Education

Education

San Jose State offers beds to homeless students all year

San Jose State University students say the school is failing to provide emergency housing for those in need. The university agreed this week to extend its one-semester, 12-bed emergency program indefinitely, but students say they have to jump through hoops to receive services. “Requiring students to take out loans is making it impossible to get an emergency...

San Jose voters approve extending taxes for schools

Early results show South Bay voters overwhelmingly favor ballot measures to extend parcel taxes for two local school districts. Out of 65,005 registered voters in the two boundaries of Berryessa and Los Gatos Union school districts, only 17,622 voters turned out for the special election on Tuesday—about a 27% turnout rate, according to the county....

San Jose school districts struggle to find teachers

The lack of full-time and substitute teachers in San Jose schools remains problematic even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes. Several San Jose school districts have elected to increase substitute teacher pay, and one created a new position to fill teaching holes left by the pandemic. Even those incentives are failing to attract educators back into...

San Jose high school locks bathrooms due to vaping

Some South Bay parents are enraged after a San Jose school closed several on-campus bathrooms because of vaping.  Administrators at Willow Glen High School temporarily closed four restrooms citing “inappropriate use” of the facilities throughout the day.  They informed parents in a letter this week that the closures will allow officials to monitor the remaining...

San Jose high school student raises $15,000 for Chromebooks

One year and 10,000 macarons later, an idea Shrobana Sengupta cooked up in a kitchen turned her into a social entrepreneur. The Presentation High School senior raised $15,000 for 72 Chromebooks through a GoFundMe account for the nonprofit Sunday Friends. The laptops were donated to low-income families helped by the nonprofit. In exchange, donors received...

San Jose schools add programs for mental health services

Schools in the South Bay have upped efforts to help students navigate mental health challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Local schools including San Jose Unified School District, East Side Union High School District and Sunrise Middle School have implemented seven key mental health practices, which a recent Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) study described as essential tools...

UPDATE: Housing tower moves forward after San Jose commission denies appeal

A last-ditch effort to derail a high-rise residential tower near San Jose State University has been denied, opening the way for more housing downtown. The San Jose Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a 23-story, 248-foot apartment building one block from the university called The Mark. Commissioner Jorge Garcia abstained from voting because of...

California students must take ethnic studies—some in San Jose already do

California high school students will have a better understanding of the state’s history, diversity and culture under a new policy. Some Santa Clara County schools are ahead of the curve, offering ethnic studies as an elective. Local elementary school districts—such as Oak Grove, Alum Rock and Mount Pleasant—already have ethnic studies as part of the curriculum....

South Bay voters to decide extending taxes for schools

Parcel taxes for schools and library services are about to expire in two local school districts. Residents will decide in a special election next month whether to extend them. In the Berryessa Union School District, Measure A would renew a $79 parcel tax to maintain its level of services for the next eight years. “This...