Who is TOPS of SDUHSD?
Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students (TOPS) of San Dieguito Union High School District is a General Purpose Committee led by Chairwoman Marci Strange. We are parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members on all political sides, various faiths (if any) who work together to restore common-sense academics and hold SDUHSD—and other California school boards—accountable. We rally on behalf of students and parents at City Counsel meetings, County Supervisor meetings mostly in Southern California. Many of our members speak at hearings to elected officials at the State Capitol in Sacramento as well.
Our Mission
Remove inappropriate ideologies, push for fiscal responsibility, and protect parental rights. TOPS has helped students and parents transfer from activist teachers to more traditional teachers, elect independent, academic-focused school Board members and California candidates who want the best academic education for students and uphold parental rights. TOPS has helped stop expensive, unjust recalls, and hold leadership accountable. We attend and speak at board meetings mostly in Southern California, hold an annual event and occasionally organize rallies too. We keep the community informed through newsletters.
Teachers Union Accountability
One TOP priority is helping teachers opt out of unions that now act as political machines, using teacher’s $1,000–$1,400/year in dues to fund candidates, bad policies and recalls. Thanks to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, government employees can keep all benefits and get collective bargaining without being union members. TOPS connects teachers with organizations that offer $2M job liability protection for a fraction of the cost compared to paying their union dues. We help liberate teachers!
Key Issues
Student Safety & Privacy: Expose harmful curriculum, unsafe bathrooms/classrooms, and advocate for parent notification on critical issues.
Fiscal Responsibility: Fight wasteful spending and costly lawsuits. Taxpayer dollars must directly benefit students.
Trustee Accountability: Trustees must focus on academics, safety, and fair dealings—Not divisive politics and harmful ideologies the union leadership demands.
Endorsements: We support and campaign for independent trustees. Union-backed candidates enjoy an unfair advantage; parents and taxpayers need strong independent voices.
Statewide Action
TOPS also works with ProtectKidsCA (on Facebook), CA Family Council, along with many other student/parent/teacher advocates to advance laws that safeguard federal rights, protect girls’ sports and spaces, and prevent irreversible harm to children.
MEMBER PRIVACY POLICY: Your email and any information you give us is private. It won’t be shared without your authorization.
TERMS OF SERVICE
TOPS is an informational and volunteer-based organization. Tickets to certain events may be sold solely to cover costs. We strive to provide accurate information from reliable sources. Education laws and policies can change without notice. We encourage you to conduct your own research and verify information before taking action.
TOPS TEAM resides in SDUHSD
Marci Strange, Chairwoman
Hui Zhao, Treasurer
Nirit Luchans, Secretary
TOPS ADVISORS reside in SDUHSD
Linda Sax, Advisor
Matt Wheeler, Advisor
Meg Gray, Advisor
Mike Hayutin, Advisor
Mingzhu, Advisor
Gail Ovian, Advisor
Why TOPS Was Formed
TOPS started because community members from soccer mom’s to detectives became concerned. Certain school board members and CA legislation consistently and unanimously prioritize teacher's union-proposals and politics over services and traditional academics for kids. Simultaneously, they remove parents rights.
Today, SDUHSD is currently controlled by a union-endorsed, school board majority that has promoted politics, sex & gender preference ideologies at schools.
TOPS seeks to counterbalance extreme or misguided policies with common sense and proven strategies for a world-class education for ALL students--Not just some.
Teachers Union and Their Endorsed School Board Trustee's Actions
The obsession with LGBTQ+ material and gender ideology is out of proportion. Given the small percentage of students who fall in this category, unreasonable demands by special interest groups supporting the union have created chaos and division. They have veered the focus away from traditional academics.
TOPS believes ALL students and parents must be treated equally with respect, dignity and acceptance. This is not only fair, but it is the law.
A great education starts with parents, teachers and students working together.
However, some teachers have been encouraged to keep secrets from parents about their kids’ sexual or gender preferences.
Teen suicide rates have increased dramatically within the last few years.
Teachers or staff keeping students’ secrets is wrong. It has proven to be dangerous, unconstitutional, and violates parents' rights.
Excessive pay raises, health care subsidies and bonuses that exceed San Diego County and most school districts' pay in California have been granted unquestionably at SDUHSD.
These increases are approved by the same Trustees whom the teacher's union donated to their campaigns.
This creates a conflict of interest in addition to a deficit in the school budget, resulting in less student services for kids.
Meanwhile, CA state test scores have consistently dropped since 2020.
Why are union-controlled Trustees rewarding instructors for lower test scores and a drop in enrollment?
On 12/13/2022 Brown Act Violations by all Trustees (to whom the teacher's union donated to their campaigns) censored the public and an elected official.
Opinions and facts opposing the teacher's union proposal came out much later, but their resolution had already passed.
That resolution alone cost taxpayers millions by increasing their health care subsidy over 3X.
A history of relentlessly trying to remove independent, elected school board Trustees NOT endorsed or funded by the teacher's union is astounding.
In the spring of 2021, The Faculty Association (SDUHSD's teacher's union) even hired out-of-state canvassers and issued them a script full of falsehoods to recite after teachers stopped going door to door.
The union was unsuccessful in removing independent Trustees.
The union’s misleading and unproven accusations took thousands of dollars away from SDUHSD’s excellent teachers who pay several hundred in dues each year.
Anti-Student and Parent Legislation in California
AB1078, authored by Corey Jackson and Alex Lee removes rights from parents and local school boards to remove or amend inappropriate school materials.
The power goes to the state. This includes pornography in school libraries, teachers discussing their own sexual preferences, and Anti-American sentiments.
This is a power grab by the State, with the goal of taking away local control.
This is not only alarming but unconstitutional.
AB665 is from Senator Scott Wiener that will permit 12-year-olds to consent to going to a residential shelter without parent consent or abuse charges.
If parents or guardians disagree, question the "professionals," or their child's new gender identity, kids could be taken away from their loving families and put into a foster home.
Does this violate 1st Amendment rights funded by taxpayers?
Another Weiner bill: SB 407 Requires foster parents to pledge allegiance to the LGBTQ+ ideology.
Given foster homes are hard to come by, this removes many good, "would-be-homes."
This bill infringes upon the rights of all American's free thinking, free speech, and beliefs.