Monterey County Education Digest

Local high school and first-year college students are encouraged to apply for the Monterey County Young Supervisors Program, which focuses on developing leadership skills and civic participation.

Following CalMatters reporting, California’s Republican representatives are calling for the U.S. Department of Education and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate how California’s community colleges are handling financial aid fraud.

The UC has grown its enrollment of California undergraduates by 16,000 in the last five years. University officials say they won’t be able to continue that growth if state funding is cut.

This interactive map shows kindergartners’ vaccination rates at more than 6,000 public and private schools across California. According to the state health department, at least 95% of students need the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks. Yet in many parts of the state — including areas around Sacramento, Oakland, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles — vaccination rates fall short of that threshold, raising concerns about community vulnerability.

Federal programs offer financial aid and counseling to low-income and first-generation college students. California was allowed to include students without legal status, which the Trump administration is now ending.

Dual enrollment courses are growing on high school and college campuses but access gaps linger, particularly for students in rural areas of California as well as for Black and Hispanic male students.

Schools had until March 2026 to spend remaining COVID relief money. The U.S. Department of Education cut those funds, amounting to about $200 million for California K-12 schools.

In 1971 California’s Supreme Court issued one of its most important and far-reaching decisions, declaring that the state’s system of financing public schools — primarily via locally levied property taxes — was unconstitutionally unfair.

It’s hard to find the disciplinary history of for-profit colleges regulated by California. CalMatters is making it easier.

Nearly 60% of third graders aren’t reading at grade level. A new bill would require schools to use a phonics-based approach to teach students

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly worked side jobs at Bay Area nonprofits to earn extra income because he says the state pay is insufficient.

Infrastructure issues at California’s public universities are hindering students and faculty’s ability to learn and work on campus. Lawmakers and system leaders are hoping more state support can help them bring down the $17 billion price tag to fix their academic buildings.

After reflection and discussions with family and colleagues, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh announced he was rescinding the resignation notice he had delivered in February.

More than 17,400 high school seniors last fall got the sweetest news any anxious student can get: Congratulations, because of your high school GPA, you’re automatically admitted to one of 10 California State University campuses of your choice — and they’re all relatively affordable.

Across California, only one in five eligible college students receive CalFresh due to complicated requirements and an arduous application process. With two-thirds of students experiencing food insecurity, many campuses have started helping them apply for CalFresh.

For the last century, the money has gone to counties with large amounts of federal land that can’t be taxed. Congress failed to include it in the upcoming budget.

In 2019, his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the Cradle-to-Career Data System, a new state entity that aims to track students’ progress from preschool through employment. The data system was supposed to release its first public dashboard last spring.

Some of California’s most acclaimed schools right now aren’t in elite suburbs or wealthy urban enclaves. They’re in a small city in the San Joaquin Valley, an outpost on Highway 99 surrounded by almond trees and orange groves.

Read on to learn more about Monica Anzo, named by the Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees to move into the role of District Superintendent following the announced retirement of current Superintendent Jim Koenig at the end of the school year.

After the Trump administration threw out policies dating back to 2011 limiting immigration arrests at “sensitive locations,” California colleges and universities are providing resources to support students, but can’t stop immigration enforcement from entering public spaces. Some advocates say more must be done.

Just one bill invests in bilingual education programs and its focus on instructional materials is a far cry from the systemic change advocates have called for.

Under Trump’s directive the Department of Education laid off half its staff. The lawsuit argues Trump has no authority to make such drastic changes.

In their March 6 meeting, the Pacific Grove Unified School District Board of Education approved layoffs to cover a budget shortfall. Read on for details.

University of California laboratory technicians, information technologists, museum and health care workers went on strike Wednesday to protest what they say are staffing shortages and other grievances.

Feather River College is still reeling from the 2021 Dixie Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes in the surrounding community and warped the housing market. The college is one of many schools that have tried — and failed — to secure state grants to build more student housing.

California is giving students more time to apply for college aid due to a drop in completed applications.

Read on to learn what's behind the recently announced hiring and travel freeze at Cal State Monterey Bay.

As the setting for John Steinbeck’s 1950s classic “East of Eden,” Salinas has long been known as a working-class, farming community. Nestled between two mountain ranges and located a few miles inland of Monterey Bay, the city’s geographic location lends itself a beautiful, serene setting.

California schools are grappling with the U.S. Department of Education's letter requiring them to scrap their DEI programs.

Officials at the Pacific Grove Unified School District are proposing staff and program cuts in the face of budget deficits. Read on to learn more.

As Monterey area school districts prepare to offer state mandated ethnic studies, no funding is forthcoming from the state to pay for it. What's the story? Read on to find out.

Alisal Union School District, Superintendent Jim Koenig has announced his retirement at the end of the school year. Read on for more information.