Despite Donald Trump’s plans, federal funding is a small part of California’s education budget – and the state oversees curriculum.
K-12 Education
Posted inEducation
PVUSD board rejects layoff proposals by majority votes
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board voted by majority Wednesday night to reject the superintendent’s proposal for layoffs totaling 100.55 full-time-equivalent positions for certificated and classified staff. Superintendent Heather Contreras said she’s concerned about the district’s finances and will begin working on the next steps.
Posted inHousing & Development
Planning commission advances Santa Cruz City Schools’ 100-unit housing project; city council to vote March 11
Santa Cruz City Schools’ workforce housing project got unanimous approval from the city’s planning commission on Thursday. District officials say that the project is scheduled to go before the city council for a vote on March 11, paving the way for construction.
Posted inEducation
Live Oak School District board approves budget plan to balance nearly $2 million deficit
Live Oak School District’s governing board approved a plan at its Wednesday meeting that officials say will fix its $2 million budget deficit and restore its reserves. Union leadership told Lookout they’re devastated for the staff who will lose jobs.
Posted inEducation
Live Oak School District to vote on budget cuts of up to nearly $2 million at Wednesday meeting
Live Oak School District’s governing board is set to vote Wednesday on the superintendent’s proposal for stabilizing the budget. Superintendent Pat Sánchez told Lookout he thinks his plan to trim nearly $2 million from the budget should save the district from future cuts.
Posted inEducation
As pandemic funds for student mental health expire, county schools find success with wellness centers
Santa Cruz County educators launched a school wellness center at Scotts Valley High this week, part of an eight-center mental health initiative, even as pandemic-era funding cuts force some districts to reduce services.
Posted inEducation
Four students from Santa Cruz County head to state spelling championship
After winning the Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee on Saturday, students from Scotts Valley Middle School, Boulder Creek Elementary School, Nature Academy and Pacific Collegiate School are headed to the statewide spelling championship.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: PVUSD needs to brush up on the First Amendment
In a letter to the editor, an Aptos resident writes that the governing board of Pajaro Valley Unified School District could have opened itself up to a lawsuit on First Amendment grounds over a trustee’s objection to bringing a student teacher from a Christian university into the district.
Posted inEducation
PVUSD approves agreement with Iowa university for student teacher
Pajaro Valley Unified School District agreed last week with an Iowa university to pair one of its teachers-in-training with a MacQuiddy Elementary School teacher for the remainder of the year. In a Jan. 15 vote, the governing board failed to pass the agreement.
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified School District approves $5 million in cuts to elementary staff, mental health services
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s board of trustees voted to make reductions to district programs funded by one-time pandemic-era funding, including its mental health clinician program. The trustees needed to slash $5 million from the district’s budget based on recommendations from its “sustainable budget team.”