The California Department of Education has announced that it will distribute $1.5 million among four local school districts to be spent on reforms at campuses with low test scores.
Schools that repeatedly fall short of minimum pass rates on state math and English tests are designated as program improvement schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The law orders those schools to undertake reforms.
The money announced by the state Tuesday is geared toward paying for improvements such as refining the curriculum so it more closely matches state standards of what students are supposed to know – and be tested on.
The Grossmont Union High School District is to receive $100,000 to be spent at two campuses. The Escondido Union School District will get $300,000 to be spread among six schools. Five San Ysidro School District campuses will share $250,000. The South Bay Union School District is to receive $900,000 for nine schools.
Statewide, 92 school districts will get nearly $80.5 million in federal grants that are directed by the state's Department of Education. –C.M.
Concert for fire victims
canceled over permits
LAKESIDE: A concert to benefit wildfire victims that was scheduled for Saturday at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds has been canceled.
Randy Seol, drummer with the Strawberry Alarm Clock, said he was unable to obtain permits from the county Sheriff's Department for the concert.
Seol, 59, a Miramar resident, said he had planned to use proceeds to benefit two families, one in Dulzura and the other in Tecate, who lost their homes in the 2007 wildfires.
In addition to Seol's band, other bands from the 1960s and '70s were set to perform, he said.
Several hundred people bought $30 tickets for the show, Seol said. They can get refunds from the place of purchase or contact him at (619) 972-7263.
Seol said he hopes to put on the concert at another location next spring. –A.K.
'Red tide' OK to swim
in, but skip the mussels
IMPERIAL BEACH: The reddish seawater or “red tide” off Imperial Beach is safe for water enthusiasts, but it signals that local mussels may be toxic, county health officials said Tuesday.
During late spring, summer and fall, vast blooms of algae often color the ocean off California, appearing suddenly and lasting from a few days to a few months, causing the water to turn red. They can spread toxins that are soaked up by oysters, clams and mussels.
The county Department of Environmental Health says an annual quarantine on mussel consumption, instituted by the California Department of Public Health, is in effect. People are warned against eating mussels through at least Oct. 31 because of the risk of poisoning along the California coast. –J.Z.
Reducing wildfire threat
focus of public meeting
CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST: The Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest will hold a public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. today to discuss strategies for reducing fire fuels such as dead trees and brush.
The work involves prescribed burns, tree removal and other activities designed to lessen the threat of severe wildfires in national forests. Areas listed in the district's proposal are near Ramona, San Vicente, Barona Mesa, Warner Springs and Sunshine Summit.
The meeting will take place at the district's headquarters, 1634 Black Canyon Road, Ramona. –M.L.
Search for city manager
gets public, official input
CHULA VISTA: City leaders took public input Tuesday night on qualities they want in a new city manager, but not without first stating their positions on how to handle the search.
Mayor Cheryl Cox and Councilman Jerry Rindone chided other members of the council who previously had expressed wanting to hire a city manager immediately to replace David Garcia, who was fired this month over his Internet use.
Cox and Rindone want to wait until after the November election, which could put three new council members in charge, and use a search firm to conduct the process.
The public had mixed feelings on how to hire a new manager but agreed that the person should possess leadership qualities, be able to unite the community and work well with all the council, not just the mayor.
In other news, a group of Chula Vista residents filed its intent to recall Cox and Councilman John McCann. The grass-roots group, which focuses on environmental justice, says Cox and McCann have shown inefficient leadership, fiscal irresponsibility, poor interaction with the community and environmental mismanagement, and have violated conventional standards of fair play.
Cox said it's a political move. –T.S.
Disputed redevelopment
deal puts Kehoe in action
SAN DIEGO: State Sen. Christine Kehoe, concerned about a recent redevelopment transaction in San Diego, plans to introduce a bill next year to prevent similar deals in the future.
Kehoe, D-San Diego, complained last month that a legal settlement between the city and the county regarding the Grantville community stretched the intent of the law by shifting money from one redevelopment area to another.
The law generally calls for increases in property tax revenue in such areas to be reinvested in that community. The city/county agreement calls for $31 million of Grantville money to be spent downtown, and for the same amount of downtown redevelopment funding to be applied to county projects.
Kehoe also wants residents to be able to challenge such decisions, which they can't do now. That hasn't stopped a group of Grantville residents, who sued the city over the deal Friday.
Kehoe's decision to seek new legislation follows her request for a review by the state Attorney General's Office. Attorneys said Monday that the city's and county's actions appear to be legal. –J.V.
Staff writers Chris Moran, Anne Krueger, Janine Zúñiga, Mike Lee, Tanya Sierra and Jennifer Vigil contributed to this report.
