Board member called to Korea

John McCann

Sweetwater Union High School board member John McCann is scheduled to be deployed to South Korea later this week.

McCann is a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve.

“It’s an honor to be called to serve my country. I’m proud to not only represent the U.S. Navy, but also to represent the thousands of families from the Sweetwater School District,” McCann said in a statement released by the district.

The deployment is part of training exercises in the Korean peninsula.

A district spokesman said McCann is scheduled to be away for a month but should return in time for the May school board meeting.

In 2009, when he was a Chula Vista councilman, McCann was deployed to Iraq for a year. In his absence, Mitch Thompson was appointed interim-councilman.

The district said there are no plans to replace McCann with an interim-board member and that McCann will be paid for the time he is away. However, if has not returned by the May board meeting the board can consider whether they wil continue paying McCann while he is on military leave.

Staff writer Robert Moreno contributed to this story.

This story was updated at 12:45 p.m.