After years of strife, Grossmont teachers union flips board supermajority in election stunner – Times of San Diego

After years of strife, Grossmont teachers union flips board supermajority in election stunner  Times of San Diego

In a repudiation of the Grossmont Union district’s troubled governance, East County voters flipped two board seats, including unseating an incumbent. This post has been updated to reflect vote counts released on Friday, Nov. 6. In a repudiation of Grossmont Union High School District’s troubled governance, East County voters flipped a conservative super-majority on the board into a new 3-2 majority backed by the teachers union. While the board’s longest-serving member, Jim Kelly, remains, Gary Woods, after 20 years in his seat, looks like he will be replaced by administrator Jeneé Littrell, who, in Friday’s returns, holds a lead that grew to over 500 votes. Kelly and ally Scott Eckert, who was not up for reelection, will continue to represent the board’s conservative faction, but without the near certainty of a 4-1 vote carrying the day.

That frequent lone dissenting vote, Chris Fite, now likely will be joined by Littrell and Steve Mull come January when new members take their oaths of office. “If these trend lines hold and Jeneé gets onto the board, we will have a group of people that will really start to put students before their political ideology,” said Jackie Naah, a Valhalla High School teacher. Naah heads the Grossmont Educators Association’s (GEA) Political Action Committee, a role she said feels like a second full-time job.