A specific type of institutional power functions virtually unnoticed by the general public. No press conferences. No moments that went viral. Decisions that affect some of the most vulnerable lives in San Diego County are made by just five individuals who are chosen by their neighbors. That type of organization is the San Diego County Board of Education, and the majority of locals couldn’t identify a single member.
Each of the five trustees on the board, chosen through local elections and holding staggered four-year terms, represents a distinct region of the county, including the 3rd District. This deliberate staggering is a structural decision intended to maintain continuity and avoid a sudden turnover of the entire board. It’s a minor but significant design element that implies someone, somewhere, gave institutional stability considerable thought. It is more difficult to determine whether that stability has resulted in significant advancement.
Adopting the yearly budget, approving a Local Control and Accountability Plan, hiring and assessing the county superintendent, and hearing appeals for student expulsions and charter school petitions are all part of the board’s official duties, which resemble a civic checklist. In practice, those functions are very important. This board’s decisions have an impact on whether or not a charter school grows. The same procedure determines whether a student expelled from their home district receives a second chance or not. These are not decisions about abstract policy. These are the times when a teen’s life takes a certain turn.
What the County Office of Education actually manages directly is what really sets it apart from a normal school district. Students in detention facilities who are referred by probation officers, social workers, and school administrators are served by the Juvenile Court and Community Schools. Over 97% of those students are eligible for free or discounted meals. When you sit with that figure for a while, you can see how concentrated the suffering is. Test score gaps are not being managed by a suburban district. It’s much more intricate.
Nestled in a rural area of the county is San Pasqual Academy, a boarding school created especially for foster youth. Enrollment has been dropping, but this isn’t due to bad programming; rather, it’s because more foster children are now being placed with family members, which is generally a good thing. However, an institutional conundrum arises when a sizable campus designed for a particular population suddenly serves fewer students. Staff members have been asked by the County Board of Supervisors to think about other uses for the property, such as transitional housing. The precise form that will take is still unknown.
Observing all of this, it seems like the board is handling changes that no one had anticipated very well. A similar reality is reflected in the Monarch School for Homeless Youth, which is operated in collaboration with a nonprofit; education authorities are filling gaps left by other systems. In south San Diego, the Friendship School serves students with severe disabilities in a similar manner. It was necessary for these programs to exist.
A monthly stipend of $562.83 is given to board members. It’s not a paycheck. It is hardly a token of appreciation for the truly difficult and frequently unappreciated governance work. The real open question that hangs over the 3rd District and the board as a whole seems to be whether that changes—that is, whether greater public attention and resources follow the responsibilities.
