Headlines
FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.
Jul 02, 2020
Before a last-minute school funding deal was struck among state lawmakers late last week, Pasadena Unified’s Chief Business Officer Leslie Barnes was preparing for the worst.
Jul 02, 2020
A handful of public schools in Humboldt County were found to have had potentially dangerous levels of lead in their drinking water, according to a map released Wednesday by a prominent California nonprofit.
Jul 02, 2020
A recent audit by a California agency raised questions about a San Diego-area school district's decision to choose a rating agency with criteria likely to result in a higher rating for a general obligation bond sale.
Jul 02, 2020
California’s elementary and middle schools will have to find an alternative to suspension when it comes to dealing with unruly students due to a new law that took effect Wednesday.
Jul 02, 2020
The San Diego Unified School Board passed a $1.5 billion budget Tuesday that avoids spending cuts and includes $45 million specifically to reopen schools.
Jul 02, 2020
In the wake of the decision, the department’s police chief, Todd Chamberlain, who has been in the job less than a year, resigned from his post Wednesday, district spokeswoman Shannon Haber said.
Jul 02, 2020
Dr. Adam Clark, the district’s superintendent since 2017, is the sole finalist for the same position with the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Trustees will vote July 13 to make his appointment final.
Jul 02, 2020
Some small districts don’t have enough computers or reliable internet service in their communities to provide distance learning to all their students and many don’t have enough money to reopen campuses without difficulty, according to a survey of 185 superintendents.
Jul 02, 2020
California’s new budget provides enough funding for schools to pivot to hybrid learning when they reopen this fall. But school officials fear Sacramento’s decision to delay cuts could throw districts into the fiscal abyss later.
Jul 02, 2020
More than 40 school principals in the South Bay are in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 during an in-person meeting held by the Santa Clara Unified School District.
Jul 01, 2020
So far, board members are leaning toward sending students back to school five days a week with safety guidelines, or utilizing distance learning this fall. Trustees said they'd give parents an option of which format they'd like to have their children return to school under.
Jul 01, 2020
Public school leaders are faced with making among the most crucial decisions of their professional careers, affecting tens of thousands of lives in the midst of a surging pandemic and an uncertain future, with some Stockton schools scheduled to open in less than five weeks.
Jul 01, 2020
At the June 24 school board meeting, the board voted to move ahead with the school year starting Aug. 3, with students in the classroom contingent on securing supplies to implement safety procedure modifications to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Jul 01, 2020
The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted to reduce funding by roughly 35% — about $25 million — for its independent law enforcement agency late Tuesday, June 30.
Jul 01, 2020
Santa Clara County officials said Tuesday that schools must follow stringent social distancing and mask requirements if they reopen for in-person learning this fall — but whether school and health officials take that route amid rising coronavirus cases remains to be seen.
Jul 01, 2020
The presence of police on school campuses does not necessarily result in safer schools or fewer suspensions or expulsions, researchers told legislators Tuesday at the state’s first hearing on the future of school police.
Jul 01, 2020
Prevailing in negotiations with Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Legislature passed a state budget that will let K-12 schools spend at the same level in 2020-21 as this year — avoiding the billions in cuts that Newsom had proposed.
Jul 01, 2020
The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday approved an immediate 35% cut to its school police force, a reduction of $25 million, in response to weeks of protests by student activists and community groups who had called for the elimination of the department.
Jul 01, 2020
Health officials in Santa Clara County gave schools a road map for reopening for in-person instruction, but added a big asterisk that they should be ready to resume instruction remotely if coronavirus conditions demand shutdowns.
Jun 30, 2020
The Kern High School District board of trustees heard various comments from district leaders and the community Monday night regarding reopening schools in the fall and providing funds for the district's police department.
Jun 30, 2020
Teachers unions in five Marin school districts are protesting a “one size fits all” plan to reopen schools this fall. The group includes the San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Ross Valley and Lagunitas teachers’ unions.
Jun 30, 2020
As school officials recruit diverse teachers and develop “cultural proficiency” plans, many Clovis parents and former students worry the efforts won’t address what they say are longstanding issues with strong and troubling roots.
Jun 30, 2020
A row of Black Lives Matter signs posted along the fence line at El Diamante High School will be removed on Friday following several confrontations outside of the Visalia school.
Jun 30, 2020
Sacramento City Unified board members approved a 2020-2021 school district budget on Thursday, and did not include a contract with the Sacramento City Police Department, ultimately severing ties with the Student Resource Officer program.
Jun 30, 2020
Across San Diego and throughout California, teachers in many public schools don’t look anything like the students they teach. Ten of San Diego County’s 42 public school districts did not employ a single Black teacher last school year, and seven others had one Black educator on staff.
Jun 30, 2020
The number of students in the state without broadband access to enable them to continue their education is much larger than previously thought, as a return to in-class learning remains uncertain amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 29, 2020
About 20% of Los Angeles parents said they are not ready to send their children back to a campus this fall and more than a third of employees said they are against returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jun 29, 2020
A playground where countless kids have enjoyed recess for over 80 years is now full of piles of dirt, holes and construction equipment. The disarray is for a good cause. Major structural upgrades will modernize Alisal Community School, one of the oldest schools in Salinas.
Jun 29, 2020
Dixie Education Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that gave financial help to what is now the Miller Creek School District for over 25 years, has been dissolved.
Jun 29, 2020
A Fresno man’s recent effort to shine a light on what he says is Fresno High School’s racist mascot has prompted elected officials to open a conversation about the school’s depiction of Native Americans.
Jun 29, 2020
Capistrano Unified School District will lay off 88 employees in preparation for a potential $35 million cut in funding from the state for the next fiscal year. The school board unanimously approved the layoff at its meeting on Wednesday, June 25.
Jun 29, 2020
When it comes to education, the new state budget goes beyond providing $70.5 billion in funding for K-12 schools — it sets fundamental accountability rules for a new era of distance learning in California by requiring teachers to take online attendance and document student learning.
Jun 29, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic shows little signs of slowing down, calls are growing for the Los Angeles Unified School District to improve upon a hastily launched system of online learning for the coming academic year.
Jun 29, 2020
The sudden onset of the coronavirus created havoc with the state’s economy, opening up a $54 billion budget gap of higher expenses and plunging revenues since Gov. Newsom presented his initial budget in January.
Jun 29, 2020
Marin County's plan sparked immediate resistance and a heated debate, one playing out in virtually every district across the state, over what is an acceptable level of risk for students and staff.
Jun 29, 2020
Research into the new coronavirus has moved “lightning fast” since the global pandemic began, but uncertainty around how the virus affects kids and how infectious they might be has made decisions around reopening California schools especially fraught.
Jun 29, 2020
As schools plan to reopen, California parents are asking themselves if it is better to send their children back to school and risk them getting the coronavirus or keeping them at home to do distance learning.
Jun 26, 2020
California schools will need to offer daily live instruction and regular communication with parents, among other requirements, in order to receive state funding for the upcoming school year.
Jun 26, 2020
California issued a mandatory mask order last week, but state officials are still debating whether students should have to comply once schools reopen.
Jun 26, 2020
On Wednesday night, the school board’s trustees adopted a resolution statement denouncing racism and discrimination across the district. Not one board member during the meeting disputed the existence of a widespread issue in the schools.
Jun 26, 2020
New mental health clinicians will soon be available at 10 Sacramento-area public schools come fall, according to a Wednesday announcement by the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Jun 26, 2020
Within three days Sweetwater Union High School District has been accused of potential financial fraud, laid off 223 employees and placed its superintendent on leave.
Jun 26, 2020
The founder and former CEO of Inspire charter schools in California received more than $1 million in payroll advances over the course of a year and a half, according to an audit report released Thursday.
Jun 26, 2020
Two San Jose school districts have joined a nationwide movement to eliminate the presence of police officers on campuses by terminating their contracts with the San Jose Police Department.
Jun 26, 2020
In a rare move by a presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden detailed his plans this month calling for full federal funding of special education — something that hasn’t happened since Congress first passed sweeping legislation for students with disabilities 45 years ago.
Jun 26, 2020
California needs at least 708,400 laptops and 322,100 Wi-Fi hotspots to connect all students to the internet from home, a significant jump from previous estimates, according to data from the California Department of Education.
Jun 26, 2020
Advocates and lobbyists for California’s K-12 school districts are expressing both relief and apprehension on the eve of the Legislature’s expected approval Friday of a 2020-21 state budget.
Jun 25, 2020
The president of the Madera County school board has resigned, just days after a post on her social media account displayed a Confederate flag, and the phrase “I am proud to be white.”
Jun 25, 2020
A proposal calling for the defunding of the Stockton Unified School District police was removed from the district’s Board of Education’s action agenda at its meeting Tuesday.
Jun 25, 2020
Meeting for the first time in nearly two months, the El Rancho Unified school board was hardly recognizable on Tuesday, holding one of the longer meetings it has had in years and ending just before midnight.
Jun 25, 2020
Voters in the Tamalpais Union High School District could see two parcel tax measures in November instead of one.
Jun 25, 2020
Lodi Unified School District parents and teachers voiced a number of concerns about starting the 2020-21 year Wednesday night, wondering how rooms will be cleaned and what happens when teachers or students are exposed to COVID-19 if school returns to a regular five-day schedule.
Jun 25, 2020
Central Unified School District Trustee Richard Atkins resigned on Tuesday night during the school board meeting, just days after making comments on social media that critics described as “racist,” “disgusting,” and “xenophobic.”
Jun 25, 2020
Fullerton School District board members today will once again reconsider a resolution declaring Black lives Matter amidst pressure from hundreds of educators, parents and community members calling for it to be adopted.
Jun 25, 2020
Desert Sands Unified School District is scheduled to begin the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 19, but in the coming weeks a task force will determine the district’s education plan for the upcoming year.
Jun 25, 2020
Students in the Santa Ana Unified School District could attend classes on campus as little as once a week, depending on their grade, under a plan presented this week to the School Board.
Jun 25, 2020
New mental health clinicians will soon be available at 10 Sacramento-area public schools come fall, according to a Wednesday announcement by the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Jun 25, 2020
The Sweetwater Union High School District School Board Wednesday night voted in a closed virtual meeting to place Superintendent Karen Janney on paid administrative leave.
Jun 25, 2020
Changes will be evident even before students set foot on school grounds. Kids will be social-distanced “when possible” on buses, and will be required to wear masks and sanitize their hands as they board.
Jun 25, 2020
A new California budget, hammered out by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators over several weeks, makes it easier for teacher candidates affected by coronavirus-related school and test center closures to complete credential and permit requirements.
Jun 25, 2020
As some school districts in California move to dismantle their police departments, the state took a stand this week: All school districts should spend less money on police and more on counseling and other services to support students.
Jun 25, 2020
In light of recent nationwide discussions and the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, advocates and some board members are now calling for the district not to renew its over $500,000 contract with the police department.
Jun 25, 2020
The Oakland school board voted unanimously to eliminate the district’s police department Wednesday in a historic vote following nationwide protests that have pushed education officials to end their agreements with police.
Jun 25, 2020
California’s top schools official said Wednesday his office is working to re-imagine the role of police officers at the state’s 10,000 public schools but said some schools would still need officers on campus to protect students’ safety.
Jun 24, 2020
A new state budget agreement offers more money to Marin and California schools than was projected, but requires students return to in-classroom learning — except for specific coronavirus-related triggers.
Jun 24, 2020
Huntington Beach parents are still fighting to reverse the closure of a school serving their district’s highest concentration of Latino and English-learning students, whose lives parents say will be upended once forced to transfer and commute elsewhere.
Jun 24, 2020
Facing a potential $35 million cut in funding from the state for the next fiscal year, Capistrano Unified School District officials expect to lay off 88 of its nearly 4,500 employees.
Jun 24, 2020
An audit released Monday blamed district staff for not only worsening the district’s financial state but repeatedly publishing wrong information about finances — errors that masked the extent of the district’s deficit to the district’s top decision-makers.
Jun 24, 2020
About 100 Corona-Norco teachers took part in a coronavirus-era drive-by demonstration at school district headquarters Tuesday, June 23, to show displeasure with last week’s school board decision to return to campuses in August.
Jun 24, 2020
Oakland schools have settled a gender discrimination claim, agreeing to provide equal opportunities for female student athletes. The settlement was with Fair Play for Girls in Sports, a project of Legal Aid at Work, over the district’s gender inequity issues.
Jun 24, 2020
The San Francisco Unified School District will no longer partner with or fund the San Francisco Police Department, following an overwhelming vote on a resolution today by the city’s Board of Education.
Jun 24, 2020
Changes will be evident even before students set foot on school grounds. Kids will be social-distanced “when possible” on buses, and will be required to wear masks and sanitize their hands as they board.
Jun 24, 2020
A deeply divided Los Angeles school board on Tuesday failed to agree on proposed reforms to the school police, effectively leaving the matter to a task force created by Supt. Austin Beutner and disappointing activists who had called for eliminating the department.
Jun 24, 2020
The superintendent of the Dublin Unified School District unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday, parting with words that suggested tension between himself and the board of trustees.
Jun 24, 2020
The mayor of Pico Rivera and a consultant have been charged with illegally reimbursing donors who funded the campaign of a candidate for a Montebello school board seat, according to court documents made public Tuesday.
Jun 23, 2020
Nothing could stop several hundred people from celebrating graduates Monday night at Golden Valley High School — not COVID-19, nor the usual Bakersfield heat.
Jun 23, 2020
The Stockton Coalition For Shared Safety stood outside the Stockton Unified School District Police Services on Monday to demand the district abolish its police department by the next school year.
Jun 23, 2020
Despite plans for strict virus safeguards, some Marin teachers and parents are pushing back on recommendations aimed at reopening schools this fall.
Jun 23, 2020
School districts in Irvine, Fullerton and Anaheim are among the next entities slated to consider Black Lives Matter resolutions this week as a push for greater emphasis on ethnic studies in curriculums and education reforms continues in Orange County.
Jun 23, 2020
A state fiscal agency found “significant evidence” that current and former employees with the Sweetwater Union High School District may have committed fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal practices.
Jun 23, 2020
A civil grand jury report found that Castlemont High School educators misused a grading system in order to pass students who didn’t qualify and misled the public about it.
Jun 23, 2020
Two distinct interpretations are emerging from data on police involvement at schools: one points toward eliminating officers on campus; the other toward keeping them.
Jun 23, 2020
In a signal that California public education leaders are bracing for the possibility of drastic funding cuts, the state’s teachers association is counseling local unions how to forestall the worst in their districts.
Jun 23, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Monday that they have reached an agreement on the 2020-21 budget that will preserve spending for K-12 schools and community colleges at current levels.
Jun 23, 2020
The Oakland Unified School District will be scrutinized for the next three years to ensure that girls have equal access to sports programs and facilities.
Jun 23, 2020
Sunrise on Monday became one of the Bay Area’s first schools to reopen classroom doors since stay-at-home orders issued in mid-March to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic forced campuses to close down and adopt distance learning.
Jun 23, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders said Monday they have reached a budget deal that will allow California to close the multibillion-dollar deficit that has opened up during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 22, 2020
A school reopening task force, made up of educational partners from districts small and large throughout the county, has been meeting for several weeks to discuss possible back-to-school scenarios for the county's more-than 190,000 students. No local plans have been announced, but the options being proposed suggest distance learning is here to stay in some regard.
Jun 22, 2020
The guidance isn't a mandate, but serves as a "how to" for local education agencies. All reopening decisions will be made locally by districts.
Jun 22, 2020
Can anyone blame Brian Biedermann for not jumping at the chance to be the next superintendent of Stockton Unified School District? It took some convincing.
Jun 22, 2020
When Pasadena Unified officials last discussed new possible bond programs, i.e. taxing locals, most agreed the timing wasn’t right. The timing still isn’t good now, officials acknowledge, but their circumstances have changed too dramatically to not consider a new program.
Jun 22, 2020
Ross Valley School District is issuing layoffs or reductions in hours for 30 classified jobs to offset anticipated budget losses for 2020-21 and uncertainties about job duties because of the coronavirus.
Jun 22, 2020
When the coronavirus pandemic interrupted education across the state, and classes shifted online, many teenage students went to work picking strawberries or other crops. Advocates worry they're falling behind.
Jun 22, 2020
San Diego Unified School District will raise the Black Lives Matter flag at its headquarters on Monday, and it will consider a board resolution Tuesday to annually recognize Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in America.
Jun 22, 2020
A half-dozen organizations representing school district officials have called on Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders not to agree to a 2020-21 state budget that would ban all employee layoffs in schools for a year.
Jun 22, 2020
An estimated 5,000 students at the San Francisco Unified School District could not participate in online “stay at home” learning because they didn’t have adequate internet service at home.
Jun 22, 2020
As students face cascading uncertainties about school, the pandemic, racial unrest and their futures, some school districts are turning to a simple practice to help young people deal with stress: mindfulness.
Jun 22, 2020
The school is ditching the mascot, known as Johnny Rebel. Quartz Hill hasn’t chosen a new nickname, but the fact that it’s axing the old one comes at a time of rising racial tensions in the Antelope Valley.
Jun 22, 2020
Michael had a history of fighting at school, so officials asked a campus police officer to meet with the boy. Micheal wound up handcuffed in the back of a squad car. He was five years old.
Jun 19, 2020
A crowd rallying outside the Tracy Unified School District erupted into cheers Wednesday evening after learning the district’s Governing Board had decided to pull an agenda item that would have laid off about 150 classified employees.
Jun 19, 2020
Marin’s public, private, independent and parochial schools are now being guided to plan for a full reopening of in-person classroom instruction in the fall.
Jun 19, 2020
In recent weeks, the Lodi Unified School District’s Board of Education has considered having its some 28,000 students return to campus on a part-time status in the coming school year, with the possibility of participating in distance learning.
Jun 19, 2020
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) released guidelines that school districts should consider in welcoming back high school sports in the fall.
Jun 19, 2020
Staggered times for parents to drop off children. No field trips. Lunches eaten in classrooms where students will remain throughout the day instead of moving between periods.These are just a few of the changes Fresno schools are considering.
Jun 19, 2020
Uniformed police officers have been a fixture on Sacramento-area school campuses for years. School resource officers, or SROs, serve many roles, from security guard to counselor. But is it time to get the cops off campus?
Jun 19, 2020
COVID-19 has introduced both new costs and threatened funding for California’s schools, which are facing unprecedented questions about classroom safety as they plan for fall reopening.
Jun 19, 2020
As the Black Lives Matter movement gains momentum nationwide, some communities in California are moving to rename local schools that some say glorify a racist and painful past.
Jun 18, 2020
The San Joaquin County Office of Education announced the release of new guidance for area schools as they prepare to enter the 2020-21 academic year. The guidance was developed in close collaboration with the county’s 14 school district superintendents and approved by the San Joaquin County Public Health Officer.
Jun 18, 2020
Overturning the Montebello Unified school board’s fourth rejection of a charter school proposal in two years, the Los Angeles County Board of Education on Tuesday, June 16 authorized KIPP SoCal Public Schools’ request to establish a charter school in the district.
Jun 18, 2020
A group of about 50 parents, students and family members converged for a protest at the Lodi Unified School District offices on Tuesday. The demonstrators’ main concern was the district’s plan for the fall semester, and what the district is planning to end distance learning and get students back in the classrooms.
Jun 18, 2020
Governors are promising to put kids back in classrooms in a matter of weeks, but it’s mostly school officials stuck navigating the messy details of how to keep students and teachers safe and win over skeptical parents, while dealing with a budget crisis that is forcing layoffs and other cuts.
Jun 18, 2020
California schools chief Tony Thurmond said Wednesday that schools named for Confederate leaders or other racially charged figures exacerbate feelings of racial inequality, and he commended schools that have opted to rename themselves.
Jun 18, 2020
A host of Orange County educators, parents and alumni are pushing local school district boards to change their course offerings to teach kids about Black history and Ethnic studies.
Jun 18, 2020
After-school staff for San Marcos campuses will receive layoff notices, the school board voted Tuesday night, prompting distressed responses from parents who said they need the daycare and support for their children.
Jun 18, 2020
The San Diego County Office of Education published new guidance Wednesday that offers suggestions — not mandates — for schools to follow, providing a clearer picture of what changes at schools could look like.
Jun 18, 2020
The Los Angeles Board of Education next week will consider phasing out the school police, essentially eliminating the department over the next four years.
Jun 17, 2020
The Lodi Unified School District will receive some assistance this week with ideas about how to reopen and welcome students and teachers back to campus in the fall.
Jun 17, 2020
Moreno Valley-area school districts are wondering whether paying for on-campus police is the best use of their money. Nine miles away, the Val Verde Unified School District board voted to annually survey students about their attitudes toward the district police department.
Jun 17, 2020
The Berkeley Unified School District board unanimously approved a “Resolution in Support of Black Lives Matter” during a meeting last week. The move will start the process of of renaming Jefferson and Washington elementary schools.
Jun 17, 2020
Some have found it challenging to transition to online classes. Others don’t have access to technology, and many have been unable to reconnect with their families.
Jun 17, 2020
Outdoor programs for K-12 students in California — such as science schools, nature parks, aquariums and zoos — are in danger of going away because of the long-term impact of COVID-19.
Jun 17, 2020
School districts are getting ready to reopen this fall, and many plan to let parents choose what kind of schooling they want for their kids — normal in-person school, online learning, or a blended model that combines both.
Jun 17, 2020
Hundreds of students, parents and community members gathered in front of a downtown L.A. high school Tuesday, calling for the elimination of the Los Angeles School Police Department, a force of about 470 officers and civilians.
Jun 16, 2020
As educators look toward another semester of social distancing in the fall, they are considering how to support students’ mental health as they promote their academic progress.
Jun 16, 2020
The state’s most recent vaccination data — from the 2018-19 school year — show that nearly a quarter of schools in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties still had vaccination rates low enough to be considered vulnerable to disease outbreaks by the California Department of Public Health.
Jun 16, 2020
Another Fresno Unified School District employee is under fire this month for posting offensive comments on social media, the district announced late Monday.
Jun 16, 2020
As the California legislative budget proposal arrives Monday, Chico’s school district anticipates having to approve a budget for the coming year before the state budget, including education funding, is finalized.
Jun 16, 2020
Los Angeles school police should be banned from using pepper spray and carotid holds, L.A. Unified Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday in the wake of calls to disband the district’s 470-member campus police force.
Jun 15, 2020
As if preparing to reopen schools in a coronavirus world wasn't difficult enough, local districts are facing proposed substantial deficits and cuts the next fiscal year.
Jun 15, 2020
The West Contra Costa Unified School District board on Wednesday unanimously approved a $377 million budget for the coming academic year that includes ending contract services with local police agencies.
Jun 15, 2020
For the last decade, a number of student advocacy groups have pushed the school board to reduce police presence in Los Angeles schools, saying Black and Latino children are targeted for discipline more than others.
Jun 15, 2020
As the state continues to grapple with the side effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the Oakland Unified School District could face budget cuts much worse than any during the Great Recession, the superintendent announced Friday.
Jun 15, 2020
But for a sudden deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend, the Legislature on Monday will pass a 2020-21 state budget that differs significantly in education funding from what Newsom wants.
Jun 15, 2020
San Francisco could be forced to repay about $180 million to a county education fund, going back to 2018, and lose an additional $60 million every year going forward. State officials say it’s because the city essentially took money that belonged to schools.
Jun 15, 2020
Barely two weeks into the coronavirus shelter-in-place order, teachers and administrators noticed a crisis unfolding at Oakland’s Esperanza Elementary School.
Jun 15, 2020
California’s vaccination rates for children took a nosedive just a few weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March to slow the spread of Covid-19, causing concerns among health professionals about the potential for outbreaks of other diseases during the pandemic.
Jun 12, 2020
Tom McCoy will serve as interim superintendent of Oxnard Union High School District through 2021.
Jun 12, 2020
Viewers alerted ABC10 to a video on Twitter, where Athletic Director Joshua Holloway is allegedly heard using the n-word multiple times to describe his life experience with diverse communities.
Jun 12, 2020
The Fresno Unified School District will spend more money next year on police officers on campus at a time it is losing about $79.3 million in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 12, 2020
In response to local outcry spurred by the police killing of George Floyd, the Oakland Unified School District is preparing to boot its police force from all campuses, mirroring similar actions across the country.
Jun 12, 2020
A movement to reform California public school policing and drastically rethink school safety is quickly gaining momentum amid nationwide protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd.
Jun 12, 2020
National outrage over police brutality has reached California schools, with unions and civil rights groups across the state demanding districts remove officers from campuses.
Jun 11, 2020
The Miller Creek School District board has approved dozens of layoffs as officials plan for another school year fraught with uncertainties over the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 11, 2020
Facing a multi-million dollar budget hole, Fresno school leaders are set to consider a string of proposed cuts amid calls from dozens of residents to ax law enforcement contracts that station police officers on public school campuses.
Jun 11, 2020
Summer has only begun, but school districts across the region are grappling with how to reopen safely and effectively in the fall. Many are planning for a two day a week schedule, with an option for full home learning for parents who choose.
Jun 11, 2020
Gompers, a popular charter school that enrolls more than 1,300 students in grades 6-12, laid off 26 of its 75 certificated staff on June 1, said Gompers Chief Business Officer Jenny Parsons in an email.
Jun 11, 2020
County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said in an on order Wednesday that such a ceremony would violate county health rules. County guidelines only allow for drive-thru, drive-in or virtual graduations during the pandemic.
Jun 11, 2020
A majority of the Oakland Unified school board, along with the superintendent, on Wednesday signaled support for dismantling the district’s police force. But the board won’t vote on the proposal until June 24.
Jun 11, 2020
Teachers across California are worried that students who are learning English will fall behind in their language skills due to the school closures and are trying various approaches to connect with those students and their families.
Jun 11, 2020
The clock is ticking; the Legislature wants to establish instructional minimums, along with tighter rules for distance learning, by the June 15 deadline to pass next year’s state budget.
Jun 10, 2020
Montebello Unified School District doesn’t have any charter schools — even after receiving four proposals during the last two-plus years — but that may be changing after an advisory commission for the state Board of Education on Tuesday recommended in favor of one.
Jun 10, 2020
More than 100 classified workers at San Rafael City Schools are set to receive layoff notices, officials decided this week.
Jun 10, 2020
Come the 2022-2023 academic school year, incoming high school students in Santa Ana will have to complete an ethnic studies course before they become eligible to graduate.
Jun 10, 2020
Students can expect staggered schedules and prepackaged meals when they return to Stanislaus County schools this fall, according to new guidelines.
Jun 10, 2020
During the last few months of school, science teachers had to use a variety of tools to keep science lessons going at a safe distance, from at-home experiments to virtual simulations.
Jun 10, 2020
Amid calls to defund municipal police in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, two Oakland Unified school board members are pushing to eliminate the district’s police force.
Jun 09, 2020
The Bakersfield City School District is investigating an incident involving one of its employees after a video was widely shared on social media this weekend.
Jun 09, 2020
California's State Superintendent Tony Thurmond released official guidance on school reopenings Monday as local districts prepare for fall opening dates.
Jun 09, 2020
Los Angeles County school district plans for the next academic year appear to fall within new guidelines released by California education officials on Monday, June 8, which anticipated that at least some students will continue to learn from home amid the ongoing pandemic.
Jun 09, 2020
With the Monday, June 8, release of California Department of Education guidelines for reopening public schools this fall, Inland Empire school districts are busy planning what the 2020-21 school year will look like in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 09, 2020
Guidelines released Monday call for some California students to learn from home, at least some of the time, in the new school year while the COVID-19 pandemic persists.
Jun 09, 2020
Students should expect to wash their hands and have their temperature taken often. They will likely wear masks and only attend classes a few days a week with a small group of classmates.
Jun 09, 2020
California school district officials knew reopening schools this fall for the state’s 6 million students, in an ongoing pandemic, wouldn’t be easy or inexpensive. But for some, it feels all but physically and financially impossible.
Jun 09, 2020
Leaders of United Teachers Los Angeles said Monday they support a movement to eliminate the Los Angeles School Police Department, a force of about 400 that serves the L.A. Unified School District and accounts for about $70 million of the district’s $7.9 billion budget.
Jun 08, 2020
Approximately 8 to 9 percent of students enrolled in the Wasco Union High School District take part in special education services, said Mario Uresti, coordinator of special education services. Different types of services are offered to accommodate students with a wide spectrum of needs.
Jun 08, 2020
With an especially miserable end to the 2019-20 school year, education officials are scrambling to reopen schools this fall as part of phase three of Governor Gavin Newsom’s pandemic recovery plan. Safety,
Jun 08, 2020
Eureka City Schools is looking at cutting $3 million from the budget based on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revision of the budget.
Jun 08, 2020
In a conversation with Bay Area school leaders, the state’s top educator said Thursday that plans are underway to extend school districts’ current flexibility to stop taking attendance or to drop standardized tests during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 08, 2020
The last of day of school might have been the last drop-off and last ride for buses at Tracy Unified School District. Tracy Unified is considering the elimination of all home-to-school busing for 1,247 students.
Jun 08, 2020
The murky wait-and-see that has gripped high school sports since the start of the mid-March COVID-19 pandemic could get some clarity in the upcoming week as California’s 10 CIF section commissioners are set to begin a three-day meeting.
Jun 08, 2020
Despite the limitations of distance learning, only 61 of 100 districts across the country queried in a recent survey have so far said they plan to offer summer school to help bridge the education gap.
Jun 08, 2020
Schools are facing a complicated array of health considerations as they decide whether and how to reopen this fall. Pediatricians urge schools to reopen, but some parents are reluctant to put children at risk.
Jun 08, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday he would not compromise with the Legislature on focusing more than $4 billion in federal coronavirus aid to address learning loss for low-income students.
Jun 05, 2020
Plumas Unified School District’s Food Service Program Manager Amber Russell is no stranger to handling the unexpected. Typically, PUSD’s food service department is responsible for turning out hundreds of balanced meals to over 1,800 students.
Jun 05, 2020
The shock and anger that is rippling throughout the country over the police killing of George Floyd hits home for West Contra Costa Unified — a majority Latino and African American district in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jun 05, 2020
Board members and district officials called for sweeping changes in the way education is funded and delivered to Sonoma County’s 70,000 school children.
Jun 04, 2020
The pain, grief and anger over George Floyd’s death during a Minnesota arrest must be addressed for children at school and at home, Marin educators said this week.
Jun 04, 2020
High school sports as we know it in Sacramento County will have a wildly different, scaled-back look this coming academic year and perhaps much longer if recommendations laid out by the Sacramento County Office of Education are followed.
Jun 04, 2020
California voters could see a new bond proposal on the ballot this November that would pay for broadband infrastructure in rural California — areas that have struggled to provide students with appropriate devices and internet access during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 04, 2020
California Assembly and Senate leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed on a state budget that would rescind all cuts to K-12 and higher education that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed — on the assumption that states will receive federal aid.
Jun 04, 2020
The damage done by keeping children out of school might outweigh the risks of COVID-19 transmission, a regional organization of pediatricians said Tuesday, pushing back against educators who have cautioned against reopening campuses too soon.
Jun 03, 2020
The Kern High School District board of trustees meeting Monday night outlined potential impacts on the district if Gov. Gavin Newsom's May revision budget proposal, which aims to close the $54 billion gap, passes.
Jun 03, 2020
“It’s too important a milestone in their lives to just break it off,” said Yreka High School principal and YUHSD Superintendent Mark Greenfield about the school’s graduation ceremony, which will be held in-person Saturday with strict guidelines in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Jun 03, 2020
If Baldwin Park Unified resumes in-person classes in the fall, students will return to newly improved campuses that district officials say prioritize their safety.
Jun 03, 2020
An EdSource analysis projects that of the 897 districts that receive their funding through the state’s education funding formula, 60.4 percent would get more in stimulus funding than they’d lose in state cuts.
Jun 03, 2020
By one measure, school districts collectively would get nearly as much in already promised federal aid as their proposed state funding would be cut in 2020-21. And many districts may get more than they’ll lose in state aid.
Jun 03, 2020
If even a small number parents choose not to send their kids back to traditional schools in the fall, it could trigger a massive funding crisis and sever the longtime link between neighborhoods and schools.
Jun 03, 2020
Schools in Sacramento County will likely stagger class schedules in the fall and many sports, large gatherings and music activities could be canceled for the 2020-21 academic year as districts respond to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 03, 2020
The number of kids who hadn’t started the distance-learning process was initially higher — 1,636 students — but school district employees have whittled the number of kids down by calling, texting and emailing families over the past few weeks.
Jun 02, 2020
It has become clear that parents and their children throughout the nation are staying away from their pediatricians during the pandemic: Vaccinations for measles and other diseases have declined dramatically across the United States.
Jun 02, 2020
School districts plan for fall without knowing how much money they’ll have or exactly how to create the safest learning environment for students. Guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as from the state Department of Education, is forthcoming.
Jun 02, 2020
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District has looked to the north — Canada — in selecting its new superintendent. John Malloy is school board’s finalist to replace Rick Schmitt, who is retiring.
Jun 02, 2020
California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday that he is “haunted by the sound” of George Floyd’s voice “begging to breathe, begging for life” and vowed to initiate a greater focus on teaching about implicit bias in California classrooms.
Jun 01, 2020
Sausalito Marin City School District trustees agreed last week to move ahead with a poll to gauge voter interest in a bond measure on the November 2020 ballot.
Jun 01, 2020
Nobody knows what classrooms will look like during a global pandemic, and Fresno-area school districts have been grappling with how to follow COVID-19 social distancing guidelines during class, lunch, bus rides, and recess.
Jun 01, 2020
Selma Unified teachers want the district to reconsider plans to nix more than 50 positions and implement a permanent district-wide pay cut to offset budget losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 01, 2020
As district and school-site educators work toward the next year, perhaps just one thing is absolutely certain: School will begin Monday, Aug. 10. How it will begin is another matter.
Jun 01, 2020
The Mt. Diablo school board on Thursday fired its superintendent, who had been on the job for less than a year, and terminated a tentative agreement with the teachers’ union for a new contract.
Jun 01, 2020
San Francisco officials Thursday unveiled the plan that will guide the city’s gradual emergence from the stay-at-home mandates that have defined and upended daily life for more than two months during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jun 01, 2020
More than 6 million kids, their parents and their teachers are waiting for word on what it will take for schools to safely reopen in the fall. They didn’t get it Friday.
Jun 01, 2020
Raising the possibility that campuses won’t reopen in the fall, leaders of the state’s two largest K-12 school systems on Friday demanded that public health authorities, not school districts, take the lead on setting up coronavirus testing and contact tracing of students and employees.
Jun 01, 2020
The order allows eligible teacher candidates to earn preliminary credentials without taking either the California Teaching Performance Assessment or the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment.
Jun 01, 2020
Most California school districts were just plunging into their annual teacher recruitment season in March when schools began to close in response to the coronavirus pandemic. One by one districts canceled job fairs, pulled recruiters off the road and shifted to a virtual hiring process.
May 29, 2020
As local districts eye August as the start of the next academic year, one thing is certain: Schools will likely look much different for Kern County students.
May 29, 2020
When America reopens, high school sports won't be far behind. A return to normalcy in the United States — by the fall perhaps? — would include Friday night football on Ventura County's high school campuses.
May 29, 2020
Colleges and schools across San Joaquin County have largely been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the current school year comes to an end and the next looms, many are still unsure how or when students will return to campus.
May 29, 2020
The novel coronavirus pandemic will shape what the 2020-21 California public school year looks like, when it begins in a little more than two months.
May 29, 2020
Larkspur-Corte Madera School District trustees reviewed potential program cuts, layoffs, furloughs and other belt-tightening measures this week in preparation to approve the 2020-21 budget.
May 29, 2020
The state’s draft guidelines for reopening schools detail a costly and logistically challenging checklist that educators say will be nearly impossible to complete, given projected budget cuts.
May 29, 2020
In a conversation with Bay Area school leaders, the state’s top educator said Thursday that plans are underway to extend school districts’ current flexibility to stop taking attendance or to drop standardized tests during the coronavirus pandemic.
May 29, 2020
Despite looming budget cuts, one of the Bay Area’s school districts with the highest-paid employees, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, has approved raises of almost 3 percent for its top management employees.
May 29, 2020
Students should be encouraged but not required to use face coverings when California schools reopen for classroom instruction, according to a draft of “interim guidance” from the state obtained by EdSource.
May 29, 2020
The financial fallout from the coronavirus is threatening the budgets of all California schools, but cash-strapped districts like West Contra Costa Unified may be hit the hardest.
May 28, 2020
The dual enrollment program has been taking place for seven years and continues this spring despite the school being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses are being taught remotely, with students checking in individually with teachers on occasion at the school while practicing safe social distancing.
May 28, 2020
As spring semester winds down in Ventura County, not many people know what going back to school will be like. Temperature checks, face masks, six feet of distancing are all in the realm. If there's any certainty at all, it's that back to school is going to look very different.
May 28, 2020
Still feeling the sting of Measure B parcel tax’s failure on the March ballot, Tamalpais Union High School District trustees had mixed views this week on how much money to propose to voters in a new poll.
May 28, 2020
No one, including the California Department of Education, knows exactly what the 2020-21 public school year will look like, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. But Inland Empire school districts are working out their plans.
May 28, 2020
Not every district is happy to include face coverings and social distancing. A letter sent last week from the superintendents of 11 districts in Los Angeles County, to Newsom, spelled out their objections.
May 28, 2020
Many schools in districts in Los Angeles County could have a totally different look this year: masked students sitting six feet apart, walking single file along hallways and up and down stairs.
May 28, 2020
California needs at least $500 million to address the immediate need for home computers and internet access for K-12 students, as most schools are expected to continue at least some distance learning next school year.
May 28, 2020
While educators across the state are struggling over how and when to bring students safely back to school in the fall, teachers in at least one California classroom have already figured it out.
May 28, 2020
State school chief Tony Thurmond said he will release guidelines for reopening in early June, but added that it’s increasingly clear that temperature checks, mandatory face masks and physical distancing will be in place.
May 27, 2020
Covina-Valley Unified Superintendent Richard Sheehan has agreed to resign, the school board announced at a special meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
May 27, 2020
Sixteen students to a class. One-way hallways. Students lunch at their desks. Children could get one ball to play with — alone. Masks are required. A staggered school day brings on new schedules to juggle.
May 27, 2020
A $12 million loan that Coronado Unified’s school board voted to take out last week will save the school district from long-standing structural budget deficits. At least it would have before the coronavirus pandemic ravished state budgets.
May 27, 2020
In the wake of a federal order for schools to keep providing special education during school closures, one of the trickiest parts of those services — mandatory parent meetings — has proven to be an unexpected boon in some districts but almost impossible in others.
May 26, 2020
A proposed change to California’s sacrosanct Proposition 13 that seeks to raise $12 billion annually for schools and local government was already primed to be one of the hottest battles on the November ballot before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
May 26, 2020
Fruitvale School District Superintendent Mary Westendorf could have retired two years ago, enjoyed all the fanfare and relaxed with her family. But she felt like there was still work to be done, even after more than 30 years in the district.
May 26, 2020
Sacramento-area school officials are nearing a decision on when campuses will reopen in the fall, along with a detailed list of safety measures that will be taken to keep children separated and classrooms clean.
May 26, 2020
When doors to Southern California schools closed in mid-March, public school teachers were given anywhere from a couple days to a few hours of preparation for “distance learning” amid the burgeoning pandemic.
May 26, 2020
With the nation's attention still fixed on the COVID-19 health crisis, school leaders are warning of a financial meltdown that could devastate many districts and set back an entire generation of students.
May 26, 2020
If adopted next month, Gov. Newsom’s proposed 8% cut to districts’ general fund would activate a state law not used since the Great Recession. It would set in motion a layoff period through Aug. 15 for those districts that choose to use it.
May 26, 2020
The proposal includes money for shelters, motel bills, food, school supplies and other services intended to help homeless students, whose numbers are expected to grow as unemployment soars to Depression-era levels nationwide.
May 26, 2020
Families will decorate their cars and drive through or around campus in a vehicle parade, while school staff wave and cheer at them from a distance. Many schools are holding cap and gown pick-up days beforehand so students can wear their grad garb to the events.
May 22, 2020
The Lodi Unified School District Board of Education will hold a study session on May 28 to begin considering instruction options when students return to class in the fall.
May 22, 2020
Somis is ready to welcome two new school leaders into the close-knit community.
May 22, 2020
School leaders in Los Angeles County joined a growing chorus for more state and federal assistance Thursday, May 21, asserting that public school systems will struggle to safely reopen schools this fall without adequate funding.
May 22, 2020
California schools cannot reopen safely in the fall with such modifications as facemasks, smaller class sizes and frequent sanitation without additional funding, said state Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond in a web conference with local school leaders Thursday, May 21.
May 22, 2020
The University of California Board of Regents voted today to suspend the use of SAT and ACT scores for students applying for admission as freshmen to its nine campuses, which include UCLA and UC Irvine, until fall 2024.
May 22, 2020
In about 10 weeks, the 2020-21 public school year will begin. Probably.
May 22, 2020
According to Dr. Gil Chavez with the state health department, students and faculty may have to wear masks, be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and schools may have to cohort by grade to prevent the potential spread of the novel coronavirus.
May 22, 2020
Smaller class sizes and daily temperature checks. Alternating schedules, with some time learning on campus and other times learning online at home. Face masks for all. Those are just some of the ideas that educators are considering as they wait for specific guidelines.
May 22, 2020
San Francisco public schools will be back in session on Aug. 17, San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said Wednesday. But how that will look is not yet known — although a decision is expected by mid-July.
May 22, 2020
In just six days, Oakland Unified School District and the city of Oakland announced today that it has reached its $12.5 million goal to give computers and internet access to thousands of Oakland public school students for the upcoming school year.
May 22, 2020
State education leaders on Thursday said proposed budget cuts to education would threaten their ability to reopen safely next fall and that confronting the COVID-19 pandemic calls for more nurses, counselors, custodians and teachers.
May 21, 2020
The Kern High School District Board of Trustees has decided to hold graduation ceremonies in late June but with limited guests and much less pomp and circumstance than previous years.
May 21, 2020
Dozens of school administrators, maintenance directors and facilities specialists — among others — are conducting teleconference meetings at least twice weekly, said Mary Jane Burke, Marin County superintendent of schools.
May 21, 2020
As some businesses begin to slowly reopen, the state superintendent of schools is also working to figure out how to get students back to class - with a new set of safety standards in place.
May 21, 2020
California schools will not be able to reopen safely next school year unless they receive additional federal dollars, said California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Wednesday.
May 21, 2020
Local school districts will decide when they will welcome students back to physical classrooms and the state is not mandating a common opening date, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday. But he made one thing clear: Personal protective equipment is a must.
May 21, 2020
The new normal amid the coronavirus outbreak will likely include masks, daily school sanitation and smaller class sizes to maintain six feet of distance, state Supt. of Instruction Tony Thurmond said Wednesday.
May 21, 2020
Some of the state’s smallest districts are preparing to bring students back for in-person graduation ceremonies this spring, after Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 18 eased some of the restrictions for counties wishing to re-open faster.
May 21, 2020
San Francisco public schools will be back in session on Aug. 17, San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said Wednesday. But how that will look is not yet known — although a decision is expected by mid-July.