Breaking News Stories

A sunlit school gymnasium with voting booths lined up and a child standing alone in the center, evoking themes of public accountability, education policy, and democratic process.

Stop Calling It Choice: Public Funds Deserve Public Standards

Charter schools were created in the spirit of innovation and flexibility—but with billions in public funds flowing into private hands and virtually no voter accountability, the promise of “choice” now

Lizzie Bly October 16, 2025 6:36 pm

A close-up, high-resolution photograph of U.S. currency, with tightly stacked hundred-dollar bills in sharp focus. The lighting emphasizes the texture and detail of the paper, evoking themes of money, funding, and financial influence.

When the Tail Wags the Dog: How Tiny Districts Like Dehesa Are Raking in Millions While Educating Almost No One

A small East County school district with under 100 students authorizes more than 13,000 charter enrollments across Southern California. As oversight fees rise and land deals expand, questions emerge about

Lizzie Bly October 14, 2025 8:35 am

A fragile house of cards beginning to collapse on a wooden desk under warm light, symbolizing the fragility of power, accountability, and corruption

If I Weren’t a Responsible Journalist I Would Name-Drop

A reporter’s reflection on restraint, ethics, and the stories I chose not to publish—yet.

Lizzie Bly October 10, 2025 10:58 pm

Stadium crowd stands, raising black “Turning Point” signs; red-white-blue outfits fill the seats during the Charlie Kirk memorial in Glendale, Arizona.

Inside the Arena: A Reporter’s Reflection

From the floor, I did a slow 360 and felt chills rip through me. The crowd rose, sang, embraced, and the emotion hit like a tidal wave—love, admiration, mourning, resolve.

Lizzie Bly September 23, 2025 9:14 pm

Community Spotlight

Op Ed

The Sizzle Shack: A New Burger Royalty Emerges in East County

When In-N-Out’s heiress announced she was leaving California, burger lovers wondered who might rise to fill the symbolic void. Enter The Sizzle Shack: a fresh, family-owned burger joint in El

Lizzie Bly July 29, 2025 2:39 pm

Community Spotlight: The Stand Brings Flavor & Fresh Energy to Santee

Santee has a new spot worth checking out—and no, it’s not another chicken chain. It’s The Stand, a fast-casual eatery that’s setting a new bar for casual dining with bold

Lizzie Bly July 14, 2025 2:36 pm

A photorealistic scene of a schoolroom table with stacks of U.S. cash, a calculator, pencils, manila folders, and a rubber stamp in focus; empty student desks and an American flag are softly blurred in the background.

Rethinking Charter Oversight: A Path Toward Fairness, Representation, and Educational Integrity

California’s charter dilemma isn’t about charters—it’s about who oversees them. This blueprint replaces district authorizers with independent regional boards, returns oversight fees to public

Lizzie Bly October 20, 2025 8:27 am

Stop Calling It Choice: Public Funds Deserve Public Standards

Charter schools were created in the spirit of innovation and flexibility—but with billions in public funds flowing into private hands and virtually no voter

Lizzie Bly October 16, 2025 6:36 pm

School News

Letter excerpt signed by Superintendent Bradley Johnson stating the district will forward the notice to East County Schools Federal Credit Union and that the Parents’ Club is not authorized to conduct any further activities connected to Dehesa School District.

Setting The Record Straight

In my view, based on the documented sequence, you pause long enough to let volunteers cure the filings—you don’t drop a public hammer and then route a notice to the

Lizzie Bly August 28, 2025 11:36 am

Microphone on a public meeting dais with other mics in a row; American flag and people out of focus.

Rio Seco: An Expanded Investigation

A credible new lead—centered on Education Code and the collective bargaining agreement—has shifted the Rio Seco story. We are examining how decisions were made and whether the processes those rules

Lizzie Bly August 20, 2025 6:41 pm

The Tale of the Three Whites and the Two Phams — A one-school district. Five board members. Two families. And a growing rebellion.

In the rural hills outside El Cajon, where wildfire season sparks fear each summer, another kind of fire has begun to smolder. But this time, it wasn’t fireworks that started

Lizzie Bly July 15, 2025 11:42 am

A colorful satirical cartoon illustration of a one-room schoolhouse on a massive pedestal of cash, surrounded by oversized paperwork and red tape, symbolizing bloated administration costs in a tiny school district.

Superintendent in One-School District Paid $2,522 Per Student Without Required Credential

A tiny school district in rural East San Diego County is paying a $252,000 salary to a superintendent overseeing fewer than 100 students — without a valid administrative credential. A

Lizzie Bly July 15, 2025 11:36 am