Santa Cruz County Education Digest

Declining enrollment, the end of pandemic relief funding and uncertain state funding are forcing school districts to make some difficult decisions.

The University of California anticipates more than a $500 million budget gap next summer, so It’s considering a $3,402 jump in tuition for new nonresident students next fall. Meanwhile, the system is planning billions in construction projects.

More than 115,000 children in California were undocumented in the most recent census count, and it’s estimated almost half of California children have at least one immigrant parent.

Click to find out why two University of California unions are striking on November 20 and 21, and how this will impact UCSC.

In their November 4 meeting, the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees selected a developer for a massive 624-bed on-campus housing project. Read on to learn more about the project and the partnership with UCSC.

A look at UCSC student led radio station KZSC as it enters its 50th year.

The Live Oak School District is expected to go through another round of layoffs to stabilize finances and address a budget deficit.

In a meeting on October 21, Dr. Misty Navarro was appointed to a vacant seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.

An update on the progress in developing an unused baseball field at the Del Mar Elementary School into a nutrition and education farm.

More than half of the school board races in 49 counties analyzed won't appear on the November ballot because either no one is running for the seat or a single candidate is unopposed.

A new state law bans private colleges from considering an applicant’s ties to family members who are alumni or donors. California’s public universities don’t use legacy admissions.

Meet the candidates running for the Area 2 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees.

California’s private nonprofit colleges will no longer be able grant students an admissions advantage if their parents donated to or went to the same college after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law this morning banning the practice.

An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair. Underfunded schools struggle to keep classrooms cool as heat waves intensify. “It’s a hot mess,” one teacher says.

The Mercury News guide to the Proposition 2 $10 billion bond to build and repair public schools.

Meet the candidates running for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees Area 6 seat in the November election.

Community colleges are designed to help students get an associate degree and transfer to a four-year university. Most community college students never graduate or transfer, a state audit found.

Cal State officials are projecting a 2025-26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million. They are warning of layoffs and academic cuts.

Santa Cruz County Office of Education's Career and Adult Learning Services is offering a paid instruction and apprenticeship program to help fill the need for dental assistants in the county.

After delays and mishaps, California announces $450 million for high school career pathways.

The UC Regents approved campus requests for more tools for UC police months after campus protesters clashed with law enforcement.

Failed legislative bills have attempted to create safe parking programs for students to sleep in their cars on California campuses while awaiting housing. Meanwhile, Long Beach City College allows homeless students to park overnight.

California’s public schools have a numbers problem —and it’s not just that their students don’t score very highly in national tests of mathematics ability.

Lawmakers approved two bills to allow some community colleges to provide bachelor’s degrees in nursing. That’s setting up another conflict with the California State University, which already offers these bachelor’s degrees.

The California School Dashboard makes it hard for the public to see how schools and districts are performing over multiple years, concludes the report's lead author.

Information about how the state’s K-12 students are performing is located on several sites and is difficult to understand, a new report finds.

A look at Digital NEST as it celebrates a decade of service to Central California youth.

In the final week of session, legislators are debating whether to give more leeway to public school teachers when to report students to law enforcement. Supporters say disabled and students of color are unfairly disciplined, but opponents say school safety is at risk.

California officials have warned students for years that for-profit schools may make misleading career claims — leaving them with “a mountain of debt” but no job. Still, many for-profit schools remain on the state’s list of recommended job training programs.

Schools that banned phones a few years ago have advice for other districts as the governor calls for a crackdown.

After being damaged in the 2023 breach of the Pajaro River levee, students returned to the Pajaro Middle School for the first time in 17 months after repairs were completed.

Some California agencies are offering incentives and hosting workshops for school districts that want to build affordable housing for teachers.