Coalitions of school districts are grumbling about new program overload and are calling on the next governor and the California Legislature to focus on raising base funding.
Education
Posted inEducation
The Santa Cruz County school districts that approved layoffs this year
Amid declining enrollment and shrinking state and federal funding, several Santa Cruz County school districts approved significant layoffs this year to maintain long-term financial stability. Districts including Pajaro Valley Unified, Soquel Union Elementary, Live Oak, Scotts Valley Unified and Santa Cruz City Schools proposed cuts affecting dozens of positions, though officials say some reductions could be avoided through attrition or other savings measures.
Posted inEducation
UCSC hires UC Berkeley administrator as new second-in-command
UC Santa Cruz has appointed UC Berkeley executive dean Jennifer Johnson-Hanks as its next campus provost, with a start date of Jan. 1, 2027, Chancellor Cindy Larive announced last week.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California kids are going without vision care, and the problem is getting worse
Nearly every California county saw a drop in children’s eye exams over the past decade, a new report finds.
Posted inEducation
Black Student Union presidents lead growth, anti-hate speech efforts
Soquel High student Ivory Woodson and Santa Cruz High student Amara Anderson are co-leading the development of a public service announcement addressing racial slurs in schools, just part of the impact they’re making as leaders of their schools’ Black Student Unions.
Posted inEducation
Built from the ground up: Pajaro Valley High students stage ‘Zoot Suit’ in DIY theater
Pajaro Valley High School students are staging the play “Zoot Suit” in a makeshift “black box” theater built from unused classrooms, reflecting their teacher’s embrace of the Chicano theater ethos of rasquachi, or creating something from nothing. The production, rooted in the historical events of the Zoot Suit Riots, has fostered cultural pride and identity among students while drawing on community support and ties to El Teatro Campesino.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
How sewage pollution in a California beach town is affecting kids’ health: Headaches, rashes and more
Students in Imperial Beach, near San Diego, face sewage pollution that causes headaches, asthma, rashes and brain fog, as schools contend with sewage pollution from the Tijuana River.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
When leadership fails: Here’s what my Cabrillo students learned at our latest board of trustees meeting
Cabrillo College professor Skye Gentile says recent meetings of the school’s board of trustees have offered students a real-time lesson in poor communication and bad leadership. The meetings, she writes, have allowed students to see examples of tokenism and microaggressions and to discuss the importance of timing, apologies and public accountability. Effective leadership depends less on intent and more on listening, reflection and awareness of impact. Her students, she writes, have been left wondering if the current board represents their interests and values.
Posted inEducation
UCSC to reduce number of provosts by half, with each leading two of its 10 colleges instead of one
UC Santa Cruz will cut the number of college provosts in half next academic year, shifting to a model where five full-time provosts each oversee two colleges instead of one, a change administrators say will improve coordination and expand access to programs. The move has sparked concern among alumni who fear it could weaken college identity and student relationships, though university officials and current provosts say it will strengthen the system rather than diminish it.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Supervisors to establish youth commission to remedy lack of representation in Santa Cruz County government
In an effort to bridge gaps in youth representation among government boards and committees in Santa Cruz County, the board of supervisors will adopt an ordinance next week establishing a youth commission to advise the board.