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Mayor Sam Liccardo claimed a political victory when the San Jose Unified School District announced recently it would reopen for indoor instruction April 21. But advocates say the mayor and his new advocacy group had nothing to do with the decision. In a mass email from Liccardo’s recently-formed organization Solutions San Jose, he praised the district’s decision...
COVID-19 pushes Santa Clara County dropout rate up
Distance learning has led to an increase in students dropping out of high school in Santa Clara County. The 2021 Silicon Valley Index, released by nonprofit Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies, showed this was especially true for homeless youth, English-language learners, Hispanic and low-income students. Rachel Massaro, vice president and director of...
Nearly 20 Silicon Valley education leaders tell Liccardo to stop politicizing reopening schools
Nearly 20 school board trustees from across the South Bay are demanding San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stop politicizing school re-openings. The trustees penned a letter, signed by leaders across nine school districts, criticizing Liccardo’s new advocacy group, Solutions San Jose, which launched a campaign with a petition to quickly reopen schools in the 19 districts across...
San Jose school district to monetize land to fund educational programs
After years of struggling to stay afloat financially, the Cambrian School District will now be able to monetize its excess land to bring in cash for education. Instead of selling the land outright, the Cambrian School District — long strapped for cash and hampered by budget cuts — opted to exchange 2.7 acres of its vacant...
Debate heats up over teaching ethnic studies in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County’s landmark resolution supporting ethnic studies is being challenged by some who claim it is un-American, prompting supporters to launch a petition to save the school board’s efforts to bring race-related education to classrooms. Eight months after the Board of Education passed the resolution, supporters believe it has come under fire from what...
East San Jose education leaders at odds with push to reopen schools
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s efforts through his new advocacy organization to reopen San Jose schools is sparking frustration for some — particularly communities of color. Liccardo launched a petition through Solutions San Jose — sending two emails within 24 hours — to gather signatures demanding COVID-19 vaccines be prioritized for teachers and to reopen...
County to reinvestigate Black student’s death, SJSU president says
San Jose State University President Mary Papazian announced this week the county coroner and district attorney will reexamine the suspicious death of student Gregory Johnson Jr., according to an email obtained by this news organization. “SJSU recognizes that for many members of our community, the circumstances surrounding Gregory’s death are emblematic of longstanding systemic racism...
New Alum Rock district bilingual program helps students learn Vietnamese
Thu-Hong Tran ended a recent Zoom class by asking 14 kindergartners to count to 100 in celebration of 100 days of school. “In Vietnamese please,” she said. In East San Jose, Ben Painter Elementary is the first school in Alum Rock Union School District to launch a Vietnamese dual immersion program, allowing students to learn both English...
San Jose school district accused of hiring allegedly shady contractor
A labor watchdog organization is accusing the San Jose Unified School District of hiring contractors and subcontractors that allegedly skirted California labor laws. The labor watchdog Foundation for Fair Contracting wrote letters to district Superintendent Nancy Albarrán in December accusing Glendora-based California Commercial Pools Inc., a contracting firm, of failing to comply with the state’s skilled and...
Pressure mounts for San Jose Unified School District to remove police from campuses
After community activists said their recent rally against police on San Jose Unified School District campuses fell on deaf ears with school board members – they mobilized a second time on Thursday. This time, the crowd did not shrink. “It’s actually pretty exhausting and heart-wrenching for these families to have to continue to do this,” said...