May 16th, 2017
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing this letter in response to the news report you reported on Gompers
Preparatory Academy.
I was employed as a teacher at Gompers from 2009-2016, and felt tremendous
gratification in having the opportunity to watch this school transform over the
years. Administration saw a vision and as an employee in 2009, at times that
vision was difficult to comprehend, but over the years, that vision became more
and more visible. By the time I left Gompers in 2016, I was so proud of how much
we had accomplished, and how much my GPA family continues to accomplish.
GPA teachers have a work ethic that cannot be compared to. Having my own
children, and paying pricey tutoring fees for them to get the help they need to
perform well in school and get into college, I can appreciate the extra support the
GPA staff provides children in South East San Diego. Spending hundreds of dollars
per month on private tutoring is not an option for many of the GPA families.
Knowing this, GPA actually pays its teachers over-time for after school study
sessions and Saturday School to compensate for the home support many families
are unable to provide. Closing the socio-economic gap between the privileged
and under-privileged.
A former student mentioned in his interview, that when in class at UCSD, he was
unable to participate in group discussions with the same level of knowledge as
many of the other students. I hope viewers and readers of your investigation take
into account the cultural differences that reside within the four walls of a UCSD
classroom. Many of the students participating in that discussion, grew up in
middle-class homes with parents who were college educated. They sat around
the dinner table at night having in-depth discussions, learning how to be a
participant in a professional setting. Many of the Gompers students are the first
in their families to attend college, or graduate high school for that matter.
Gompers went above and beyond for the children of South East San Diego, and
continues to do so. One day, these former GPA students will sit around the
dinner table with their children, having intellectually stimulating conversations.

 With each generation of children that come out of Gompers Preparatory
Academy, the learning gap is going to be smaller.
I personally was never asked to "inflate grades", and have never heard of anyone
being asked to do so. If a student was failing, we were offered over-time pay to
tutor the student. We were asked to provide many services that the parents were
expected to provide when their child was struggling in school, in other
neighborhoods and districts. Another way of closing the socio-economic gap
between privileged and under-privileged.
Leaving GPA was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. GPA is A LOT of
work and the hours are VERY long, because that is what the children of GPA need.
And GPA's motto is "whatever it takes". I loved the rigor of the culture at
Gomper, when starting my teaching career at Gompers as a single woman in my
twenties. I loved being part of GPA's game changing way of educating children. I
was up for it. As my life has transitioned and I have a family and a home to care
for, I felt it was time to close the GPA chapter of my life and spend more time at
home with my own babies.
Just as I played a part in nurturing GPA students, GPA played a part in nurturing
me. I am the woman I am today because of the experiences, relationships, work
ethic, and REACH Values I learned from being a member of the GPA family. I will
forever be grateful for the experiences and the experience that Gompers
provided me.
Sincerely,
Julie Golokow Lloyd