By Aaron Landau

[Editor’s note: This is the last installment of a three-part series on continuing education opportunities for seniors in and around La Mesa. This article previously appeared in the La Mesa Historical Society newsletter.]

This is the final installment on adult education in East County. Part three of three. Last but not least, we are featuring Grossmont Adult School (GAS).

GAS is a branch of the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) that began in 1946. Its first goal was to serve GIs during post-WWII. The school is at a large number of sites in East County where classes are held.

Where to find information on GAS

The classes and sites are listed in a catalog which comes out twice a year, paralleling a semester schedule. These catalogs are distributed far and wide. Every home address in the GUHSD receives one via snail mail. They are also distributed in libraries and offices.

In addition to the semiannual catalog, information about GAS can be found on its website — ed2go.com/grossmontadult/ — as well as the GUHSD Superintendent’s newsline.

Some students learn about the program through a GUHSD referral network comprised of high school counselors to promote GAS for those who are in need and eligible. GAS personnel also sit in on monthly GUHSD counseling department meetings.

Mission of the school

The GAS has a comprehensive, six-point mission to provide: career readiness; preparedness for community college; English language acquisition that can lead to a career and is a path to citizenship; life-long learning; social interaction; and high school equivalency classes (formerly known as GED classes).

The need for these classes is great. Countywide, there are 25,000 to 28,000 active adult school students. This includes the students in classes that take place in six county jails — Colinas, Vista, Chula Vista, Downtown San Diego, East Mesa, and Bailey Detention Center.

Cost

Classes are free for English as a Second Language (ESL) and for the High School Equivalency (HSE) path. The budget for these GAS programs comes from a smorgasbord of sources: Federal outlays, state of California, federal grants, and San Diego County Jails.

Classes that cannot be subsidized totally from governmental revenue become fee classes. Thus, fees for fee classes are based on what needs to be charged, based on the gap in incoming revenue from these governmental sources.

Class Variety

Fifty percent of registration classes are life-long learning classes. These are classes for personal enrichment. However, there is a wide variety of classes that lead to a full-time job with good pay. There is a Career Center; a Health Occupation Center that trains for health and medical careers; computer training focusing on job improvement skills; Quickbooks; a welding program; a Class B Truck Driving program; and classes on job interviewing skills.

—Aaron Landau is the former president of the La Mesa Historical Society. Reach him at [email protected]