After more than a year of public outcry, the Grossmont Union High School District will reinstate nine teacher-librarian positions that the school board cut in early 2025.
The reinstatement comes after the Grossmont Education Association, the teachers’ union, filed an unfair practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). The charge alleged that the district violated the Educational Employment Relations Act.
Under a settlement agreement announced Wednesday, the teacher librarians will be offered their jobs back for the 2027-28 school year and will have protections from layoffs for two full school years.
“This agreement is focused on the future and serves the best interest of our East County community following a challenging period,” said Grossmont Union High School Board President Robert Shield.
In early 2025, the school board's conservative majority, which included Shield, Scott Eckert, Gary Woods and Jim Kelly, pushed through the cuts claiming they were needed in part to close a budget deficit.
Later, the San Diego Union-Tribune revealed private text threads that included members of the board majority. The text threads raised questions regarding whether the board members violated California’s open meetings law by discussing the cuts outside of a public meeting.
Teacher-librarian and GEA President Stephanie Macceca said Wednesday’s settlement agreement to bring back the teacher librarians is a “testament to the power of solidarity and our unwavering commitment to our students.”
While the agreement resolves the unfair practice charge, the district is still facing a lawsuit filed by the group of teacher librarians who lost their positions.
