Local school leaders are working to address chronic absenteeism rates that have remained stubbornly high since the pandemic. In addition to sending letters to families, Santa Cruz County districts are knocking on more doors and making more phone calls home. The strategy is a shift from the past three years of messaging that erred on the side of encouraging students to stay home from school for health and safety reasons.
K-12 Education
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After revealing surprise enrollment jump, PVUSD says student population might have actually dropped by 675
Last week, Pajaro Valley Unified School District said total numbers for its schools appeared to show about 500 more students enrolled this year than expected. But upon closer look, officials say they accidentally included dependent charter schools in the district’s total enrollment figures. Interim Superintendent Murry Schekman said the realization the district’s enrollment was in fact continuing on a downward trend is frustrating and makes planning for the district difficult. Schekman sees cost of living as the primary driver for the trend.
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PVUSD fall school enrollment over projections as pandemic ebbs: ‘We can hug each other’
Santa Cruz County’s largest school district is off to a “smooth start,” says interim superintendent Murry Schekman. Enrollment is up, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District teaching corps is almost fully staffed — but chronic absenteeism poses challenges.
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Lacking political power in California, conservatives turn focus to local school boards
Republicans lacking power in California are focusing on local school boards’ policies, setting up a fight with Gov. Gavin Newsom over “parental rights.”
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Capitola police give all clear after New Brighton Middle School receives bomb threat
New Brighton Middle School reported a bomb threat around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Capitola police said the bomb threat, which was left as a voicemail, appears to have come from out of the area. Classes were ended early so police could clear the school. Police are continuing to investigate but said they found nothing suspicious at the school. Classes are set to resume Thursday.
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Santa Cruz County public school staffing woes ease ahead of start of the academic year
After struggling to fill vacancies for the past few years, several Santa Cruz public school districts say staffing levels going into the new academic year are better thanks to a combination of lower turnover compared to the pandemic years and new contracts that have boosted pay for teachers in some districts. Still, officials say some positions that have traditionally been hard to fill, such as special education workers and bus drivers, continue to pose challenges.
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Santa Cruz fourth grader wins national invention competition with a backpack for forgetful students
Challenged to find a way to stop from losing his water bottles at school, 10-year-old Aarav Patel of Santa Cruz invented the CheckPak, loaded with tracking devices and enough lights and gizmos to keep the most forgetful student on their toes. And despite a late misfire, the backpack won the fourth grade division at the national Invention Convention competition in Dearborn, Michigan in June.
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California’s hottest new student recruits? 4-year-olds
As transitional kindergarten expands across the state, California’s child-care industry is left scrambling to fill empty spots facilities once depended on.
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Pajaro Valley Unified appoints former teacher, administrator Murry Schekman as interim superintendent
Murry Schekman has more than 40 years’ experience in education, half of those in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and most recently in the counselor education department at San Jose State University. He and his wife raised their three children in Watsonville, where he served as principal of Watsonville High School from 2006 to 2010.
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California’s math overhaul aims to help struggling students. But will it hurt whiz kids?
Supporters say proposed state K-12 framework will make higher-level math accessible to more. Critics contend it will make poor math outcomes worse.