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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is sponsoring legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 502, introduced on February 19 by State Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-07), to help local educational agencies (LEAs) across California address the housing affordability crisis. SB 502 would establish a fund to support predevelopment costs of housing for educators and school employees, a common barrier for LEAs seeking to establish workforce housing.​ 

Threats of deportation have caused anxiety among immigrants, but schools in the Salinas Valley are helping comfort children and easing parents’ fears.

Although there have been few, if any, reports of immigration arrests at or near schools recently, parents are gripped with fear that if they go to the store, work or school, they’ll never see their families again. The fear stems from President Trump’s heated anti-immigrant rhetoric, as well as his recent removal of schools, hospitals, courts and other “sensitive locations” as safe zones for undocumented immigrants.

​​It’s not unusual for new presidential administrations to freeze cases while they adjust priorities, but exceptions typically are made for urgent situations, such as a child’s immediate learning situation. The freeze on pending cases and Trump’s calls to dismantle the department altogether left many parents worrying about the federal government’s commitment to disabled students’ rights.​

​The latest measure came in the form of a letter issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Education, giving K-12 schools across the country two options: to eliminate programs focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within two weeks, or face unspecified cuts in federal funding.

A cellphone ban — covering some 800 schools — took effect Tuesday in the Los Angeles Unified School District, eliciting a mix of reactions but no reports of major problems.

​​In Fresno, attendance has dropped since Trump took office by anywhere from 700 to 1,000 students a day. Officials in the central California district have received countless panicked calls from parents about rumored immigration raids – including about raids at schools.​ 

From private school vouchers to threats over “woke” curriculum, the Trump administration has launched a slew of reforms intended to reshape K-12 schools. But it’s still too soon to determine how — or if — those efforts will play out in California, experts say.

In a barrage of executive orders and promises since he was inaugurated, President Donald Trump has said he wants to:

• Dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, transferring its duties to other departments
• Legalize school vouchers for parents to send their children to private and religious schools
• Withhold funding from schools that use curriculum focused on race or ethnicity, or offer protections for transgender students
• Overhaul Title IX, which prohibits against discrimination based on gender.

​​The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to reject a pair of resolutions that would have cut up to 100 classified and certificated employee positions by a slim majority at Wednesday’s meeting.​ 

More than 100 teachers, classified employees, students and other community members lined up along both sides of Main Street in front of the Civic Plaza, carrying signs and receiving honks from passing vehicles. Even a light drizzle that served as the opening act to Thursday’s storm did not deter the rally-goers from being outside until shortly before the meeting began.