Breaking News Stories

Illustration of children playing musical chairs in a classroom setting, symbolizing unstable school enrollment. One child wears a Method Sports Academy jersey, another carries a backpack labeled 'Flex-Based Learning.' Empty desks and paperwork labeled 'Independent Study Contract' are scattered around. The scene reflects confusion and competition for classroom seats amid Dehesa School District’s shifting student placements.

Method Musical Chairs: How Dehesa’s Enrollment Shuffle Fueled ADA Funding, Charter Growth, and Audit Flags

Dehesa’s enrollment skyrocketed—on paper. But the math doesn’t track. Resident students were displaced. Outsiders were brought in. Funding followed the fiction. At the center: inflated ADA, a $253K superintendent, and

Lizzie Bly July 25, 2025 3:41 pm

Adjacent, Apparently: How Dehesas Definition Could Cost Taxpayers Millions

Let’s talk about the word “adjacent.” It’s simple, right? You’d think so. But in the world of charter authorizing loopholes, definitions get stretched—then warped—until they snap.

Lizzie Bly July 23, 2025 1:25 pm

To the Dehesa School Board Members

East of 52 is publishing this open letter on behalf of parents and community members who feel their voices have gone unheard. This letter represents a collective call for transparency,

Lizzie Bly July 19, 2025 7:44 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

Golden retriever sits at a desk surrounded by tax forms, receipts, a calculator, and an IRS-labeled box.

The Golden Retriever Who Wanted a Tax Break

A lawsuit asks the IRS to treat a dog as a “dependent.” The legal problem is easy. The policy problem is worse.

Lizzie Bly December 23, 2025 12:19 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

School News

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