Declining enrollment rates are forcing school districts across San Jose to stare down campus closures and sharp budget cuts. California education data shows almost every school district in the city has faced enrollment declines over the past decade. Families are being priced out of San Jose because of increasing costs of living — and as...
Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ student safety at risk with state lawsuit
LGBTQ+ students in California will have legal protection against being outed at school starting next year, but not everyone’s on board — and a recent lawsuit could spell the bill’s end before it even begins. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth, or SAFETY Act, into law last month...
San Jose school bond could fund teacher housing
San Jose’s largest school district is counting on voters to approve more than $1 billion to upgrade facilities and house employees, which community advocates say is needed. The San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) board of trustees approved putting a nearly $1.2 billion general obligation bond on the Nov. 5 ballot at a special meeting...
San Jose parents want new leadership in largest school district
Parents and community advocates are calling for new leadership in San Jose’s largest public school district following a county report that highlights numerous issues — which the district disputes. Community members spoke Thursday at a San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) board of trustees meeting, citing a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report that...
San Jose school district fails to honor teacher pay agreement
San Jose teachers are protesting a broken promise made by the largest school district in the city. Waving signs saying, “Honor Your Commitment,” “Support Us Like We Support Our Students” and “The D.O. needs to Do Right,” hundreds of San Jose Teachers Association and community members marched in solidarity to the San Jose Unified School...
Silicon Valley high school teachers fight for better wages — again
Melanie Vega always knew she wanted to be a teacher. But with no guarantee of a raise going into next school year coupled with the daily stress of the job, she has decided to stop teaching and leave Campbell Union High School District. Vega, a 30-year-old English teacher who’s worked in the district for seven...
San Jose State students stage protest and call for divestment
San Jose State University students have set up a dozen tents on a lawn in front of Clark Hall, calling for the school to acknowledge the death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war. The student encampment began Monday, which was the last day of classes at SJSU. University administrators put up a sign telling...
Los Gatos residents vote for school parcel tax bump
A West Valley school district is on its way to boosting teacher salaries. Voters in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District stepped up to support Measure A, a parcel tax, with 66.7% of the vote as of May 15, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters and Santa Cruz County Elections Department....
East San Jose teachers demand raises to meet cost of living
Teachers in one San Jose high school district are calling for higher wages to keep up with the increasing cost of living — as the district struggles with an anticipated multimillion-dollar budget deficit. The East Side Union High School District, which serves more than 24,000 students, is offering its teachers a 1.1% raise for the...
Silicon Valley schools face end of federal mental health funding
Santa Clara County funds wellness centers for behavioral health across numerous school districts, but money issues are going to require schools to find new ways to keep them open. A $13.2 million wellness center expansion grant program, approved last June by the county, will help create 28 centers and expand 12 existing ones. While the...