East San Jose is primed to help its youngest residents with a new center to shape their academic future. The Cesar Chavez Early Learning Center opened its doors to the community today. The early learning center will focus on providing educational opportunities and services to children up to age 5. Alum Rock Union Elementary School...
San Jose community college district selects new interim chancellor
The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District has selected a new interim chancellor with decades of experience in the education field who starts this month. The board of trustees unanimously appointed Beatriz Chaidez to the position, where she will succeed former interim chancellor and San José Spotlight columnist, Raúl Rodríguez. Chaidez has nearly 25 years of...
Santa Clara County community college faces lawsuit from trustee
A South Bay college district board member is suing the district and his colleagues after they censured him for allegedly making racist remarks to an African American college president. Gilbert Wong, a board member of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and former Cupertino councilmember, filed a complaint in Santa Clara County Superior Court Thursday....
San Jose candidates compete for community college seat
Candidates for a community college school board are throwing their hats in the ring for a special election in November. Three people are vying for an open seat on the board of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District: Diego Barragán, Lisanna Dominguez and Clay Hale. The seat became vacant earlier this year after Omar Torres,...
Popular private school brand expanding in San Jose
A popular private school owned by a Chinese investment firm is expanding in northeast San Jose. Merryhill School, which runs an elementary program on 750 N. Capitol Ave., gained city approval last week for a new school to serve up to 252 students just a mile up the road at 1207 N. Capitol Ave. Plans call...
Silicon Valley private colleges lose affirmative action
Race has been wiped from the college application process, an approach used for decades to screen minority students in helping them to attend colleges or universities. Yesterday’s 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action will color-blind the applicant pool nationwide. But California has been operating without this legal requirement since 1996, when voters passed...
School run by San Jose mayor’s wife scores city grant
A San Jose private school run by none other than the mayor’s wife is receiving a six-figure grant. The $862,000 city grant is raising questions about favoritism due to the school’s close connections to the former mayor and other city hires, with some officials questioning whether taxpayer dollars should be awarded to a private religious...
San Jose and SJSU want to keep talent in the city
San Jose State University and San Jose City Hall are partnering in a bold endeavor—a marketing campaign to help students feel more connected to the city and keep them local after graduation. They are each investing $100,000 in a citywide branding strategy and student fellowship program to create an easier path to employment for students interested in...
San Jose school district puts safety onus on each campus
The San Jose Unified School District has denied a community petition to form a task force to shore up safety demands after a string of threats were made toward students at various schools. Abraham Lincoln High School parent Trudi McCanna and English teacher Elizabeth Neely petitioned the school board to create a communication plan and...
San Jose schools accused of ignoring LGBTQ+ students
Months after a petition was created to protect LGBTQ+ students in the San Jose Unified School District, the community is still frustrated with the district’s lack of response, claiming it has ignored their requests for a more inclusive environment. Holding signs saying “Protect LGBTQIA+ students” and “You Are Seen,” families and supporters gathered in front...