By Chris Riley
The Fighting Back Partnership Annual Calendar was unveiled on Wednesday with the $200 first-place prize going to Vaca Peña Middle School seventh-grader Noell Mazareigos.
Source: PHOTO: Vaca Peña seventh grader wins annual calendar contest – The Vacaville Reporter
By Nick McConnell
The Vacaville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday evening to allow Kairos Public Schools, a charter school, to develop a parcel of land originally zoned for schools in order to fund the creation of a high school.
Parcel M in the Roberts Ranch Area is 16.2 acres, originally intended for a Vacaville Unified School District school. The district never purchased the land, however, after negotiations with the developer broke down. Kairos would use 3.65 acres for a high school campus and would use the rest along with a developer to create 82 single-family lots zoned for low-medium density.
Source: Kairos gets OK from council – The Vacaville Reporter
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District is proposing an increase in its Level II school impact fee by 84 cents per sq. ft., or from $4.01 to $4.85. The higher rate is reflected in the district’s updated school facility needs analysis. Click here to view and download the report. The district is accepting public comment on the fee proposal until 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2016. Send comments to: Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Facilities & Construction Dept., 2490 Hilborn Road, Fairfield, CA 94534. The district’s governing board will hold a public hearing on the fee adjustment on the evening of Sept. 8, 2016. If adopted, the new fee will be effective immediately.
Source: BIA Bay Area Weekly Report
Today, August 27, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond reconvened the Closing the Digital Divide Task Force to address smartphones, social media, and youth wellness from 8:30 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Sacramento.
The Superintendent’s Closing the Digital Divide Task Force initially came out of California’s urgent need to bridge technology resource gaps at the beginning of the pandemic, and it is the work of this task force that helped California’s students and families access affordable internet connectivity during distance learning. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-36) and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-54) joined Superintendent Thurmond for Tuesday’s Task Force hearing, officially reconvening the group in light of urgent conversations about smartphone addiction, social media, and youth wellness.
At the hearing, Superintendent Thurmond gathered testimony from educators, parents, and students who have experienced a range of smartphone and social media policies on school campuses—from policies that remove smartphones from the educational environment by placing them in secure, locked pouches to policies that simply disincentivize smartphone use.
Source: SPI Convenes Hearing on Smartphone Use in Schools – Year 2024 (CA Dept of Education)
BY Nick McConnell
The Vacaville Cultural Center Library will close its doors for at least the next year Friday at 5 p.m. for a major renovation and expansion project, its first in over 20 years. Adding on 3,600 square feet and improving the amenities, the $24.5 million project funded through the Vacaville Libraries District will take about 15 months to complete, according to Solano County Libraries.
The library hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon, inviting county, city and school board officials to visit the site and commemorate the beginning of the renovation efforts.
Source: A new chapter comes to Vacaville – The Vacaville Reporter
Fitch Ratings – New York – 26 Aug 2024: Fitch Ratings has affirmed Vacaville Unified School District, CA’s unlimited tax general obligation bonds (GOs) at ‘AAA’ and Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘AA’.
The Rating Outlook is Stable. The IDR has been removed from Under Criteria Observation.
Source: Fitch Affirms Vacaville USD, CA’s GOs at ‘AAA’ and IDR at ‘AA’; Outlook Stable; Removed from UCO
By Thomas Gase
The Vallejo City Unified School District says it has paid the final repayment of the $60 million state loan issued two decades ago, marking a major milestone in the district’s financial recovery.
“This is a monumental moment for Vallejo City Unified School District,” said VCUSD Superintendent Rubén Aurelio in a Friday news release. “Completing the repayment of this loan is a testament to our staff’s dedication, our community’s resilience, and the collaborative efforts that have guided us to this point. We are excited to share this achievement and discuss the promising future ahead for our district.”
Source: VCUSD marks completion of $60 million state loan repayment – Times Herald Online
By Thomas Gase
The location at 1 and 2 Positive Place is finally getting some positive news.
Griffin Technology Academies and its four public schools announced Thursday the breaking of ground on a new gymnasium, after receiving approval from the Vallejo City Unified School District and signing a construction contract with a local general contractor.
Source: Griffin Technology Academies receives approval to build new gym – Times Herald Online
Volunteers distributed 1,492 backpacks stuffed with school supplies at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District’s School Resource Fair.
The event, featuring more than 50 vendors, was held Aug. 10 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fairfield.
It also provided 152 vision screenings, free haircuts to 32 students and more than 1,300 hot dogs, chips and waters were served.
Source: Nearly 1,500 backpacks passed out at FSUSD Resource Fair | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Thomas Gase
CC Sabathia may or may not get a phone call in January saying he’s headed to Cooperstown, but he’s already a hall of famer in the eyes of Vallejo first graders.
Knowing how important it is to get ahead in the count early, the Vallejo native, former MLB pitcher and Cy Young Award winner — along with his wife Amber and the PitCCh In Foundation — donated free backpacks and school supplies to Vallejo City Unified School District first graders on Tuesday morning. Monday was the first day of school in the district.
“Not long ago a man sat here on the floor just like you are today,” Hazel Wilson told first graders at Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy. “He went on to go to Vallejo High School and pitched for the Yankees in Major League Baseball. But he’s never forgotten the children in Vallejo. He hands out scholarships, money and puts on baseball camps. He also gives out free backpacks and supplies like he’s doing today. So on the count of three, can we say, ‘Thank you’ to CC?”
Source: Sabathia again backing up Vallejo’s first graders – Times Herald Online
By Thomas Gase
There are 20 schools in the Vallejo City Unified School District, serving approximately 9.900 students. On Monday morning, the city’s superintendent had something in common with every single one of them.
It was Ruben Aurelio’s first day.
Aurelio, who took over for the previous superintendent William Spalding, who retired over the summer. felt much the same sense of nerves, excitement and energy for a new start that the students did.
Source: Vallejo students channel ‘nervous energy’ in return to school – Times Herald Online
Solano County’s unemployment rate continued to climb in July, as the state EDD reported there were 1,400 fewer local jobs than in June.
However, the losses were largely in local education as the schools transitioned from summer to the new term.
Local education had 9,800 jobs in June and 7,900 in July, the Labor Market Information Division of the state Employment Development Department reported.
Source: Local education pushes Solano jobless rate up before start of school | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Richard Bammer
A three percent salary increase for Dixon Unified confidential employees is on the school district governing board’s agenda for Thursday night.
The five trustees will hold a public hearing on the matter, a tentative salary agreement between the district and confidential employees for the 2022-23 academic year.
Superintendent Brett Barley, who submitted the matter for consideration, noted the salary agreement, retroactive to July 1, 2022, has been reached.
Source: Wage hike for district ‘confidential’ employees on DUSD agenda – The Vacaville Reporter
The Travis Unified trustees this week agreed to dissolve the two decades-old community facilities districts if the voters support the $65 million general obligation bond on Nov. 5.
The board on Tuesday adopted a resolution that states “if Measure R is successful, the board shall not issue any further debt supported by the CFDs, stop the collection of special taxes within the CFDs upon the final retirement of all outstanding debt obligations supported by CFD special tax collections, and take action to dissolve both CFDs.”
It further states that “It is the firm objective of this board to replace CFD special tax collections with proceeds of Measure R for facility improvements throughout the district and to cease CFD special tax levies and dissolve the CFDs entirely without the issuance of any additional CFD-supported debt.”
Source: Travis Unified will eliminate facilities district if Measure R passes | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Richard Bammer
One of the key messages to students in Stephanie Rogers’ third-grade class at Browns Valley Elementary was on the floor Thursday, the first day of the 2024-25 school year in the Vacaville Unified School District.
A 4-by-6 foot white cloth topped by 1-foot-high all-capital letters in six different colors read “IN THIS CLASSROOM YOU ARE.” Below were several comforting adjectives in mostly lowercase letters: “Special, courageous, Super Student, Kind, Important and Loved.”
The welcoming and nurturing sentiments seemed to match Rogers’ demeanor and personality as she spoke to her 23 students, seated at pods of four desks each at the Wrentham Drive campus. Each desk was stocked with crayons, a small package of tissues, markers, glue sticks and a white plastic binder.
Source: A gentle teacher at Browns Valley, serious math, science at VHS – The Vacaville Reporter
The Solano County Office of Education is hosting the 2024 Quality Counts Solano Early Childhood Education Conference on Sept. 14.
“This year, conference organizers invite teachers to join in an educator wellness event, including a full day of workshops from professionals skilled in early childhood education,” the Office of Education said in a statement.
Topics include preschool, kindergarten and transitional kindergarten teachers, infant/toddler teachers, family childcare providers; center-based directors and supervisors; as well as anyone working with young children.”
Source: Early Childhood Education conference set for Sept. 14 | News | dailyrepublic.com
The Travis Unified trustees this week agreed to dissolve the two decades-old community facilities districts if the voters support the $65 million general obligation bond on Nov. 5.
The board on Tuesday adopted a resolution that states “if Measure R is successful, the board shall not issue any further debt supported by the CFDs, stop the collection of special taxes within the CFDs upon the final retirement of all outstanding debt obligations supported by CFD special tax collections, and take action to dissolve both CFDs.”It further states that ”
It is the firm objective of this board to replace CFD special tax collections with proceeds of Measure R for facility improvements throughout the district and to cease CFD special tax levies and dissolve the CFDs entirely without the issuance of any additional CFD-supported debt.”
Source: Travis Unified will eliminate facilities district if Measure R passes | News | dailyrepublic.com
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted the “Housing Summit: Solutions to Address the Affordability Crisis” at the California Department of Education (CDE) Headquarters in Sacramento today, bringing together state leaders to address California’s critical need for affordable housing and workforce housing, and exploring strategies for accelerating access to homeownership for working and middle-class Californians.
The summit marked the official launch of Superintendent Thurmond’s housing initiative, announced on July 30, 2024, which aims to develop 2.3 million housing units utilizing 75,000 acres of surplus land owned by school districts across the state.
“California is facing a housing crisis—and it doesn’t have to be. While most of us have neighbors, families, and friends who have been priced out of once-affordable suburbs—who now pay even more at the gas pump to finance long commutes—many of us also know individuals who have the resources, expertise, and power to address these issues,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “That’s what today’s event and this initiative are all about: activating the resources and expertise that we all have within our great state, so we can make sure that our community members from all walks of life have access to the California Dream.”
Source: SPI Convenes Leaders to Accelerate CA Housing Plan – Year 2024 (CA Dept of Education)
By Scott Mullins
Dixon students started the 2024 through 2025 Dixon Unified School District year on Aug 7.
Many students enjoyed getting an early start by attending the “Back to School Festival” on Aug 3 at the Pardi Plaza in downtown Dixon. Families lined up in droves to receive free backpacks and school supplies. Children participated in the games and activities and creativity seemed to flow at the many arts and crafts tables provided, thanks to the Dixon Unified School District, the Dixon Public Library and several anonymous donations.
Parents had the opportunity to ask questions and get their concerns addressed from Dixon Unified School District personnel at the Aug. 7 fair. The Dixon Fire Department handed out fire helmets to children while some students spun the Wheel of Fortune at the Grocery Outlet booth to win prizes. Many schools had booths where they provided fun supplies for the upcoming school year.
By Richard Bammer
The first day of a new school year comes with anxiety for many students, especially elementary-age children. It brings joy for others of the same age. But who knew about the cha-cha?
In Travis Unified on Wednesday morning, Foxboro Elementary Principal Kristyn Andrews briefly led more than 650 students — and some cheerfully obliging parents and staff members at the K-6 school in Vacaville — in the Cuban dance rhythm.
Wearing a light-blue T-shirt with the words “Fox Team Greatness” on it, she welcomed the students to the Morning Glory Drive campus blacktop at 8 a.m., while students at Vanden High, on their first day at the Markeley Lane school in Fairfield filled out biographical information sheets for their teachers.