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Submitted by John Turpit
The Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) is in trouble.
During Covid, when the State Legislature (controlled by the California Teachers Union) shut Coronado Schools and forced ZOOM classes, families living in Coronado were forced to put their children in private schools if they wanted classroom instruction. Today, many of those families kept their children in private schools because the administrators and teachers in these private schools are not distracted by popular culture and political agendas. Academic excellence in history, English, math and science is what matters to these private schools, and Coronado parents demand that for their children.
What happens when these and other Coronado children stop attending our schools in large numbers? How does the school survive financially? There are two possibilities- one, children from greater San Diego commute to our schools, or our schools close. In the mid ’90s, Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA), now a very successful program, was created to backfill the loss of students from an increase in Coronado’s second home ownership. But today’s loss of students to private schools, first driven by Covid, now continues as parents fear their children will be exposed to “provocative national social/political issues” already present in our schools and promoted by the California Teachers Union and Sacramento.
CUSD is one of the most important elements to building and sustaining a sense of community in Coronado. Children make lifelong friends at school—they study together, play and work together, compete on sports teams, and their parents become close friends as well. This is what a school does for a community. If Coronado schools no longer draw students from Coronado, there will be a gaping hole in our community.
The four candidates named above understand how to bring academic excellence back to the CUSD. Academic excellence is what Coronado families demand. These candidates are well aware of the social struggles children face in today’s society. But they recognize these personal situations are just that, highly personal and sensitive issues to be addressed by parents and professionals outside the classroom. All four have children in Coronado schools.
Gerri Machin is a former school teacher, married and mother of two children.
Lisa Meglioli is multicultural, her husband is Mexican, she was born in Italy to an Italian father and Mexican mother, she’s owned and managed businesses, and is the mother of five children.
Mark Scheurer MD, practices medicine in Coronado, retired from the Navy, flew F-14s prior to going to medical school, is married with four children.
Scot Youngblood, MD, retired from the Navy, orthopedic surgeon, chair of orthopedics for the Navy in San Diego for 7 years, married with three children.
Please join John Turpit in voting for all four candidates.
John Turpit
