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Santa Clara County Education Digest



Mountain View Whisman Board Poised to Pick Conley as President, Chiang as VP

12/01/2023

A majority of Mountain View Whisman's school board expressed support at a meeting for electing Devon Conley as its president and Chris Chiang as vice president for the coming year, with a formal vote scheduled for next week.

Right-Wing Takeover of SoCal School Board Stirs Angst

12/01/2023

Students and teachers alike are decrying the actions of the Temecula Valley Unified School District board, which became conservative in majority following the recent elections of three members. The board’s actions include banning critical race theory and mandating parental notification if their child is transgender.

California Faces Big Challenges to Implement New Math Guidelines

11/29/2023

After a contentious road to approve a new set of statewide guidelines on teaching students math, California officials must still figure out how to support school districts with implementation.

With DACA Eligibility for Undocumented Students Dwindling, California Colleges Struggle to Find New Ways to Help

11/29/2023

Most undocumented college students in California are not eligible for DACA anymore, creating new dilemmas for students and colleges around employment, financial aid and the threat of deportation.

USC Grad Students Avoid Strike After Reaching Deal with University

11/27/2023

A graduate student workers union and the University of Southern California have agreed to a three-year labor contract that averts a looming strike. The deal calls for pay increases each of the three years.

California Schools Need Funding for New Math Guidelines

11/27/2023

State officials passed a 1,000-page document in July outlining new guidelines for teaching math in California. Funding has not been allocated, though the state superintendent intends to introduce legislation that could change this.

6th Candidate Joins Santa Clara County District 2 Race

11/27/2023

The race for the District 2 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seat continues to grow more contested, with education trustee Van Le announcing her candidacy.

Student Homelessness Grows in San Jose School District

11/24/2023

The number of homeless high school students and families in one East San Jose school district has increased threefold in just three years. 

Santa Clara County Education Office Earns an ‘F,’ Unions Say

11/21/2023

When it comes to the Santa Clara County Office of Education's performance, parents, teachers and residents are giving it a failing grade.

Mountain View Sends School District ‘Final’ Offer to Keep Agreement on Fields

11/20/2023

The city of Mountain View has given the Mountain View Whisman School District its terms for a new joint use agreement to share operations of school fields, with a year-end deadline to accept the offer.

School Board Members Who Banned Pride Flag Face Recall Campaign

11/19/2023

Two members of the Sunol Glen Unified School District board have been served with recall notices. This came after the board approved a resolution that banned schools in the Alameda County district from flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag.

Mountain View's SETI Institute Receives $200M to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life

11/17/2023

For nearly 40 years, the SETI Institute, a non-profit research organization in Mountain View, has been searching for intelligent life forms beyond Earth. A philanthropic gift of $200 million is bringing this quest closer to reality.

Palo Alto School Board Leaves Math-Acceleration Decision to Staff

11/16/2023

The Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education declined to decide on a flexible student mathematics-acceleration program for its middle schools, instead leaving the decision to school administrators.

Backlash Politics: How Conservatives Have Success Rolling Back California Progressivism

11/14/2023

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

Mountain View's SETI Institute Receives $200M to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life

11/13/2023

For nearly 40 years, the SETI Institute, a non-profit research organization in Mountain View, has been searching for intelligent life forms beyond Earth. A philanthropic gift of $200 million is bringing this quest closer to reality.

Construction Plans for Bracher, Briarwood, Westwood Elementary Schools Approved

11/13/2023

Bracher Elementary, Briarwood Elementary, and Westwood Elementary schools finally have Master Plans to bring long-awaited upgrades to these schools.

It's About to Get Easier for California College Students to Study in Their Own Language

11/13/2023

Assembly Bill 1096, taking effect Jan. 1, will let community colleges in the state provide courses in non-English languages, regardless if a student is also taking ESL. Previously, a student had to sign up for the latter to qualify for the former.

Community College Enrollment Rebounding Post-Pandemic, and Students Over 50 Are a Big Reason Why

11/12/2023

California’s community colleges are seeing enrollment gains for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older students—those over 50—are some of the first to return.

Milpitas Moves Forward with Workforce Housing for Teachers

11/10/2023

The Milpitas City Council unanimously approved plans to demolish a vacant, one-story industrial building on 6.69 acres of land at 1355 California Circle and replace it with 206 townhomes and apartments.

Milpitas Library Offers 'Library of Things'

11/10/2023

The Milpitas Library is now the site of a pilot program launched by the Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) called "The Library of Things," which offers borrowers a chance to bring home items other than books.

East San Jose Teacher Leads in Crowded Education Race

11/08/2023

In a special election Tuesday, initial returns show Clay Hale, 28, leading his closest competitor to represent Area 7 on the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees.

California’s Young Workers Are Essential to the Economy. Why are They Stuck in Low Wage Jobs?

11/08/2023

Young people are stuck earning low wages, working long hours—often while going to school—and often without benefits or work protections. Their hardships may hamper the state’s economy for years to come, researchers say.

Israel-Hamas War Stirring Disputes on College Campuses in California

11/07/2023

UC Berkeley, Stanford and UC Davis are among the schools that have had incidents related to the Israel-Hamas war. Schools are working to keep students safe and prevent disputes escalating to violence.

Initial Results Show Strong Support for Los Altos School District Parcel Tax

11/07/2023

The Los Altos School District's parcel tax measure received more than 75% support in the first set of results, well ahead of the two-thirds mark required to pass.

Proposal to Rotate Mountain View Whisman School Board Leaders Fails to Garner Majority Support

11/03/2023

The Mountain View Whisman school board rejected a proposal to lock in the way it elects its officers, opting instead to maintain discretion in picking its leadership.

UC Berkeley to Relinquish More Than 4,000 Ancestral Remains

11/03/2023

Tribes like the Muwekma Ohlone have been asking UC Berkeley for decades to give back ancestral remains from burial sites around the Bay Area. The school is in the process of repatriating 4,400 remains and 25,000 tribal items.

New UC Davis Research Explores Why Males and Females Respond Differently to Social Stress

11/02/2023

Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but among boys and girls, the likelihood is the same.

Los Altos School District Looks to Renew, Expand Parcel Tax on Special Ballot

11/02/2023

Los Altos School District is asking voters to approve renewing and growing an existing parcel tax levy in a special election. Measure A would enact a $295 annual tax on each parcel of land within the district.

Stanford Students Continue Sit-In, Demand University Condemn Israel’s Siege on Gaza

11/02/2023

As students at Stanford University reach the two-week mark of a sit-in on campus calling for the university to condemn Israel’s siege on Gaza and further support Palestinian students, they’re showing no signs of stopping.

San Jose College District Election: What You Need to Know

11/02/2023

The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District will be adding a new trustee to its board after the Nov. 7  special election. The community college district, which is governed by a seven-member board, has five candidates vying for the District Area 7 seat: Diego Barragán, Lisanna Dominguez, Stephen Eckstone, Clay Hale and Anthony Macias.

Community College Student Services: An Urgent Need. But Has California Law Kept Up Since the ’60s?

10/30/2023

State law requires community colleges to spend at least half their general fund on instructors. But administrators say they want more flexibility to pay for the growing need for student services.

Computer Science Teacher Shortage Puts California Near Bottom of National Instruction Ranking

10/30/2023

California’s low-income students, rural students and students of color were significantly less likely to have access to computer science classes, putting them at a disadvantage in the job market, according to a 2021 report.