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...
Tempers flare over Silicon Valley school district map
A recent Silicon Valley school board meeting erupted into yelling, chanting and an arrest over changes to trustee elections. The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) board of trustees unanimously finalized the switch from “at large” to by-area trustee elections Wednesday night. Starting this November, voters will elect trustees by area to avoid a potential lawsuit for...
San Jose community college’s newest chancellor is familiar face
After a national search, a local community college district has selected one of its own as chancellor. The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District board of trustees unanimously appointed Beatriz Chaidez — who’s acted as interim chancellor since July — as permanent chancellor last week with an annual salary of $385,360. Board President Tony Alexander said...
East San Jose school district money problems may prompt takeover
An East San Jose school district is facing a dire financial deficit and could be taken over by the county’s top education office. The Santa Clara County Office of Education is reviewing Alum Rock Union School District’s second interim financial report for the 2023-24 school year approved by district leaders on March 14, as well...
East San Jose school board selects interim leader after ousting predecessor
An East San Jose school board has appointed an interim leader on the heels of its sudden firing of the superintendent. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees unanimously appointed Imee Almazan, director of student services, as interim superintendent effective March 26. Trustee Minh Pham said Almazan is serving in an interim capacity...
East San Jose schools in jeopardy of shuttering
East San Jose residents rejoiced Thursday night when a neighborhood middle school received a reprieve from an expected closure. But that celebration will be short lived as the school district anticipates putting more campuses on the chopping block. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees unanimously voted to postpone closing the middle school...