San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

based in northern

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

. Established in 1936, the district serves over 13,000 students in five

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

s, five comprehensive

high schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

, and one alternative high school.

History

Prior to 1936, students who lived in coastal

North County North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after San Diego), with an estimated population of 869,322. North County is well known for its affluence, especially ...

attended high school in

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

. In January 1936, the communities of

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. Located in Southern California, it is approximately north of San Di ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Solana Beach Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish for "sunny side") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, on the South Coast. Its population was at 12,940 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 census. History The area was first set ...

, Del Mar, Green Valley, and Olivenhain voted in favor to form a new high school district. San Dieguito Union High School, now San Dieguito High School Academy was the flagship school of the district, in which the first classes were held in September 1936. Architect Lillian J. Rice was hired by the district board to design the school. The district now serves students from five elementary school districts in North County: the

, Rancho Santa Fe,

, and Del Mar School Districts. Students from those school districts matriculate through the middle schools and high schools.

Boundary

The district includes

, Del Mar,

, portions of

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, the Fairbanks Ranch and

Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, ...

census-designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

, and most of the

Elfin Forest A "natural National Park in the Philippines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site file:Mount Kemiri (8187817161).jpg, An elfin forest in Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem feat ...

CDP.
Text list
/ref> Feeder elementary districts include:

Cardiff Elementary School District Cardiff School District is a public school district serving the community of Cardiff in the city of Encinitas, in the North County area of San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest ...

Del Mar Union Elementary School District Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) is a public school district based in Del Mar in San Diego County, California. The district was founded in 1906. For many years, the district was small, serving approximately 1,000 students in the City of ...

Encinitas Union Elementary School District Encinitas Union School District is a public elementary school district in San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of ...

Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School District Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School District is a public school district based in Rancho Santa Fe, California, United States. It consists of only one site, R. Roger Rowe School, which comprises a public elementary school (K–5) and a public middl ...

, and Solana Beach Elementary School District.

Board of trustees

The district is governed by a five-member

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

, called the

Board of Trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. Since 2017, trustees are elected directly by voters from five separate areas within the district's boundaries. The current board trustees include Rimga Viskanta, Jodie Williams, Jane Lea Smith, Michael Allman, and Phan Anderson. Williams and Smith are board president and vice president, respectively. Williams was elected to a first term, and Allman was reelected to a second term in November 2024. Anderson, Smith, and Viskanta were elected to the board in November 2022. Williams succeeds Katrina Young, elected to the board in 2020, after she announced she would not be seeking reelection in 2024. Viskanta is a policy analyst, and former board member for the

Encinitas Union School District Encinitas Union School District is a public elementary school district in San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of ...

. Williams is an attorney and former EUSD board member. Smith is a businesswoman, and former school teacher and administrator. Allman was former chairman, president, and CEO of

Southern California Gas Company The Southern California Gas Company (trading as SoCalGas) is a utility company based in Los Angeles, California, and a subsidiary of Sempra. It is the primary provider of natural gas to Los Angeles and Southern California. Overview Its headqu ...

Sempra Energy Sempra is a North American public utility holding company based in San Diego, California. The company is one of the largest utility holding companies in the United States with nearly 40 million consumers. Sempra's focus is on electric and natur ...

. Anderson is a software engineer.

Leadership and staff

The president of the board of trustees is Jodie Williams. She has served as president since December 2024. Williams previously was a member of the

board of trustees from 2016 to 2020. Anne Staffieri, former superintendent of the Escondido Union High School District, has served as superintendent since July 2023. On May 10, 2023, the district announced in a press release that Anne Staffieri would serve as superintendent pending board approval of her contract beginning July 2023. Staffieri was superintendent of Escondido Union High School District from 2019 to 2023. Staffieri succeeds Tina Douglas, associate superintendent of business services, who had served as interim superintendent since April 2022. Cheryl James-Ward, professor at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

and former CEO of E3 Civic High School, was hired in November 2021. James-Ward was placed on

administrative leave Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. Definition The definition of adm ...

in April 2022 after controversial comments she made about

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans with Asian diaspora, ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are Immigration to the United States, immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). A ...

during a board workshop. Board trustees Muir, Allman, and Bronstein voted in favor, while Young voted against it. The board subsequently voted unanimously to terminate her contract on June 26, 2022, effective August 15, 2022, without cause. The board appointed Lucile Lynch as interim superintendent in May 2021. She served in the role until the board hired James-Ward in November 2021. Lynch was preceded by Robert Haley, who served in the role beginning on November 1, 2018. He resigned in April 2021.

School sites and properties

High schools

There are five high schools in the district, including four comprehensive schools and one alternative school. Although officially named academies, there is no official academic or educational difference between San Dieguito and Canyon Crest Academies and Torrey Pines and La Costa Canyon High Schools. SDUHSD uses

school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to traditional public schools. School choice options include scholarship tax credit programs, open enrollment laws (which allow students to att ...

, which allows any student within the elementary and middle school boundaries to attend any of the four comprehensive high schools.

San Dieguito High School Academy

San Dieguito High School Academy (SDA), formerly San Dieguito Union High School, San Dieguito High School, and San Dieguito Academy, is the district's flagship school. Opening in 1936, the school is located in Encinitas around one mile from the coast. Similar to Canyon Crest Academy, SDHSA uses a semester class schedule, which allows students to take year-long courses in one semester. During the 2020-2021 school year, 2,059 students were enrolled.

Torrey Pines High School Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School Di ...

Torrey Pines High School (TPHS) was established in 1974, located in the Del Mar Highlands area of

. Torrey Pines enrolled 2,547 students during the 2020-2021 school year, making it the largest school in the district. It is a traditional high school, using a rotating block schedule with year-long courses. The school's rival is La Costa Canyon High School.

La Costa Canyon High School La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school in Carlsbad, California. It is an International Baccalaureate World School and is part of the San Dieguito Union High School District, serving northwestern San Diego County. Established ...

La Costa Canyon High School (LCC), located in south

, opened in 1996 and is the smallest high school in the district. The district's only

International Baccalaureate (IB) The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB ...

World School The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

, La Costa Canyon enrolled 1,834 students during the 2020-2021 school year. It is one of the district's two traditional high schools, using a rotating block schedule. La Costa Canyon is best known for its athletic programs, producing numerous professional sports players. The school's rival is Torrey Pines High School.

Canyon Crest Academy Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) is a public high school in San Diego, California. Founded in 2004, the school is part of San Dieguito Union High School District and is located in Pacific Highlands Ranch (often considered part of Carmel Valley), a ...

Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) opened in 2004 in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego. The school uses the semester class schedule similar to San Dieguito Academy. During the 2020-2021 school year, CCA enrolled 2,503 students making it the second largest school in the district. Canyon Crest has been ranked the #1 high school in the state since 2018.

Sunset High School

Sunset High School is the district's

alternative high school Alternative High School (AHS) is a public senior high (secondary) school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; which teaches grades 10 through 12. AHS is currently located at the Clinton Ford Centre, which was home to the former Clinton Ford Elementary Sc ...

located in Encinitas.

Middle schools

The San Dieguito Union High School District currently operates five

s. Earl Warren Middle School is the district's first middle school located in

. Oak Crest Middle School in

opened in 1957. Diegueño Middle School in Encinitas was established in 1985, located four miles away from La Costa Canyon High School. Carmel Valley Middle School opened in 1999 in the Carmel Valley community of

. Pacific Trails Middle School was built in 2015, a half-mile away from Canyon Crest Academy.

Recent events

March–June 2021 * On March 19, 2021, Area 5 trustee Kristin Gibson resigned from board, citing personal reasons. The board of trustees would have 60 days to either hold a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

or execute a provisional appointment. On March 29, 2021, the board of trustees voted 3-1 to execute a provisional appointment. Michael Allman, Mo Muir, and Melisse Mossy voted in favor of the process; Katrina Young voted against it. * On April 22, 2021, Ty Humes was unanimously appointed to the board of trustees. * At the April 27, 2021 special board meeting, president Mo Muir stated that the board accepted superintendent Robert A. Haley's voluntary

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

agreement effective April 30, 2021. The agreement stated he would receive one year's salary and the district would "maintain his health and welfare benefits until April 30, 2022." * On April 30, 2021, Lucile Lynch was appointed as interim superintendent in a 4-1 vote. Allman, Humes, Muir, and Mossy voted in favor of the appointment; Young voted against it. * On June 9, 2021, the district announced that a petition to hold a special election for the Area 5 board seat "was deemed legally sufficient." Humes was then vacated from the board. October–November 2021 * On October 10, 2021, Cheryl James-Ward was announced as the lone finalist for superintendent. Subsequently, on October 14, 2021, the board voted 3-1 on her contract effective November 1, 2021. Allman, Muir, and Mossy voted in favor; Young voted against it. * On November 3, 2021, Julie Bronstein won the Area 5 special election against Humes and a community member. February 2022 * On February 10, 2022, the board selected three final trustee area maps in the 2020 census

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

process, mandated by the

California Voting Rights Act The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) is a State Voting Rights Act (SVRA) in the state of California. It makes it easier for minority groups in California to prove that their votes are being diluted in "at-large" elections by expandi ...

(CVRA). Maps 1C, 7, and 8 were chosen. Bronstein and Young voted against Maps 7 and 8, citing

gerrymandering Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...

. Young motioned to include Map 1C in the final options, which passed unanimously 5-0. The deadline for final map adoption was March 1, 2022. * On February 14, 2022, the board of trustees adopted Map 8 in a 3-2 vote. Allman, Muir, and Mossy voted in favor of the map; Bronstein and Young voted against it. Before the maps were adopted, superintendent Cheryl James-Ward indicated she received a letter from San Diego County superintendent of schools Paul Gothold. The letter stated the county board of education could take over the redistricting process if any delay were to occur due to litigation over the maps. Gothold also stated the county was informed that at least one of the maps considered could violate the CVRA. Days later, on February 22, 2022, a lawsuit was filed in the

San Diego County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego is the California superior court with jurisdiction over San Diego County, California. History San Diego County was one of the original counties formed when California gained statehood in 185 ...

by two community members against the district. It claimed that the maps "disenfranchised"

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

and was gerrymandered. April 2022 * On April 4, 2022, the San Diego County Board of Education voted unanimously to take over the trustee area map decision process for SDUHSD. * On April 12, 2022, Melisse Mossy resigned from the board of trustees. * On April 20, 2022, superintendent Cheryl James-Ward was placed on

for comments she made about

at a

diversity, equity and inclusion In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...

board workshop on April 11, 2022. The board of trustees voted 3-1. Allman, Bronstein, and Muir voted for placing her on leave; Young voted against it. The next day, the board unanimously appointed Tina Douglas, associate superintendent of business services, as interim superintendent at a special board meeting. May–June 2022 * On May 22, 2022, an article was published by ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' about text messages between board vice president Michael Allman and superintendent Cheryl James-Ward. The messages were read by community activist Mali Woods-Drake during public comments at the May 17, 2022 board meeting. James-Ward confirmed she sent the texts to Woods-Drake. The exchange was regarding a

La Costa Canyon High School La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school in Carlsbad, California. It is an International Baccalaureate World School and is part of the San Dieguito Union High School District, serving northwestern San Diego County. Established ...

teacher's mask enforcement. Allman texted

obscene language An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...

and

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

to James-Ward, and urged her to fire the teacher and the principal, Reno Medina: "I will out this SOB. End of story. Does he not know, or does he know and ignore? If he does not know, fire Medina. If he know and ignores, fire the teacher.” * On June 26, 2022, superintendent Cheryl James-Ward was fired. The board of trustees voted unanimously 4-0 to terminate her contract, without cause, effective August 15, 2022. August 2022 * On August 25, 2022, the board of trustees unanimously adopted a resolution regarding gun violence prevention written by La Costa Canyon High School student body presidents Andrew and Shane Baum. The resolution advocated for safe gun storage and common sense gun laws. It was the first resolution written by the community in district history. November–December 2022 * On November 8, 2022, Rimga Viskanta, Jane Lea Smith, and Phan Anderson won election to the board of trustees. Anderson defeated incumbent Julie Bronstein in the Area 5 race. * On December 13, 2022, Rimga Viskanta was elected as board president. The board of trustees voted 5-0.

References

External links

San Dieguito Union High School DistrictEarl Warren middle schoolCanyon Crest
*http://www.sduhsd.net/documents/Achievements/SanDieguito_DARC.pdf *http://www.sduhsd.net/About-SDUHSD/School-Board/index.html {{Authority control Carlsbad, California Encinitas, California Solana Beach, California School districts in San Diego County, California Public high schools in California Schools in San Diego County, California Schools in San Diego High schools in San Diego High schools in San Diego County, California Education in San Diego County, California Education in San Diego

History

Boundary

Board of trustees

Leadership and staff

School sites and properties

High schools

San Dieguito High School Academy

Torrey Pines High School Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School Di ...

La Costa Canyon High School La Costa Canyon High School (LCC) is a public high school in Carlsbad, California. It is an International Baccalaureate World School and is part of the San Dieguito Union High School District, serving northwestern San Diego County. Established ...

Canyon Crest Academy Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) is a public high school in San Diego, California. Founded in 2004, the school is part of San Dieguito Union High School District and is located in Pacific Highlands Ranch (often considered part of Carmel Valley), a ...

Sunset High School

Middle schools

Recent events

See also

References

External links