Another chapter in the long history of mismanagement and financial woes in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District was written this week in the form of an audit from state officials. The story was a familiar one for those following the troubled East San Jose district: ARUSD officials’ mismanagement of contracts cost the district...
Education
Education
Burnett Middle School’s new name narrowed down to three finalists
After a week of voting, the list of new names for Burnett Middle School is down from seven to the top three: Ohlone Middle School, San José Middle School and Sofia Mendoza Middle School. Input from students, staff and community members was weighed by the Burnett name change committee. Each name was ranked by how...
Santa Clara County superintendent urges Sacramento to fix education funding
In what’s becoming a familiar sight at school board meetings across San Jose and the state, parents and teachers on Thursday crowded a Cambrian School District meeting to decry low teacher pay and an inability to retain quality teachers. The outcry comes on the heels of several South Bay school districts eliminating or reclassifying droves of jobs....
Bay Area senator touts new bill to reduce student loan interest
In less than two weeks, San Jose State graduate student Mike Casas will walk across the stage — a moment he’s dreamt of for years — but the excitement is tempered by a cloud that hangs over his head. Student debt. “The cost of living is so expensive that you have to draw on student...
San Jose Unified employees protest staff changes
Clutching signs proclaiming a lack of respect, dozens of San Jose Unified employees chanted, marched and protested the district’s decision to eliminate or reclassify 37 positions. Their chants echoed down Lenzen Avenue, drawing supportive honks from cars passing by as a helicopter whirled overhead. The protest was spurred by upcoming staff cuts and reassignments that...
Here are the finalists for Burnett Middle School’s new name
The list is finally in: A committee narrowed down the finalists for Burnett Middle School’s new name. School administrators received more than five hundred submissions and a committee of students, school staff and community members narrowed it down to these finalists. Voting will open on May 6. In addition to the names, the ballot will...
San Jose Unified prepares to rename Burnett Middle School
Burnett Middle School is one step closer to getting a new name following backlash over the racist actions of the school’s namesake. The school is named after California’s first governor, Peter Burnett. His policies included the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. He also attempted to keep black Americans out of California and also believed that...
Alum Rock school district to lay off more than 50, including every librarian
The Alum Rock Union School District Board of Trustees voted to cut more than 50 district positions by this summer, including all librarians. The board voted 4-1 to eliminate dozens of districtwide jobs including 14 positions from the district libraries and learning centers, four custodians, 24 “community liaison” positions and more. The cuts mean the school district...
San Jose Unified School District approves layoffs in 37 positions
The San Jose Unified School District will lay off employees in 37 classified positions — ranging from administrative aides to secretaries and student services techs — a reduction in force administrators say will fund raises to existing employees. The school board last week unanimously approved a resolution to eliminate the positions, a decision board leaders...
Ash Kalra proposes law to put vote centers on college campuses
A new bill from San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra would prioritize putting vote centers on college campuses, a push to improve youth voter turnout and eliminate barriers to voting. Kalra’s Assembly Bill 59 would amend California Voter’s Choice Act to require college campuses with 10,000 or more students be considered for vote centers. The proposed legislation includes...