Rural schools in San Diego County have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, falling behind their urban counterparts and struggling to make up lost ground, according to new reporting by Jakob McWhinney. Data from the Education Recovery Scorecard Report revealed that several rural districts in the county experienced significant drops in math and reading performance compared to the state average, putting students years behind where they should be. Factors contributing to these disparities include chronic absenteeism, high teacher turnover, outdated facilities, and limited funds.
In other news, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Assemblymember David Alvarez and state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, are calling for reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to prevent anti-growth groups from using it to block housing development projects. A new bill, AB 609, proposes exemptions for small-to-medium-sized housing projects in urban areas, with the goal of speeding up home construction.
Additionally, allegations of corruption in a Chula Vista school district and a lawsuit filed by former San Diego chief operating officer Eric Dargan are discussed in the latest VOSD Podcast episode. Meanwhile, County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe is proposing to extend the budget approval process from June to October to address economic turbulence and allow the new District 1 Supervisor to have a say in the budget process.
Other news highlights include Rep. Mike Levin discussing the impact of Trump administration tariffs, a family suing the city of San Diego for towing a van where a homeless woman died, and the sighting of a blue whale off the coast of San Diego.
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