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.
Pajaro Valley Unified School 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.”
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified School District board to hold special meeting on ethnic studies
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s board of trustees voted to schedule a special meeting in March to discuss the district’s ethnic studies curriculum. The meeting will examine its current curriculum and decide on next steps.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: We support the Pajaro Valley for Ethnic Studies’ op-ed
In a letter to the editor, a member of Santa Cruz Jews for a Free Palestine calls on Pajaro Valley Unified School District to renew its ethnic studies contract with Community Responsive Education.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
The voters and the court have spoken — PVUSD needs to bring back its ethnic studies contract
Members of the grassroots group Pajaro Valley for Ethnic Studies and Justice call on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board to renew its contract with an ethnic studies consultant, which was dropped in September 2023 after vague allegations of antisemitism. The authors cite benefits to students, strong student and community support and a recent court case that dismissed similar antisemitism allegations against ethnic studies educators as reasons for bringing the contract back.
Posted inEducation
Campaign donations spark rift over how to fill vacant seats on Pajaro Valley Unified School District board
Campaign donations to an outgoing board member have ignited controversy over trustee appointments at Pajaro Valley Unified School District, exposing tensions between incoming and current board members.
Posted inEducation
Pajaro Valley Unified School District eyes workforce housing, arts complex after $315 million bond win
Pajaro Valley Unified School District is set to review plans on Wednesday to build teacher housing and a new performing arts center after voters approved a $315 million bond measure in November. The district will discuss two feasibility studies for an apartment complex that could be built at one of seven school sites, with costs ranging from $52 million to $87 million, alongside plans for a new performing arts center that could cost $24 million.
Posted inEducation
Five new faces and a fresh start: How controversy over ethnic studies helped reshape Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Three incumbents on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board lost their seats to three newcomers in the November election. District community members talked to Lookout about how they think that happened.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Norovirus outbreak closes Aptos elementary school temporarily
Valencia Elementary School in Aptos temporarily closed on Friday following an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness affecting several students, according to a letter sent out to parents by Pajaro Valley Unified School District. The elementary school will reopen on Tuesday, Nov. 12, following the Veterans Day holiday on Monday.