Janeth Zarate is a freshman at Fremont High School who wakes up at 6 a.m. to get to school on time. On any normal day, she takes VTA’s 255 bus, but for the past two weeks service has stopped due to a historic union worker strike. VTA’s operator union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, has...
Santa Clara County cuts early education program
Santa Clara County teachers and local leaders are warning of chaos after mass layoffs have decimated a critical preschool program for families living in poverty, known as Head Start. Head Start staff received pink slips around March 15 amid uncertainty as to whether the federal program under the Trump administration will reimburse the Santa Clara...
Silicon Valley college district to add student housing
Hundreds of students in one community college district may not have to worry about housing insecurity as it builds out affordable off-campus apartments — a first of its kind project in Santa Clara County. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District board of trustees voted unanimously Monday to purchase an existing 94-home apartment building and transform...
Santa Clara County special education workers face layoffs
Special educators serving Silicon Valley’s disabled and most vulnerable children are about to be laid off. Charles Hinman, interim superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education, sent a Feb. 25 letter to staff, obtained by San José Spotlight, which said this is a result of school districts throughout the county closing schools due...
San Jose district will close three schools
Another San Jose school district is closing schools due to declining enrollment and a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. After intense debate and a two-week postponement, the Franklin-McKinley School District board of trustees voted 3-2 Tuesday to close three elementary schools. Board President George Sanchez, Vice President Steven Sanchez and Trustee Hong Ha Hoang supported the closures,...
Report: Santa Clara County education office misused funds
A federal investigation has found more than $135,370 earmarked for preschool education program Head Start was misallocated to pay for non-Head Start staff and credit card purchases, according to the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Interim Superintendent of Schools Charles Hinman said the failure has been remedied in a Wednesday statement. But he said...
Silicon Valley college program helps students net manufacturing jobs
Agustin Espino worked as a janitor for a manufacturing company about 15 years ago when his fascination with machinery began. His boss sent him to De Anza College in Cupertino for formal training as a machinist, where he eventually became one of the school’s lab technicians. De Anza College, along with five other local schools,...
San Jose teachers prioritize safety in contract negotiations
A teachers union is joining parents in demanding San Jose’s largest school district makes schools safer. Following increased incidents of weapons on campus and social media threats post-pandemic, the San Jose Teachers Association is calling on the San Jose Unified School District to provide safe and stable schools. This year, the union is including “teaching...
Santa Clara County education office plans layoffs
Santa Clara County’s top education office is planning for a wave of firings amid questions over top-heavy management and executive assistants with six-figure salaries. Workers will be notified about their dismissal by March 15, according to a Thursday statement by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. It’s unclear how many jobs could be cut....
San Jose education leaders delay decision on school closures
The leaders of a local school district are postponing a decision to close a handful of schools. The Franklin-McKinley School District board of trustees voted 3-2 Tuesday to delay deciding which schools will close by two weeks. Board President George Sanchez and Trustees Rudy Rodriguez and Marc Cooper voted to delay the decision, while Vice...