A Trojan Horse Measure Posing as School Reform
The battle for the hearts and minds of young people in San Diego’s public schools continues unabated as yet another year draws to a close. The shadowy group, San Diegans for Great Schools, a spin-off of the USD private think tank Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) is now paying a company to gather 135,000 signatures on petitions around the city to place an initiative on the ballot (exactly when has yet to be determined) that will “reform” our local schools.
The uncertainty about the “when” of this ballot measure is due to reports that Gov.-elect Jerry Brown is already planning on calling a special election aimed at giving California voters a say in negotiations regarding the state’s on-going and ever-worsening budget woes. The Great Schools strategy involves getting their measure on the ballot for a low-turnout election, where voters