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June 23, 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.
July 6, 2025 — The Union-Tribune shares a bombshell investigation that shows Grossmont school board leadership benefitted from fake “ghost” candidates that split votes in the 2024 election. It also appears Scott Eckert accepted a campaign donation and then voted to pay school funds to this donor’s company.
Statements and press releases
Media alert: Speaking out against Grossmont school board misconduct
East County community leaders, parents to hold press conference outside school board meeting on Thursday, July 17
Read moreGUHSD Trustees targeted librarian based on personal campaign donation
The Trustees singled out a librarian who gave a personal donation to Scott Eckert’s campaign opponent. The librarian’s donation was noted as a reason to consider her for firing. The Board then voted to lay her off.
Read moreLa Mesa, Grossmont voters can now sign petition to recall failed GUHSD school board leader Scott Eckert
June 11, 2025 — Voters, grab your pens. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters has granted official permission for the circulation of a petition to recall Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Trustee Scott Eckert.
Read moreEast County voters hit key milestones in effort to recall unethical school board trustees
June 6, 2025 — Community volunteers complete initial steps to remove Grossmont School Board Trustee Scott Eckert—and receive endorsement from local teachers
Read moreEast County parents approve high quality Ethnic Studies curriculum
Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Trustees Jim Kelly, Robert Shield, Gary C. Woods, and Scott Eckert have a chance to bring well-crafted lesson plans to local schools.
Read moreGUHSD Chief of Staff resigns as reports of “immoral” behavior come to light
May 14, 2025 — New Union-Tribune investigation raises a startling question — Why did Trustees Kelly, Shield, Woods, and Eckert hire a Chief of Staff disciplined for using racist and sexist slurs as a special ed teacher?
Read moreIn the news:
Community calls for majority of Grossmont Union district board to resign – La Mesa Courier
Public commenters have called on four Grossmont Union High School District board members to resign after multiple allegations of misconduct.
Dozens of speakers denounced the board’s conduct at a Thursday meeting on the heels of reports by the San Diego Union-Tribune regarding trustees discussing board business in private texts and emails, which commenters alleged violated the Ralph M. Brown Act, the state law that governs open meetings .
The messages detailed allegations against staff members the trustees considered political enemies.
The commenters are seeking immediate resignations from Robert Shield, Jim Kelly, Scott Eckert and Gary Woods.
Public anger boils over at Grossmont school board, again, as trustees pledge to follow the law – San Diego Union-Tribune
“Here’s how to take the first step to bringing East County values back to our community: Resign, resign, resign.”
Leaked texts spark recall campaign against four Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees – CBS8
Tensions are escalating in the Grossmont Union High School District, as newly uncovered documents suggest school board members may have targeted staff based on personal beliefs. Now, a growing group of students, parents and educators are pushing to recall Trustee Scott Eckert, the first step in a broader campaign to remove four trustees from the board.
Report shows need to recall four Grossmont school trustees – San Diego Union-Tribune
Four Grossmont Union High School District trustees have betrayed the public trust. Private texts and emails reveal they plotted board decisions …
Years before Grossmont hired him as a top administrator, he was disciplined for racial slurs, sexism – San Diego Union-Tribune
The board approved a settlement clearing Jerry Hobbs of 2018 accusations, created a top administrative job and hired him for it, before pushing him out last week.
Grossmont Investigated Him, He Resigned and Now He’s Chief of Staff – Voice of San Diego
After resigning from the Grossmont Union High School District in 2018, Jerry Hobbs found his way back seven years later. All it took was a law firm, a new investigation, a settlement and an entirely new position.
Grossmont Union Trustees Finalize Layoffs as Community Mounts Recall Effort — Voice of San Diego
At Thursday’s board meeting, trustees chose not to rescind layoff notices that have sparked outrage among community members, some of whom revealed they’d launched a recall effort against four of the district’s board members.
Grossmont school board makes 61 layoffs official — SDNews.com
Community members were collecting signatures for a recall effort of the four trustees who proposed and approved the layoffs of 12 classified positions and 49 teachers, including all the schools’ dual credentialed teacher-librarians.
Recalling a board member is a community effort. Your support makes a difference.
Recall the Trustees 