The Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s free Career Advancement Charter has seen enrollment grow 332% since 2021 as more adults return to school to earn high school diplomas and pursue new career goals. For graduates like Yumi Mondragon and Rebeca Reyes, the program’s flexibility and support have helped them overcome past barriers and continue their education.
Education
Posted inEducation
‘Sentí que reiniciaba mi vida’: más adultos del condado de Santa Cruz regresan a la escuela en busca de una segunda oportunidad
El programa Career Advancement Charter, gestionado por la Oficina de Educación del Condado de Santa Cruz, ha registrado un aumento del 332 % en su matrícula desde 2021, a medida que más adultos regresan a las aulas para obtener su diploma de escuela secundaria y perseguir nuevas metas profesionales. Para graduadas como Yumi Mondragon y Rebeca Reyes, la flexibilidad y el apoyo que ofrece el programa han sido fundamentales para superar obstáculos del pasado y continuar con su formación académica.
Posted inEducation
California community colleges can offer up to 12 new bachelor’s degrees under laws Newsom signed
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws that determine when community colleges can create bachelor’s degrees and how many they can offer.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
470 empty seats make some noise: What’s next for Cabrillo’s original theater?
Two weeks after Lookout asked whether Cabrillo College’s long-shuttered theater could have a second act, nearly 99% of 178 survey respondents said yes. Now a group of longtime Cabrillo artists and educators is exploring what it would take to bring the 470-seat theater back to life, while the college says it welcomes conversations about revitalizing the space.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College faces estimated $2M budget deficit; President Capps ‘cautiously optimistic’ on stabilization path
Cabrillo College faces a roughly $2 million structural budget deficit as it works to cut costs and boost enrollment. President Jenn Capps said she is “cautiously optimistic” about the college’s path to financial stability.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County’s heat wave, one job at a time
As a heat wave gripped the region, Lookout journalists spoke with workers from Santa Cruz to Capitola to Watsonville about how they were getting through it, shift by shift.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What California’s new antisemitism law means for Santa Cruz County schools
A new California law this year brings stronger protections against antisemitism – and new standards for what is taught – in Santa Cruz County classrooms, writes Aptos resident Gil Stein. Teachers unions and other opponents warned that AB 715 would silence teachers and interfere with discussion of Israel and the Middle East, but courts have so far rejected that argument. Here, Stein raises the question: Is demanding accuracy and freedom from discriminatory bias really an attack on free speech?
Posted inEducation
A Pajaro Valley school board race is raising bigger questions about who should be eligible for public office in California
Whether a criminal record should matter to voters is playing out in the race for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board, where candidate Curt Wilcox has a felony assault conviction and a history of run-ins with law enforcement. California law doesn’t stand in his way — but many think it should factor into their decision.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What does a $950 bus ride have to do with Jack O’Neill’s Santa Cruz legacy?
Jack O’Neill believed every child should have the chance to experience the ocean. Land-use attorney Monica Hammer, who sits on the planning commission for the City of Santa Cruz and the board of O’Neill Sea Odyssey, learned about the ocean’s power from her Danish father, an avid sailor. Once we form a relationship with the natural world, we have a reason to care for it, she writes. Today, a lack of transportation – about $950 in school bus fare – is keeping some classes of local children from making that connection, and from discovering an ocean that is waiting less than an hour away. O’Neill hopes to change that by providing up to 85% of the transportation costs.
Posted inEducation
After Pajaro Middle teachers demanded principal’s removal, district appoints her to new admin role
Pajaro Middle School teachers say they’re relieved that Principal Nicole Killian is moving to a district office role. In May, they gave the district superintendent a vote of no confidence and demanded her removal.
