Nearly 40 school principals with the Santa Clara Unified School District were forced to attend an in-person meeting last month amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and one education leader tested positive for COVID-19. Sources told San José Spotlight this week that Superintendent Stella Kemp required principals to show up in person — despite other leaders...
Will Santa Clara County schools reopen in the fall? The answer is unclear, but county issues guidance
Santa Clara County officials Tuesday painted a picture of what returning to school might look like for kids this fall: desks six feet apart, face coverings for everyone and canceling some activities such as choir. Officials released guidance for local K-12 public and private schools for reopening for the 2020-21 school year. The biggest question...
Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna to lead California’s delegation at the DNC
California Democrats selected Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna to co-lead the state’s delegation at the Democratic National Convention in August. “I’m proud to be co-leading the California delegation…” Khanna wrote Sunday on his Twitter page. “It should be clear that delegates stand for Medicare for All, free public college, an end to bloated military budgets...
How a seven year fight to save a San Jose trestle ended
A steel bridge stored in Colorado may soon cross over Los Gatos Creek in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, replacing the nearly 100-year-old railroad structure a crew began demolishing this week. “It will be connected by fall – even if it is not paved,” said Councilmember Dev Davis. A band of preservationists fought for seven...
Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna talks police reform, COVID-19
Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna kicked off his virtual town hall on Thursday afternoon with an important update about the Justice in Policing Act. “We passed it today in the House; it passed overwhelmingly,” he said. The Justice in Policing Act is a set of sweeping reforms intended to resolve systemic racism in law enforcement....
San Jose libraries face $1 million budget cut
The San Jose Public Library will lose more than $1 million in the upcoming budget year, leading to reduced hours and the elimination of dozens of full and part-time positions. The move came in response to the city’s request to scale back on expenses due to the budget shortfall dealt by the coronavirus pandemic. “We...
San Jose police officers removed from East Side district campuses
The San Jose Police Department will not patrol East Side high school campuses for the foreseeable future. Following a June 11 resolution supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, East Side Union High School District Superintendent Chris Funk recommended Thursday that officers be removed from schools in the upcoming school year. “I felt like it was...
Activists petition to remove police officers from East Side Union High School District
A movement to remove police officers from schools is underway in East San Jose. Families of East Side Union High School District are calling on officials to terminate agreements with police for school resource officers and outside law enforcement on campuses. As of Monday, a Change.org petition, created under a profile called “East Side Union...
Silicon Valley leaders applaud Supreme Court narrowly upholding DACA for now
South Bay leaders on Thursday applauded the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowly upheld the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), providing relief to hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally or lost their legal status as children. With conservative Chief Justice John Roberts providing the majority opinion alongside the liberal minority...
‘It’s about time’: Ethnic studies coming to Alum Rock school district
An East San Jose public school district is set to explore bringing ethnic studies to its diverse students, a move lauded by some as being a lifeline for struggling students of color. For Adan Perez, seeing himself in the curriculum during ethnic studies courses he took made the difference between dropping out of school and going...