Christina Latham is among 300 band directors invited to make up a marching band of music teachers from around the country at the Jan. 1 Rose Parade in Pasadena.
K-12 Education
Posted inEducation
Watsonville High student named semifinalist for Coca-Cola Scholars Program
Azucena Sandoval, a senior at Watsonville High School, has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 Coca-Cola Scholars Program, placing her in the top 1% of 107,000 applicants nationwide.
Posted inEducation
‘Moral failure’: Parents, mental health workers urge PVUSD trustees to reject sweeping layoffs
Teachers, mental health clinicians and parents packed Watsonville’s City Council chambers Wednesday night to plead with Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials to scrap a plan to cut 160 full-time positions next month.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
As government shutdown ends, Santa Cruz County nonprofit scrambles to restart Head Start child care program
Encompass Community Services is scrambling to reopen Head Start, a federally funded low-income child care program, after the government shutdown and cuts to its annual budget caused the nonprofit to temporarily stop its services late last month.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County schools hope new sports facilities will draw more students
Schools across Santa Cruz County are unveiling major athletic facility upgrades — from New Brighton Middle School’s new turf field to Watsonville High’s renovated bleachers and planned new turf at Scotts Valley High — aimed at improving student safety and boosting sports participation.
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified school board to discuss plan to cut more than 160 positions at Wednesday meeting
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board will discuss a proposal Wednesday to eliminate more than 160 positions — including counselors, teachers, mental health clinicians and special education staff — in an effort to address a $15.3 million budget shortfall tied to declining enrollment and the loss of pandemic-era funding.
Posted inEducation
His students suddenly started getting A’s. Did a Google AI tool go too far?
Some teachers say that artificial intelligence tools, particularly Google Lens, have made it impossible to enforce academic integrity in the classroom — with potentially harmful long-term effects on students’ learning.
Posted inEducation
PVUSD approves $2.12 million settlement to former student who was sexually abused by teacher in 1990s
Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s board recently approved a $2.12 million settlement with a student who was sexually abused by a teacher at Rio Del Mar Elementary in the 1990s.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville film screening Wednesday explores masculinity and mental health in youth
CineLux Green Valley Cinema in Watsonville is screening a documentary film about youth and masculinity directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “The Mask You Live In” will be the main focus of a community screening and panel discussion on Wednesday
Posted inLatest News
Head Start child care program for low-income families closes temporarily due to government shutdown
A federally funded Head Start child care program run by Encompass Community Services has temporarily closed due to the ongoing government shutdown, leaving 250 children without care and 91 staff members out of work. Encompass partnered with Pajaro Valley Unified School District to offer limited temporary placements while awaiting the program’s reopening.