Community Fears School Union’s Return Could Bring Back Gangs, Violence

The school sign at Gompers Preparatory Academy in the southeast San Diego neighborhood of Chollas View. Courtesy of Kristie Chiscano

Teachers, staff, and parents of students at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego say they fear that the return of a labor union after a 16-year hiatus will lead the school back down the path to gang violence, deplorable learning conditions, and poor academic performance.

Gompers was put on the state’s watch list of underperforming schools in the 1990s and was slated for closure until parents, educators, and community leaders rallied to save it. In 2005, the school became an independent charter school for grades 6-12, and the San Diego Education Association (SDEA) union was ousted.