Tag archives: SBUSD
Pedro Paz has been named executive director of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. Paz joins the organization after working for the Santa Barbara Foundation as Director of Policy and External Affairs, and First 5 in Santa Barbara and Merced counties. Raised in our Eden by the Beach and attending Dos Pueblos High, he holds a […]
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass The Santa Barbara Unified School District is failing in its most fundamental responsibility – teaching all of its students to read. Currently (and pre-pandemic as well), barely half of the students in SBUSD read proficiently meeting the district’s standard. The percentage is […]
Two years ago, COVID-19 was simply an outlier, something that seemed to be impacting “others” and not destined to alter life as we all know it. Some 23 months ago, life did change. For business owners. For politicians. For children. And it put our teachers to the test. But this wasn’t one they could study […]
The Santa Barbara Unified School District is making a public effort to attract and recruit more substitute teachers as COVID-19 continues to deplete staff across most places of employment throughout Santa Barbara. The district has raised its pay for substitutes, including $190 per day for daily subs, $210 per day for designated site subs, and […]
Santa Barbara Schools Superintendent Super Intends to Get the Job Done Some jobs are just plain hard. Hard because no matter what choices you make, some people are bound to be disappointed. I sometimes felt that way when I served on the Montecito Union School District Board, because everyone wants what’s best for their children, […]
With COVID-19 numbers skyrocketing all over Santa Barbara County, mostly due to the Omicron variant, the Santa Barbara Unified School District installed mandatory testing for students and staff on January 10. While the county deals with an overall shortage of tests, SBUSD indicated that it had plenty on hand to test every student (roughly 13,000) […]
Instruction returned to campuses throughout Santa Barbara Unified School District on January 3, with a flurry of communications helping both staff and students navigate an expected rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the area. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado delivered a message to the district on January 3 that provided clarification on health protocols, as well as some […]
While Superintendent Hilda Maldonado knows there is plenty of work to come, a three-year-long court battle with Fair Education Santa Barbara (FESB) concluded last week, with the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) and Just Communities Central Coast (JCCC) victorious after a three-justice appellate court panel ruled in their favor. The lawsuit filed by FESB […]
I previously wrote in this space about how only recognizing perspectives “for” or “against” an issue can get in the way of understanding and potentially resolving conflicting views. The recently heightened polarity around discussing race and bias in school classrooms is a prime example. We are seeing advocates frame debates in ways more likely to […]
The past 20 months for educators have been ones of great angst and innovation — with the need for patience and a willingness to embrace the unknown paramount to serving thousands of students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. It has also been thankless. Educators have not only had to teach students through computer […]
The Santa Barbara Unified School District board will hold a special meeting on September 23 to vote on a proposed resolution that will make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for staff, while the Montecito Journal has learned that two school board members are gearing up to also propose requiring masks at events larger than 250 people, regardless […]
When I arrived at the Montecito Journal, I received some push back for writing about affairs outside of Montecito. But I felt strongly then, and still do, that many aspects of life in greater Santa Barbara are integral to the lives of Montecitans. That goes for healthcare, social impact work, the development of downtown, the […]
On Tuesday, the bulk of Santa Barbara County snapped “first day” photos for Facebook and returned to the gnarly drop-off lines at area schools — but the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the longevity of in-person instruction remains. With the COVID-19 Delta variant creating disruption at hospitals around the state, local school districts are having to […]
As members of the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) board, we understand that our paramount responsibility is to ensure the health and well-being of our students. Incorporating all we’ve learned about COVID-19, we are determined to open schools safely for all staff and students on August 17. Sadly, our community is still in a […]
With her captivating and confident demeanor, Chef Nancy Weiss says she often gets confused for a New Yorker. In reality, her love affair with food began a little closer to the Santa Barbara area where she would eventually cultivate her culinary career. Growing up in Los Angeles, Weiss became infatuated with the kitchen at age […]
