Recall the Trustees

Text reads: "Recall The Trustees. Our students deserve better"

GUHSD Recall donate button

Recall Kelly, Shield, Woods, and Eckert

Stand up for better public education.

East County voters have lost faith in elected officials Jim Kelly, Rob Shield, Gary Woods, and Scott Eckert.

These Trustees promised to support students in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD). Instead, Kelly, Shield, Woods, and Eckert gutted school resources. We must stop public school mismanagement.

We much recall them all.

Get Involved

Recalling a board member is a community effort. Your support makes a difference.

Learn how you can help

Collage of three photos taken of GUHSD Recall supporters. First photo shows a group of three supporters outside in a park with their dog. Second photo shows a group of people listening to a speaker at a recall event. Third photo shows a recall supporter signing a volunteer form.

Four Trustees. Four Failures.

The GUHSD Trustees have failed us in four key ways:

  1. NEGLECTED STUDENTS. Trustees deprived students of critical school resources by eliminating school librarians, psychologists, safety staff, and special education staff. Learn more
  2. DISMISSED CONSTITUENTS. 
    • The Trustees have been unresponsive to the resounding and continued demands to reverse cuts that harm students and school quality. Learn more
    • A Union-Tribune investigation found that the Trustees plotted against district employees in a secret text message thread. Their conversations appear to violated California’s Brown Act, which makes it illegal for a majority of Trustees to hold discussions without public notice or comment from constituents. Learn more
  3. MISAPPROPRIATED FUNDS. 
    • The Trustees diverted taxpayer dollars to a man who had been investigated for “immoral conduct.” Learn more
    • The Trustees also paid school funds to a company owned by their own campaign donor.
  4. UNETHICAL CONDUCT. 
    • The Trustees appear to have retaliated against a school librarian who made a personal donation to Scott Eckert’s political opponent. The Trustees eliminated this librarian’s position after discussing the matter in private text messages. This retaliation may have violated the librarian’s First Amendment rights, which protect campaign contributions as a form of free speech. See summary
    • In a clear conflict of interest, several Trustees have profited from private schools that complete for students with GUHSD schools.

Kelly, Shield, Woods, and Eckert promised “to act in the best interests of every student in the district.” (Board Bylaw 9005). The Trustees broke this promise. We must recall them all.

Please read:

June 13, 2025 — The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Jim Kelly, Robert Shield and Scott Eckert may have violated California’s Brown Act by discussing school district business in private text messages. What did they chat about? Book banning, loyalty tests, and targeted layoffs.

Grossmont school trustees regularly discussed board business in private texts and emails

July 6, 2025 — The Union-Tribune shares a bombshell investigation with documentation that Grossmont school board leadership benefitted from fake “ghost” candidates that split votes in the 2024 election. It also appears Trustee Scott Eckert accepted a campaign donation and then voted to pay school funds to this donor’s company.

‘Ghost’ candidates, pay-to-play accusations: Grossmont school board critics say messages suggest ‘wildly unethical’ campaign efforts

Fact Sheet

What you need to know about school budgets, librarian layoffs, and misuse of funds by GUHSD Trustees Jim Kelly, Rob Shield, Gary C. Woods, and Scott Eckert.

Learn more.

Hundreds of people stand up to demand the board rescind the firings of librarians, teachers and staff at a packed-to-capacity board meeting in March.