In my 30 years of being in public education, I have seen trends come and go, as well as calls for reform. The system of public education has not drastically changed in the last 150 years. It was designed to provide immigrants, farmers and the working poor an opportunity to be trained for entry level...
Funk: COVID-19 worsens the digital divide in San Jose
Districts across the state have been forced to move to distance learning from physical classroom, creating costs, shifts in structure, training and mindset. The unknown is always the infrastructure at home. Our classrooms are modern, well lit, safe and equipped with power and robust internet connections. Our students’ homes are too often not equipped to...
Funk: Distance learning amid COVID-19 crisis explained
As we all adjust to the new normal, while fighting the spread of COVID-19, the impacts on educators, students and families has increased the fear and anxiety among all of us. Although schools across the Bay Area have been closed, we are thankful for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-26-20 to continue funding schools at...
Funk: Our broken public education state funding model
All the reports I have read since the release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget point to his education budget as being good for public education. There is some truth to that statement. His proposed budget is great for early learning education and for increasing funding in special education in grades K-3. He also proposes...
Funk: Early learning center in East San Jose is a jewel
As we await Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget in his second term, early education advocates are hopeful he’ll continue his pledge of closing the opportunity gap by providing universal preschool. During his first year as governor, Newsom’s first budget included a proposal of nearly $1.8 billion for an array of cradle-to-kindergarten initiatives. Recently, presidential...
Funk: Why I’m grateful this holiday season
As Superintendent of East Side Union High School District, I am very thankful for a plethora of amazing things happening in our district and across the East Side Alliance. I’d like to highlight five areas I am thankful for during this Season of Giving. Downtown Doors – When I was principal at Lincoln High School,...
Funk: Employee housing bond is a win-win for the community
Every day, approximately 1.7 million students attend public schools. Families place an enormous amount of trust on teachers, counselors, coaches and administrators to take care of their child for six or more hours per day. Yet, with the cost of living skyrocketing in Santa Clara County, the ability to attract and retain highly qualified school...
Funk: School partnerships support quality public education
My column published on Aug. 19 on Cristo Rey Jesuit High School focused on two public policy issues: Using public funds to underwrite the tuition at a Catholic high school and the procurement process that was used by the San Jose City Manager’s office. In all my columns, I have tried to share educational issues...
Funk: Why offering ethnic studies in public schools is critical to our future
California public schools serve approximately 1.7 million students of whom more than 70% are students of color and speak 90 languages. In East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD), 93% of our student population are students of color and speak 40 plus languages. California is expected to become even more diverse in the coming years....
Funk: San Jose’s contract with a private Catholic school reeks
On Aug. 6, the San Jose City Council unanimously approved a contract with Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School in the amount of $838,264 to provide work experience/paid internships for up to 24 students. The contract is paid directly to Cristo Rey to help cover the tuition cost for the students’ Jesuit education. Cristo...
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