SAN DIEGO
Community leaders in Rancho Penasquitos are lobbying San Diego officials to reverse a decade-old decision that divided the suburban neighborhood between two City Council districts, arguably diminishing its political power.
Key factors in their effort are conflicting sections of the California Voting Rights Act, one that aims to protect the voting clout of minority groups and another that aims to keep neighborhood areas whole if they are cohesive, compact and contiguous.
In 2011, a southern slice of the neighborhood was shifted from District 5 to District 6 to help make District 6 San Diego’s first council district where Asians are the largest ethnic group.
SD County Office of Education offers local districts lessons on equity
A poster on the San Dieguito Academy High School campus during the GSA’s Love Lunch in February 2020.
(Celeste Barnette)
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Diversity, equity and inclusion have become a priority for many school districts this past year. To address those issues, local districts have turned to partnerships with the San Diego County Office of Education’s equity department over the last month, work has begun in the Del Mar and San Dieguito Union High School Districts.
But what does that really mean?
“The biggest piece is really about building community. It’s about seeing each other’s humanity, having empathy for the other person whoever they may be,” said Fabiola Bagula, senior director of SDCOE’s equity department. “It’s the commitment that every student receives what they need to develop their full academic and social potential.”
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Four San Diego County educational programs two from the Poway Unified School District have been named winners of the 18th annual Innovation in Education Awards, presented by the Classroom of the Future Foundation.
The awards honor programs that motivate K-12 students to learn and increase student achievement. Educators apply for Innovation Grants in four categories, and a panel of leaders in the business and education communities makes the selections. This year’s winners are:
Achieve Award ($5,000 grant): An innovative program that is able to measure results or achievements that drive student learning. Winner is the
CyberAegis Team of the Poway Unified School District. The program inspires students to pursue careers in cybersecurity and trains students to compete in and win county, state, and national cybersecurity competitions.
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Several county schools were among those earning recognition in the state’s Civic Learning Awards, which honor achievements in civic engagement in the classroom.
Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond co-sponsor the award program, now in its ninth year. They hosted a virtual meeting with the top schools recently.
“I’m so proud of these schools for keeping students engaged in civic learning during a pandemic, especially as our country grapples with serious social and civic conversations and actions that can reimagine governance at all levels,” Thurmond said in a statement.
Cloud Campus in the Encinitas Union School District was among 32 California schools to receive the top-level Civic Learning Award of Excellence. Cloud Campus is a distance-learning option that integrates civics lessons into elementary classrooms. It was offered in 2020 to 430 students. The children participated remotely in activities, including a mo
Marten previously served as superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District.
Cindy Marten Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issued a statement saying he was “grateful for today’s confirmation.” The Senate vote was at 11:27 a.m. Pacific time.
Marten’s office said she will prepare to transition from the San Diego Unified School District to Washington, D.C.
Marten was honored with the San Diego Business Journal 2018 Business Woman of the Year Award and was featured in the SDBJ SD 500 this past year.
Once Marten is sworn into office, she will assume the federal post after more than three decades as an educator in San Diego, including eight years as superintendent of California’s second-largest district.