FREE
Thousands of students, others join National Walk & Roll to School Day
Renovated park near Menifee to be cause for celebration this week
PG 02
PG 23
VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13-OCTOBER 19, 2025
NO. 245
VOL. 11,
County to add behavioral health housing at Victorville facility
Trump’s Education Department is working to erode the public school system — ProPublica
By Joe Taglieri
By Megan O’Matz and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica
joet@beaconmedianews.com
S
ubstance use recovery services are set to expand in San Bernardino County, following the Board of Supervisors’ unanimous approval Tuesday of more than $15.8 million in state funding for more recovery housing in Victorville. The Comprehensive Treatment Campus, formerly the Saint John of God Campus at 13333 Palmdale Road, is set to add 52 recovery residence beds. The county Behavioral Health Department operates the facility. Officials said the expansion aims to “provide safe, sober housing for individuals transitioning from residential substance use disorder treatment to outpatient care in the High Desert, supporting long-term recovery and reintegration into the community.” Funding is from to grants — $10.5 million from the California Department of Social Services’ Community Care Expansion - Capital Expansion program and $5.3 million in “2011 Realignment funds” mandated by state law, documents show. Of the 52 forthcoming beds, 40 will be dedicated to individuals served through the CCE program. “The program’s goal is to provide a stable environment for individuals and families while supporting adults in securing permanent housing and reestablishing independence through educational resources and employment assistance,” according to a county staff report. The Behavioral Health Department secured the CCE grant in March 2023 effective through June 30, 2027, to support the facility expansion. On Jan. 24, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the Purchase and
This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
E
This floor plan shows one of the planned buildings at the county’s proposed Comprehensive Treatment Campus. | Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County
Sale Agreement and Joint Escrow Instructions for the acquisition of the nearly 29.5acre Palmdale Road property, which has nine single-story buildings totaling about 17,770 square feet. On Dec. 29, 2023, the county closed escrow through the Chicago Title Company and fully acquired the land. In May 2024, the county received an increased award by $421,867, according to the report. “This grant allows DBH to develop and strengthen its existing (substance use disorder) network of care with the goal of increasing access to behavioral health
services,” the report states. “It supports the localization and expansion of available treatment infrastructure for SUD residential treatment, SUD outpatient, recovery center, and recovery residence services. Maintaining a robust infrastructure remains a priority for the County, especially given its geographical size, the volume and complexity of consumer needs, in addition to the capital improvement resources required to construct and design facilities and services on such a See Health housing Page 24
large scale.” The Capital Improvement Project recommended for approval addresses the CCE portion of the expansion. The county Project and Facilities Management Department will manage the expansion construction project, which officials expect “will result in a safe and sober living environment for individuals participating in the treatment programs offered at the expanded facility.” A county environmental report released last month
ducation Secretary Linda McMahon has been clear about her desire to shut down the agency she runs. She’s laid off half the staff and joked about padlocking the door. She calls it “the final mission.” But the department is not behaving like an agency that is simply winding down. Even as McMahon has shrunk the Department of Education, she’s operated in what she calls “a parallel universe” to radically shift how children will learn for years to come. The department’s actions and policies reflect a disdain for public schools and a desire to dismantle that system in favor of a range of other options — private, Christian and virtual schools or homeschooling. Over just eight months, department officials have opened a $500 million tap for charter schools, a huge outlay for an option that often draws children from traditional public schools. They have repeatedly urged states to spend federal money for poor and at-risk students at private schools and businesses. And they have threatened penalties for public schools that offer programs to address historic inequities for Black or Hispanic students. McMahon has described her agency moving “at lightning rocket speed,” and the department’s actions in just one week in September reflect that urgency. The agency publicly blasted four school districts it views as insubordinate for
refusing to adopt anti-trans policies and for not eliminating special programs for Black students. It created a pot of funding dedicated to what it calls “patriotic education,” which has been criticized for downplaying some of the country’s most troubling episodes, including slavery. And it formed a coalition with Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, PragerU and dozens of other conservative groups to disseminate patriotic programming. Officials at the Education Department declined to comment or answer questions from ProPublica for this story. At times, McMahon has voiced support for public schools. But more often and more emphatically she has portrayed public schools as unsuccessful and unsafe — and has said she is determined to give parents other options. To carry out her vision, McMahon has brought on at least 20 political appointees from ultraconservative think tanks and advocacy groups eager to de-emphasize public schools, which have educated students for roughly 200 years. Among them is top adviser Lindsey Burke, a longtime policy director at The Heritage Foundation and the lead author of the education section in Project 2025’s controversial agenda for the Trump administration.
See Public school system Page 03