Good morning. It is Thursday, Sept. 11, and the Santa Cruz County forecast is for decreasing clouds as the day rolls along, with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
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Hillary Ojeda starts us off with a pair of stories from the education beat. Efforts in Live Oak School District to even out class sizes in transitional kindergarten are meeting with opposition, she reports. An unexpected increase in TK enrollment could lead to staffing issues, the district says, while parents see the call for students to voluntarily transfer as disruptive to their children’s education.
Hillary was also on hand for Wednesday night’s meeting of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board, where trustees approved the hiring of a new chief business officer – though not before a tense exchange between one of the trustees and the district’s superintendent.
Wednesday was opening day at the Santa Cruz County Fair, and Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud was on hand to capture the cornucopia of activity for a photo essay.
Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section has two new pieces. In one, Mission Hill Middle School student Gavin Roth writes that legislation under consideration in the California Assembly, Senate Bill 79, would deliver huge benefits for affordable housing, fight climate change and help improve his peers’ mental health – and urges Assemblymember Gail Pellerin to vote yes.
You’ll also hear from Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez in his own words via video as his hunger strike to protest the use of pesticides near schools in the Pajaro Valley continues.
Onward.
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Live Oak School District plan to move students to new school sparks parent backlash
Facing staffing challenges and an unexpected increase in transitional kindergarten enrollment, Live Oak School District is asking families to voluntarily transfer students to another school in the district. Parents say the plan is disruptive and short-sighted, warning it threatens both student well-being and trust in the district’s leadership. Here’s more from Hillary Ojeda.
Opening Day: Scenes from the 2025 Santa Cruz County Fair
The Santa Cruz County Fair opened Wednesday with a vibrant mix of old and new traditions, from livestock exhibitions to wrestling matches. The annual event, which draws tens of thousands to Watsonville each fall, runs through Sunday. Lookout’s Kevin Painchaud captured the first-day fun.
DAILY DIGEST
If Thursday is when the weekend really starts to come into focus for you, you are in luck – among what’s still on the Lookout menu is Weekender, Wallace Baine’s weekly shimmy through Santa Cruz County arts & entertainment, including recommendations for things to do all over. Sign up free here for that, and check out all of our other newsletters and breaking news alerts, too. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to stay current on our award-winning local coverage, which you can also find on social media by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
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Thanks very much for reading – do come back tomorrow!
Will McCahill