A Lot to Learn

OKAY, WE ASKED FOR IT. But then, so did you.

We realize we’re going out on an academic limb with our cover story rating the public schools in the San Diego region. So be it. We know what you want. One of the toughest and most important decisions parents can make is where to send their children to school—and in the process, deciding where to make their home. And they’re looking for help with their decision-making.

City and regional magazine editors have learned from the numbers. These “Best Schools” or “Top Schools” or “Great Schools” issues sell like hotcakes. Even Newsweek has a runaway top-seller with its nationwide list of “America’s Best High Schools.” Obviously, this is a matter of demand and supply. Not that we take our responsibility lightly.

This month, we’ve concentrated on identifying standout high schools throughout San Diego County. We know there are myriad ingredients in the recipe for a great school. And Marcia Manna, the lead writer on our “Great Schools” project, takes this into account. But we also know that when it comes right down to it, the vast majority of us want to see the numbers. And we’ve taken that into account, too.

Of course, we expect this will generate lots of letters to the editor—many of them angry ones. Our address is on the masthead.

ALSO THIS MONTH, you’ll find a story that should pique the interest of all San Diegans, parents or not. In “Politics as Usual,” our intrepid investigative reporter, s.d. liddick, explores the political considerations that helped fuel the city’s catastrophic pension crisis. Surprisingly, the real story is not in the numbers—although the numbers are staggering. It’s in the back-room dealing, governmental infighting and jockeying for position that’s become endemic to San Diego’s narrow gene pool of revolving-door politicians.

For a lighter note—and what isn’t lighter than that?—check out this month’s installment of San Diego at Home, our quarterly magazine-within-the-magazine devoted to architecture, design and the San Diego lifestyle. Design editor Deirdre O’Shea, senior design editor Tom Shess and art director Heather Eubanks have combined to give San Diego at Home a wider perspective and exciting new dimensions.

All this and great “Weekend Getaways” with Ron Donoho and Julia Beeson; Tom Basinski’s anatomy of a local scam artist; Margie Farnsworth’s Health column on science fiction becoming fact; and Rich Acello’s trained economic eye on local tourism.

Settle in for an educational read.

Tom Blair
Editor-in-Chief

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