community groups and more, officials say.

San Diego Unified trustees advance plan to build more than 2,300 housing units for staff
The board approved more than 2,000 units.

South County teachers union approves strike after impasse in bargaining
The strike vote follows 20 months of negotiations, which have resulted in an impasse between the union and South Bay Union School District.

Ramona Unified Board approves assistant superintendent as acting superintendent
Assistant Superintendent of Education Services Leslie Wilson will take over the role while Superintendent Brian Thurman is on leave.

San Diego Unified still has preschool spots open
The district has four- and five-day week programs

Así es como los distritos del condado de San Diego están impidiendo la entrada de ICE a las escuelas
Para marzo, deberán implementar las nuevas directrices estatales. El progreso hasta el momento es variable, pero algunas escuelas locales han ido incluso más allá.

Scripts, signs and community trust: How San Diego County districts plan to keep ICE out of schools
By March, they must implement new state guidance. Progress so far varies — but some local schools have gone even further.

Planned one-day teachers’ strike next month would shutter San Diego schools
The union voted to authorize a strike over special-education teachers' caseloads, one of the issues it's bargaining over in contract talks.

From ICE to AI to IVF: What California’s new laws will mean for San Diegans
New protections for renters, employees and public school students are among the many laws taking effect Thursday. Here's what to know about them.

San Diego Trolley adds extra Green Line service for holiday bowl game
Trains will run every 15 minutes or more frequently before and after the event.

Why the holidays are the perfect time for kids to read, and how families can make it fun together
Create a game, get people of all ages involved, and make a habit of reading. Here's what literacy experts say works best.

South Bay Union district names next 2 schools slated for closure, to public opposition
Barring a turnaround in steep enrollment drops, Sunnyslope Elementary and Berry Elementary could close in the coming years.

Over parents’ objections, San Diego Unified OKs ending charter school’s German immersion program
Trustees ultimately voted unanimously to approve the changes at Albert Einstein Academies — to a loud, single “boo” from the audience — but said they had heard the concerns from...

El Distrito Unificado de San Diego vota sobre amplios planes de vivienda asequible
En lugar de ello, los promotores que quieran construir en terrenos del distrito volverán el mes próximo para presentarse ante los fideicomisarios

San Diego Unified punts vote on sweeping affordable housing plans
Instead, developers seeking to build on district land will return next month to present to trustees at a special public workshop.

San Diego Unified’s sweeping affordable housing plans take shape, as details emerge of 5 projects
Both the selection process and the proposals chosen have drawn some concerns from the public, including about whom the homes could and couldn't house, particularly at the largest site.

German language immersion is what set this school apart. Now the school might drop it entirely.
Charter school Albert Einstein Academies is asking San Diego Unified's board Wednesday to revise its charter to get rid of the 50/50 language instruction program it was founded to use.

El distrito escolar de Grossmont pagará más de $700,000 a una exfuncionaria que dice haber sido degradada por ser gay
Rose Tagnesi atribuyó su degradación del principal puesto de educación especial del distrito a lo que ella llamó una campaña de discriminación anti-LGBTQ+

Grossmont school district to pay more than $700K to former official who says she was demoted for being gay
Rose Tagnesi blamed her demotion from the district’s top special-education job on what she called a campaign of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination by a majority of the school board.

Viaja en transporte público de San Diego el jueves y trae a un amigo gratis
Cada adulto que pague la tarifa de MTS podrá traer a otro gratis el Día de Acción de Gracias.

Ride San Diego public transit Thursday, and bring a friend for free
Each MTS fare-paying adult will be able to bring another for free on Thanksgiving. Across the county, buses, trolleys and commuter trains will run on modified schedules.

Oceanside Unified fined $4K by state election watchdog for illegal mailer 5 years ago
The mailers were paid for with public funds and featured elected officials.

In new lawsuit, teacher says East County school discriminated against her because she’s Palestinian, Arab
The El Cajon Valley High teacher points to an incident in which administrators refused to play a Palestinian song she chose on a school playlist.

200 pounds of potatoes and $23,000: San Diego high schoolers throw Thanksgiving feast to prepare for culinary careers
'They’re learning how to cook in a commercial restaurant — and they’re learning amazing techniques,' said their chef instructor.

La Jolla public schools again boast strong ratings on California Dashboard
Local campuses improved or maintained their high marks across many categories, though there were a few exceptions

¿En qué áreas destacan las escuelas del condado de San Diego y en cuáles tienen dificultades? Esto muestran los datos estatales
“Nuestros datos nos muestran dos realidades: una de progreso continuo y otra que nos recuerda que aún queda mucho por hacer”

How transparent is local school bond spending? Here’s how districts compare, according to one report
The annual report card by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association finds overall improvement from last year and openness by most districts, with some exceptions.

Where do San Diego County schools excel, and where do they struggle? Here’s what new state data shows.
The California School Dashboard rates districts on academic performance, absenteeism, graduation rates, how well they're serving English language learners and more.

Two San Diego County teachers just earned the state’s top honors. Here’s what a day in their classrooms is like.
'All kids need someone checking on them and pushing them and encouraging them,' said Corina Martinez, a kindergarten teacher at Pioneer Elementary in Escondido.

Local districts outperform county, state on California assessment tests
The percentage of San Diego County public school students who at least met expectations of statewide standardized tests rose slightly last year, but they’re still lower than they were before...

Palomar College axes anti-racism policy amid broader anti-diversity backlash
Public commenters packed a meeting this week to defend the policy, calling its removal 'disrespectful,' while board members suggested keeping it bore legal risks.

National School District superintendent to retire after a decade at the helm
'I wanted to bring the things that North County kids were getting down to South County,' she says of her tenure leading the National City elementary school district

El Distrito Unificado de San Diego aprueba bloquear horarios de clases en tres escuelas secundarias
El nuevo horario, conocido como 4×4, con generalmente cuatro cursos por día cada semestre, en lugar de seis clases de un año de duración

San Diego Unified OKs move to block class schedules for three high schools
The new schedule — known as 4x4, with generally four courses per day each semester, rather than six year-long classes — will let students take more classes overall throughout their...

Estas preparatorias de San Diego podrían cambiar pronto sus horarios. Aquí te explicamos por qué
El Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego quiere trasladar más de sus escuelas a lo que se conoce como un horario de bloque 4×4

These San Diego high schools could soon change schedules. Here’s why, and what you should know about it.
San Diego Unified wants to move more of its schools to what’s known as a 4x4 block schedule — four periods each day, rather than six classes per day that...

Longtime Julian school superintendent to retire
Brian Duffy has spent his entire three-decade career in Julian, working as a fifth-grade teacher for a decade and as a principal for another.

How did your school do on state tests? Here’s the data for every San Diego County public school
More San Diego County students passed the tests than a year earlier. But performance still isn't back to pre-pandemic levels.

Familia demanda al distrito escolar de Coronado por la muerte de un estudiante de séptimo grado
Gabriel Palacios, de 13 años, se suicidó a principios de este año. Sus padres afirman que la administración de la Escuela Secundaria Coronado no lo protegió.

Las autoridades advierten sobre exposición a tuberculosis en la escuela autónoma Learn4Life de Chula Vista
Es la cuarta advertencia que el condado ha emitido para las escuelas del sur del condado desde principios del año pasado.

Officials warn of tuberculosis exposure at Learn4Life charter school location in Chula Vista
It's the fourth warning the county has issued for South County schools since the beginning of last year.

Family sues Coronado school district in 7th-grader’s death, blaming unaddressed bullying
Gabriel Palacios, 13, died by suicide earlier this year. His parents say Coronado Middle School administrators failed to protect him.

Cuatro mexicanos detenidos en un velero en Mission Bay
La Guardia Costera dice que dos estadounidenses que dijeron ser dueños del barco también fueron detenidos.

OCEANSIDE: Rescatan a cuatro personas después de que barco fuera arrastrado a la orilla
Los cuatro fueron llevados a la orilla donde fueron evaluados y liberados.

Oceanside lifeguards rescue four after boat swept into surfline
Oceanside lifeguards responding to a distress call rescued four people from a boat

La primera mujer líder en las escuelas de San Diego, Bertha Pendleton, mostró su “voluntad de compartir con todos”
El nativo de Alabama, que murió esta semana a los 92 años, pasó más de 40 años en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego

Four Mexican nationals detained from sailboat in Mission Bay
Six people in all were taken into custody and the boat was seized

Body of man found inside Escondido house that caught fire
The fire was reported around 4 p.m. Saturday on South Upas Street

As San Diego schools’ first Black and first female leader, Bertha Pendleton showed ‘willingness to share with everybody’
The Alabama native, who died this week at 92, spent more than 40 years with the San Diego Unified School District before retiring as superintendent in 1998.

Las familias del Distrito Unificado de San Diego ahora pueden solicitar inscribirse en otras escuelas
El programa de elección del distrito permite a las familias buscar inscribir a sus estudiantes en una escuela diferente a la de su vecindario

San Diego Unified families can now apply to enroll in other schools
The district's choice program lets families seek to enroll their student in a school other than their neighborhood school — for instance, one with a specialized program.

El Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego inaugura un nuevo laboratorio tecnológico
El Laboratorio de Diseño de Acción Climática STEAM en Millennial Tech Middle School combinará aprendizaje, sostenibilidad e innovación.

Valley Center-Pauma Unified Superintendent to retire in January
Ron McCowan has been an educator for more than three decades

San Diego Unified breaks ground on new tech lab
The STEAM Climate Action Design Lab at Millennial Tech Middle School will combine learning, sustainability and innovation

Mexican Independence Day celebrated with music, dance and art at The Old Globe
The Saturday event took place in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in San Diego.

After years of progress, students’ math gender gap is back. Here’s what the data shows for San Diego County schools.
Local districts departed from some national trends. But girls' scores still slid more than boys', with a few exceptions.

En todo el condado de San Diego, la iniciativa para que las escuelas abandonen los combustibles fósiles se recibe con entusiasmo y cautela
Los distritos urbanos y suburbanos más grandes están adoptando el mandato y yendo más allá.

Across San Diego County, a push to move schools off fossil fuels is met with enthusiasm — and wariness
Larger urban and suburban districts are embracing the mandate, and going beyond it. But small rural districts say electric school buses don't make sense for them.

Lectura, ausentismo, educación financiera y más: Cómo las escuelas del Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego buscan avanzar poco a poco hacia las grandes metas estudiantiles
El distrito se está centrando en el bienestar, la alfabetización, la resolución de problemas, las matemáticas y la preparación para la universidad

Reading, absenteeism, financial literacy and more: How San Diego Unified schools aim to chip away at big student goals
The district is focusing on wellness, literacy, problem-solving, math and readiness for college and career — with interim goals along the way.

Culinary camp teaches teens to garden, cook, make recipes and plan a business — all in a week
The camp aims to help teens who are incarcerated, homeless, pregnant, in foster care or drug treatment or otherwise at risk become ready to work in the food industry.

East County school district OKs new sex-ed curriculum, after battle with state over LGBTQ+ inclusion
The district had been ordered by the state to replace a curriculum that omitted all mention of LGBTQ+ people and issues, in violation of state law.

Bonds, budgets and curriculum: Six weeks in, Carlsbad’s new schools superintendent cites broad experience
Andrea Norman, previously assistant superintendent of business services in Oceanside Unified, officially began on June 16.

Grupo de vecinos de Pacific Beach demanda para bloquear el controvertido megaproyecto ADU de Chalcifica
Los demandantes argumentan que el proceso de la ciudad para aprobar desarrollos en su programa de incentivos de ADU adicionales viola la ley estatal.

Pacific Beach neighborhood group sues to block controversial Chalcifica ADU mega-project
The plaintiffs argue the city's process for approving developments in its bonus ADU incentive program violates state law.

County officials warn of potential TB exposure at South County high school
It's the third such warning the county has issued since the beginning of last year for possible tuberculosis exposures at Sweetwater high schools.

Comic-Con 2025: The best things we saw Friday
Friday at Comic-Con brought the third wave of fans San Diego Convention Center. Here's what we saw.

State schools chief visits Chula Vista schools to celebrate achievements, even as funding loss looms
Tony Thurmond told students he's 'so impressed' with the gains they've made. But the elementary school district may face 'some tough decisions' on program cuts, its leader warns.

Free Comic-Con activations take over downtown. Here are some you can’t miss
Interactive experiences in downtown San Diego celebrate TV and films such as "Alien: Earth," "Star Trek," "Fantastic Four," and "Abbott Elementary."

Comic-Con 2025: The best things we saw at Preview Night
A LEGO replica of the San Diego Convention Center, "Star Wars" costumes and an inflatable version of Liam Neeson were among the sightings on Wednesday.

Public anger boils over at Grossmont school board, again, as trustees pledge to follow the law
'I want to clearly state that no conclusive evidence of any Brown Act violation has been presented,' the board president said, to jeers from the audience.

San Diego Unified’s board president won’t run for re-election. But there’s another office he’s eyeing.
Cody Petterson's first term as school board president ends late next year.

El Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Diego acaba de adoptar una nueva prohibición más permisiva sobre el uso de celulares en las escuelas
¿Cómo vamos a garantizar que cada sitio implemente esta política de manera consistente

Devastador: Trump retuvo 50 millones de dólares aprobados por el Congreso para las escuelas del condado de San Diego
Un día antes de la fecha prevista para la entrega de los fondos, California recibió la notificación de que no se entregarían.

‘Devastating’: Trump is withholding $50M OK’d by Congress for San Diego County schools. Here’s which could lose the most.
One day before the funding was set to be released, California got notice it wouldn't be. The missing money was supposed to help English learners, high-poverty schools and more.

San Diego Unified just adopted a new, more lenient ban on cellphones in schools. Will it be easier to enforce?
'How are we going to ensure that every site implements this policy consistently, when the last policy — which was almost the same — was not implemented consistently?' one trustee...

Reunited at the shelter: Two dog owners find pets lost during holiday weekend
Two owners are reunited with their lost dogs Sunday morning at Gaines Street shelter

Teachers union demands Grossmont undo layoffs, citing messages reported by Union-Tribune
'The communications show no concern for the public having the right to know the business being conducted and no concern for the certificated and all employees of the district,' the...

Driver will be charged after being seen dragging dog from car in Spring Valley
The county said the man admitted it was he seen in disturbing video after he saw coverage of the incident on TV.

Escondido Union aprueba nuevo superintendente en medio de preocupaciones sobre las calificaciones y el proceso
La junta aprobó por unanimidad la promoción del superintendente adjunto de servicios comerciales del distrito, Andrew McGuire.

Escondido Union approves new superintendent amid concerns over qualifications, process
The board unanimously approved the promotion of the district’s assistant superintendent of business services, Andrew McGuire, at a meeting where members of the community cited their concerns over his qualifications...

Nine months after taking helm, Fabiola Bagula named permanent San Diego Unified superintendent
The longtime educator becomes the district's first Latina superintendent. She has held the post in an interim capacity since last fall.

Grossmont school trustees regularly discussed board business in private texts and emails
The messages portray an insular political circle of select board trustees and administrators that has fought to maintain control of the district by strategizing against employees they regard as opponents.

El Distrito Unificado de San Diego votará para nombrar a Fabiola Bagula superintendente permanente
Ella asumió el cargo luego de que el superintendente anterior fuera despedido por presunta mala conducta.

San Diego Unified to vote to make Fabiola Bagula permanent superintendent
She had stepped into the role after the previous superintendent was fired for alleged misconduct.

Longtime schools leader hired as Grossmont Union’s next superintendent
The veteran educator was most recently superintendent of Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County.

Grossmont Union High School District to hire veteran schools leader as superintendent, amid growing scrutiny of board
Kirsten Vital Brulte has previously led large school districts in Orange County and the Bay Area. She's expected to start in July.

Estas escuelas del condado de San Diego no solo enseñan a los niños. Ayudan a las familias a construir una comunidad
Las escuelas comunitarias como Fay Elementary en City Heights están ayudando a los padres y tutores a crecer como cuidadores

These schools don’t just teach kids. They help families build ‘a community where we all work together.’
Community schools like Fay Elementary in City Heights are helping parents and guardians grow as caregivers, as individuals and as members of their communities.

El Distrito Unificado de San Diego no brinda a los votantes suficiente información sobre las medidas de emisión de bonos, según un informe
El gran jurado del condado quiere que el distrito dé a los contribuyentes más detalles sobre los proyectos

San Diego Unified doesn’t give voters enough information on bond measures, report finds
The county grand jury wants the district to give taxpayers more details on the projects its bonds will fund, the costs of servicing its debts and more.

Grossmont principal will be new Lakeside superintendent
Scott Goergens praises Lakeside's community and sees himself as a 'messenger' who can share strategies he's learned.

After 16 years at San Diego Unified, Richard Barrera runs for state schools chief
He's the only local candidate so far in the crowded race, and he stresses the need for local control of schools and listening to teachers.

Cómo un distrito escolar del condado de San Diego evitó que menos niños se metieran en problemas
Las suspensiones de estudiantes en Oceanside Unified se han desplomado con la ayuda de centros de bienestar

A chat, a snack and a chance to cool down: How one school district kept far fewer kids from getting in trouble
Student suspensions in Oceanside Unified have plummeted with the help of wellness centers, conflict-resolution coaches and a new approach to discipline.

Years before Grossmont hired him as a top administrator, he was disciplined for racial slurs, sexism
The board approved a settlement clearing Jerry Hobbs of 2018 accusations, created a top administrative job and hired him for it, before pushing him out last week.

2 San Diego County school districts face $7M in federal cuts to student mental health services
La Mesa-Spring Valley and Lemon Grove both say the loss is a hit to their finances and their students' well-being.
