FREE SPEECH
The actual battle for public records connected to planned stadium improvements at Monterey High School has long since been resolved, but the court case continues. Opponents of the project, organized as Taxpayers for MPUSD Accountability, requested documents related to the stadium with a California Public Records Act request. When Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s attorneys withheld hundreds of records, the taxpayers group sued. After a judge in Monterey County Superior Court indicated MPUSD’s reasons for withholding were flimsy, the district produced the records in question A court order was released March 4, codifying the decision that the records were improperly withheld, and also entitles the plaintiffs to seek attorney fees from MPUSD. Lawyer Molly Erickson says she has not yet calculated that figure. “It’s unfortunate that the school district chose to fight the release of public records,” she says. MPUSD Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh says: “MPUSD has produced over 50,000 pages of documents in response to approximately 100 PRA requests by Ms. Erickson.” The taxpayers group filed a separate suit in 2021 aiming to overthrow the stadium project itself.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“[Amanda Gorman] reminded us all that poetry is cool.” - Jacquie Atchison, executive director of Arts Council for Monterey County, speaking about an effort to collect 468 poetry books – one of each of Gorman’s, so every school library in the county will get one – by May 15 (see story, posted March 18 at mcweekly.com).
GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK
GOOD:
San Antonio Union School District, one the smallest in Monterey County, has won a big recognition. The district is one of 125 to be selected to be part of the national League of Innovative Schools. Teachers Darcy Domingos and Andrew Kim attended the League’s spring convening in Cincinnati from March 9-11, where they gathered innovative ideas, such as using service dogs at schools to provide mental health and socioemotional support for students. Normally, administrators attend these sessions, but SAUSD went a different route. “We are making decisions about what’s happening in the classrooms,” says Superintendent Josh Van Norman. “Teachers should be involved in that.” SAUSD gained its spot in the League by lowering suspension rates and improving reading skills with an intervention program. The district is also turning an old school bus into a mobile lab.
GREAT:
April 20 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument, and to celebrate that milestone, Seaside will be permanently opening the gate at Eucalyptus Road at its intersection with Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard to allow for vehicle traffic and parking. The road, which extends into Fort Ord, was built by the Fort Ord Reuse Authority a decade ago in anticipation of future development that may never happen. On March 17, the Seaside City Council voted to build a solar-powered gate that would automatically close before sunset and open after sunrise, though the timeline on the project remains unclear. In the meantime, Acting City Manager Roberta Greathouse says the gate will potentially be open before Wednesday, April 20. The city will likely schedule a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a weekend around that time, when more people can attend.