As one Cupertino Union School District candidate inches toward a win, alarm bells are sounding among LGBTQ+ advocates worried about his stance on inclusive curriculum. Parent Long Jiao’s apparent second-place finish for one of the two open seats on the five-person school board has families worried about what it could mean for queer students and...
Silicon Valley voters pass multiple school funding measures
Several Santa Clara County school districts will receive more revenue thanks to resounding voter approval of bond measures and parcel taxes. Four bond measures and two parcel tax proposals are anticipated to provide millions of dollars to repair old buildings, build affordable workforce housing and expand student programs. The measures are all slated to pass,...
Cash-strapped San Jose school district narrows down closures
Hundreds of North San Jose parents, students and teachers are joining forces to fight school closures in their community. The Berryessa Union School District board met Tuesday night to discuss the potential closure of three schools due to declining enrollment and decreased federal and state dollars. The schools on the chopping block have not been...
East San Jose district narrows down school closures
An East San Jose school district superintendent has recommended closing seven schools and consolidating others. On the heels of Alum Rock Union School District’s consolidation committee selection of 13 schools to close or consolidate, Superintendent Germán Cerda has narrowed his choices. He proposes closing Aptitud Community Academy at Goss, Donald J. Meyer Elementary School, Horace...
Silicon Valley education office audits misuse of funds
As the Santa Clara County Office of Education board faces backlash for firing Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan, it’s responding with an “extraordinary” request for third-party audits into misuse of school district funds during Dewan’s tenure. The audits will focus on unspecified contract awards and expenditures of public funds, as well as allegations of email surveillance...
East San Jose district could close nearly half its schools
An East San Jose school district plans to close numerous campuses due to an enormous budget deficit. An Alum Rock Union School District committee is recommending closing 13 of its 21 schools due to declining student enrollment with families moving out of the area, lower birth rates and a steady loss of students to charter...
Former San Jose mayor pulls endorsement of education official
A dispute is deepening over Santa Clara County’s top education leaders — one of whom just lost her reelection endorsement from former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo amid the firing of county Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan. Liccardo — who’s vying for Congressional District 16 — on Thursday confirmed he withdrew his endorsement for...
Controversial West Valley school superintendent leaves district
An embattled education official has made a hasty exit from a West Valley school district, following months of community strife that left parents and students feeling unheard. Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Superintendent Bill W. Sanderson will resign June 30 for “personal reasons,” following lengthy community unrest over his leadership style, according to a...
East San Jose voters to weigh school parcel tax
East Side Union High School District has placed a parcel tax on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot in an effort to generate a much-needed revenue stream. If approved by voters, Measure N will generate $6.4 million annually for five years to help fund the financially-strapped school district. The $49 per parcel tax needs a...
Santa Clara County leaders could expand control over education board
Santa Clara County leaders may exert more power over the Office of Education, whose elected board voted to fire its controversial superintendent, Mary Ann Dewan. The Board Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-0 to look into whether it should decide who sits on the countywide school district’s Board of Education. Supervisor Susan Ellenberg recused herself, with...