More than 150 teachers and union supporters staged a coordinated walkout during a tense Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, protesting the board’s approval of 160 layoffs amid an ongoing budget crisis. Organized by the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, the demonstration underscored escalating tensions over enrollment declines and the loss of pandemic-era funding as district leaders move forward with cuts.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified school board approves stay-away letter for trustee Gabe Medina in disorderly meeting
In a contentious meeting marked by repeated disruptions, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted to issue a two-week stay-away letter barring Trustee Gabe Medina from Pajaro Valley High School after he confronted the principal during a student walkout last month.
Posted inEducation
School board to discuss issuing letter barring district trustee Gabe Medina from Pajaro Valley High
Pajaro Valley Unified School District board members will decide at Wednesday night’s meeting whether to restrict fellow trustee Gabe Medina from the Pajaro Valley High School campus after he had an argument with the principal late last month.
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified to eliminate assistant principal positions in elementary schools
Pajaro Valley Unified School District administrators are proposing to eliminate 17 assistant principal positions at elementary schools next academic year, a move that has alarmed teachers already reeling from roughly 160 recent layoffs.
Posted inEducation
Watsonville teacher placed on leave after making pro-ICE comment on social media
Lookout spoke with Sarai Jimenez, the teacher who in January posted a pro-ICE comment on social media, prompting a flurry of angry posts on Watsonville internet groups. Pajaro Valley Unified administrators declined to comment, but parents at the school where she taught until last month say they’re shocked and unsettled.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Berry growers should pay to restore special ed in Pajaro Valley schools; it’s the right answer
Retired special needs teacher Woody Rehanek believes Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s unusually high rates of special needs students are linked to decades of pesticide exposure near schools and homes. He’s shocked by the district’s December decision to cut 160 positions, including 40 serving special needs students. He cites research showing organophosphates and related chemicals can impair brain development, contributing to learning disabilities. He calls on berry growers to go organic near schools and make large donations to make up the budget gaps. The PVUSD cuts, he warns, could trigger lawsuits and cause lifelong harm to kids and our community.
Posted inLatest News
Sheriff’s office confirms gun found at Aptos High linked to winter break incident
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed a gun discovered earlier this month on the Aptos High School campus was in fact connected to a December incident. The statement released Wednesday said there’s no ongoing threat to the community.
Posted inLatest News
Sheriff investigators: Gun found at Aptos High likely related to fight during winter break
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said the gun found in the bushes at Aptos High School is connected to a “physical altercation” that happened near the school over winter break.
Posted inEducation
Aptos principal addresses parent concerns amid investigation into gun on campus
About 16 parents attended an Aptos High School booster club meeting Tuesday where Principal Lisa Lansdale acknowledged widespread anxiety over the lack of information following the discovery of a gun on the campus.
Posted inLatest News
Aptos resident claims he found gun, ammo near Aptos High as investigation continues
An Aptos resident says he found a gun near Aptos High School during a morning walk with his dog on Sunday, setting off an ongoing law enforcement investigation. He described the incident, which has not been confirmed by police, as “divine intervention.”