San Jose parents are upset over their school district’s decision to shut down a popular enrichment program and want to know why they are just now learning about it. San Jose Unified School District closed its middle college program last April, which allowed high school juniors and seniors to attend school at a community college...
San Jose college administrator dies on vacation in Mexico
A top official and longtime leader of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District has died. Vice Chancellor Jorge Escobar died recently while vacationing in Mexico, according to a Tuesday statement from the district. Escobar, 55, was in the running to take over as chancellor from Interim Chancellor and San José Spotlight columnist Raúl Rodríguez, according...
Silicon Valley teachers say ethnic studies isn’t just about credentials
As Santa Clara County school districts ramp up high school ethnic studies classes, educators said more training is sorely needed at the local level to ensure quality courses on diversity are being provided. California became the first state in the nation in 2021 to require high schoolers to take ethnic studies in order to graduate....
San Jose student enrollment is a mixed bag
Santa Clara County’s largest school districts are dealing with declining student enrollment this school year. Yet, one group is seeing a surprising enrollment increase. Although school districts are reporting a loss in student population for the 2022-23 school year, according to new data from the California Department of Education, a deeper dive shows that’s not...
What’s the former San Jose mayor teaching at Stanford?
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo had his first day on campus this week, and he couldn’t be more excited. Liccardo, who termed out last year, started a part-time gig as a Stanford University law professor on Monday. His course explores the fiscal, legal and political struggles of policymaking to solve what he said are the...
Experts criticize San Jose State’s ranking as ‘affordable’
San Jose State University placed in the nation’s top 10 most affordable colleges in a recent study, but the ranking is raising eyebrows among advocates wondering how that is possible. A Credit Summit study names SJSU as the eighth most affordable college out of 25 in major U.S. college cities. Advocates said while the university may be...
San Jose desperately needs more crossing guards
Rain or shine, crossing guards guide students to class at the beginning and end of every school day. But a swath of San Jose districts are missing that familiar face. School districts across the city are struggling to hire crossing guards in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials and school leaders said the shortage...
Petition demands San Jose school district support LGBTQ students
A community petition calling on Santa Clara County’s largest school district to support LGBTQ students has garnered hundreds of signatures. Eli Dinh, a part-time art teacher and parent at the district who is transgender, started the petition to protect LGBTQ students at San Jose Unifed School District. More than 250 signatures have been collected demanding...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County swaps land to build teacher housing
Santa Clara County teachers could have a chance to live where they work as county officials take the first step in creating new housing for educators. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted today without discussion to secure approximately five acres at 10333 N. Wolfe Road in Cupertino to construct affordable housing for educators....
East San Jose parents rally for principal’s return
East San Jose parents are calling for Alum Rock Union School District officials to reinstate a principal who was put on leave amid a sexual assault scandal involving a teacher. More than 50 parents, teachers and students rallied in freezing rain Thursday evening, calling on the district to bring back Maria Guadalupe Gutierrez, principal of Adelante...