GUHSD librarians

By Jakob McWhinney, Voice of San Diego

File photos via ECM:  GUHSD trustees Robert Shields and Jim Kelly, who were caught on hot mikes. These images did not appear in the original Voice of San Diego article.

March 15, 2025 (El Cajon) -- For weeks now, Grossmont Union’s board meetings have been dominated by crowds of community members furious at the district’s plan to close its budget deficit by laying off more than 60 employees. Those layoffs, which the board approved by a four to one vote two weeks ago, include assistant principals, teachers and nearly every single one of the district’s librarians. 

The scene was the same at Tuesday’s board meeting, when hundreds of protesters packed into Grossmont High School’s gym to advocate the board rescind the layoffs. 

Gary Woods, who voted in favor of the layoffs, said the decision made them “heartsick.” But another trustee was more frank about what he thought about the librarians on the chopping block during a hot mic moment just prior to the meeting’s official start according to a screen recording of the meeting shared with Voice of San Diego. 

The person speaking was not on camera, but three district employees who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution identified the voice as that of Trustee Robert Shield. Shield was one of the board members who voted in favor of the layoffs. He did not respond to a request for comment.  

“When it comes to the librarians, they don’t have as big a role … They’re overpaid compared to … teachers. They don’t do lesson plans, they don’t grade papers but they get a 10 percent bump in their pay because they don’t have a prep period,” Shield said in the recording. 

But the librarians have been the primary rallying point for the protesters who’ve packed public meetings. Not only did students hold walk-outs at Grossmont Union campuses in solidarity with the impacted staff, nearly every single one of the dozens of the meeting’s public commenters argued the librarians were indispensable.  

The librarians facing layoffs are credentialed teacher-librarians, meaning they offer in-class lessons, aid to teachers with curriculum and student and technology support that exceed what the responsibilities of the librarians of yesteryear.  

“My child is a star example of how the support staff and the librarians make a difference. They went from struggling (with) mental health issues to an honor roll student,” one parent said during their public comment, holding back tears. “What creates revenue for these schools is students showing up for school. What is the point to them showing up to school when all their spaces, the staff they rely on are gone?” 

In his hot mic comments, Shield also said that while the majority who’d voted in favor of the layoffs had “more than a few,” supporters in the audience, they were “silent because they don’t want to get beat up.”  

And he wasn’t done. Shield continued, calling the protests political “opportunism,” and saying that while the crowds may be bad now, “they only have a half-life of only about two months.” They will eventually have “mission fatigue,” he said, and stop showing up. 

“It’ll dissipate if we have the stomach to endure it and just shake it off. I promise you as long as it’s not mishandled in three months, they’ll be lucky to have a quarter of this amount … I’ve been through this before,” Shield said.  

This is far from the first time board-related controversies have elicited community opposition. Last year, a former district administrator sued the district, claiming she’d been discriminated against because she was lesbian. Her suit included the claim that Trustee Jim Kelly referred to her and another lesbian district employee as “’witches’ who were part of an LGBTQ ‘coven.’”

The board’s conservative leanings have also stoked opposition. The year before that lawsuit, the board’s conservative majority voted to terminate multiple contracts with San Diego Youth Services to provide student mental health services. They cited concerns about the nonprofit’s care for LGBTQ+ youth, which includes counseling programs, despite those services being separate from what the nonprofit provided the district. When voting to end the services, Trustee Gary Woods said the nonprofit did not “reflect East County values.” 

Shield wasn’t the only trustee who had a hot mic moment during the meeting. During a recess, Kelly was caught calling the protesters the “rudest crowd,” he’d ever seen and saying, “Some of them are trying to vomit on us in public and trying to bully us and, you know, just humiliate us.”  

Protesters have argued they’re just trying to save the jobs of valued staff. They’ve also pointed out that the district has sizable reserves that would easily cover the balance. Even fellow board member Chris Fite – the lone “No,” vote on the cuts – has said they seem to far exceed what’s necessary. 

“They’re saying these are structural deficits, but they won’t say what they’re caused by,” Fite said. “To me, it doesn’t add up. It does not explain the severity.”   

Jakob McWhinney is Voice of San Diego's education reporter. He can be reached by email at jakob@vosd.org and followed on Twitter @jakobmcwhinney.

This story was first published by Voice of San Diego. Sign up for VOSD’s newsletters here.

By Miriam Raftery

March 9, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) –A student walkout is slated for 12 p.m. Monday at all Grossmont Union HIgh School District schools during the lunch hour, though the district has sent a memo warning students that leaving school is considered truancy. In addition, picketing by parents and teachers is planned before school starting around 7:45 a.m.

The students and parentwill be protesting the district board majority’s vote last week to fire 49  teachers, including all campus librarians, as ECM reported . A petition opposing the firings now has over 3,400 signatures.

“According to the department of education, a ‘large’ district such as the GUHSD has to have a teacher librarian” says Laura Preble, a retired 30-year Monte Vista High School librarian. “Library techs are not qualified to do what teacher librarians do; teacher librarians have to get a special credential to do what they do. The board, except for Chris Fite, seems more concerned with future students than current students," she told ECM. "High school libraries are not silent. They are the heart of the school where collaboration, study, research, reading, and clubs often meet. In cutting so many student-service positions, the board is really saying they do not care about our students, whose needs are great.” 

The Board has moved its Tuesday, March 11 meeting to Grossmont High School in the old gym at 6 p.m. with a rally before at 5 p.m. Speaker cards will be available starting at 3:30 p.m. The district has sent a memo stating that only 500 people will be allowed into the gym, with no saved seating allowed, nor standing, extra chairs, or sitting on the floor.  A link will be provided for overflow audience members to watch the meeting.  “The board will retreat again if the audience is rowdy,” the district has warned.

Despite the anticipated large crowd, the district will allow only 30 minutes of public comment on agenda items, with up to 3 minutes per speaker, meaning as few as 15 people may be allowed to speak.  Oddly, the meeting announcement on the district’s webpage lists no agenda items.

In an internal memo obtained by ECM, Acting Superintendent Sandra Huezo offers the district’s rationale behind the firing notifications issued, which she said were not fully explained at the last meeting due to disruptions.

Huezo explained that the state requires school districts to submit budgets by June 30, even though the state’s budget including education funding isn’t finalized until late June.  State law requires that district’s notify full-time employees earlier, by March 15 if their positions may be eliminated, with final notices required by May 15—before state budget funds are known.

Huezo says the GUHSD is projecting structural deficits in the future long-term, with enrollment declining and the Calif. Legislative Analyst projecting growing state budget deficits in coming years.  The district currently employees over 200 more full-time positions than a decade ago, she notes.

At the March 11 meeting, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business Services  Pearl Lizuka will present a detailed breakdown of the district’s financial position and reserves, Huezo says, noting that reserves can be used for one-time emergencies, but should not be relied on to cover long-term personnel costs that aren’t sustainable.

A district review found that:

• More teachers are employed currently than are needed for available assignments.
• The district has 38 assistant principals; last year the board approved an additional assistant principal at each school, but a review found the district’s high schools now have more assistant principals than other similarly sized high schools in the county.
• The district is “reimagining” how libraries operate “to better serve our students” amid growing reliance on digital resources and budget constraints. Not all school libraries are staffed by credentialed teachers; the nine teacher librarians cost the district over $1.73 million, Huezo says, adding that if library media specialist positions are reduced in May, those teacher librarians will be offered teaching assignments in the next school year.
• The REACH Academy serves 22 students, with average daily attendance of 11 at a cost of over $2 million a year.  The review found these students can be served by alternative programs in the district.
• The Child Development Center slated to be eliminated was originally set up to help teen parents stay in school and graduate. However, As of January, of the 23 children enrolled, only 3 have teen parents. The others are children of GUHSD staffers allowed to fill the remaining spots. The Child Development Center is operating at a deficit of over $200,000 a year.
• 11 special education teachers will need to be reassigned due to emergency block grant funds expiring at the end of this school year.
• As for school psychologists, Huezo says the Special Education Program is exploring a more streamlined approach to delivering services to students to improve efficiency.

 The Board-approved certificated staff resolution can be found here, and the classified resolution is available here.

Huezo indicated that adjustments may be made before May 15 in response to evolving circumstances, such as any changes in enrollment, the Governor’s May budget revision, potential staff separations and other factors.

The Acting Superintendent insists that changes are being made in the “long-term best interests of our students and families,” adding,  “This is a very challenging time, and none of these decisions are being made lightly.”

By Miriam Raftery

February 27, 2025 (El Cajon) -- At 4:30 today, the Grossmont Union-High School District is holding a special meeting to considering firing 49 employees including all high school librarians.  Others targeted include English teachers, psychologists and more.

Opponents of cutting librarians have set up a website at  https://sites.google.com/view/save-guhsd-librarians/home. It includes a petition which has gathered over 1,100 signatures as of late this afternoon.

“The Grossmont Union High School District Board majority is pulling the same shady tricks as last year. They are planning layoffs claiming no money when they are holding a 13% reserve fund. This is well over state requirements,” says Jay Steiger, former GUHSD candidate who previously served on the district’s bond oversight committee.

 View the full list of 49 positions on the chopping block.  The 4:30 p.m. meeting of the GUHSD board will be held today at El Cajon Valley High School’s multipurpose room, 1035 East Madison Avenue in El Cajon.

On Facebook, Steiger states, “Teacher librarians are essential to support student research, digital literacy, responsible use of AI, helping find reading material that matches student interests (so they are more likely to read!), managing a library and tech budget, supervising Chromebook laptops, and building essential trust with students.”

The district’s agenda states,” On February 27, 2025, the Board of Trustees determined it needs to reduce or eliminate 49.2 full-time equivalent certificated administrative and/or teaching positions at the end of the current school year, and that potentially impacted certificated employees be provided written notice prior to March 15, 2025. Potentially affected employees were notified by the deadline.” The agenda adds the seniority will be taken into account in eliminating positions.

Trustee Chris Fite has indicated he opposes these cuts, as he has previously voted against other recent controversial staffing cuts including teachers and the district’s public safety director, but the other four members have supported those cuts.