A pair of Armijo High School students have won the recent 14th annual Solano County Constitution Essay Contest.
Keith Nelson Tagupa won the Grand Prize and Best of School, and Risha Sharma won the Founders’ Choice Award, the Fairfield Unified School District announced.
Source: Armijo High students sweep essay contest | Education | dailyrepublic.com
The Fairfield-Suisun school district has scheduled two additional Strengthening Families sessions in December.
“These interactive workshops will provide strategies for managing stress, maintaining balance and supporting emotional well-being during what can be both a joyful and challenging time of year,” the district said in a statement.
The sessions will be on Dec. 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., at the Sullivan Language Immersion Academy, 2195 Union Ave., in Fairfield; and Dec. 10, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., at Crystal Middle School, 400 Whispering Bay Lane, in Suisun City.
Source: More FSUSD Strengthening Families sessions scheduled | News | dailyrepublic.com
The California Department of Education has released its annual California School Dashboard, and Dixon Montessori Charter School (DMCS) is proud of its most recent accomplishment: earning green or higher ratings in every category. It is one of four schools in Solano County to do so.
The California School Dashboard, available at caschooldashboard.org, is the state’s official accountability and improvement system for public schools. It measures more than just test scores, it tracks growth, equity, attendance and school climate across all student groups.
Source: Dixon Montessori Among Top Schools in Solano County on State Dashboard | Independent Voice
Dixon Unified School District hosted its annual Fall Festival from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in the Dixon High School quad, 555 College Way, drawing students, families and community members for an evening of seasonal activities, performances and food.
The quad was transformed into an Apple Hill-themed setting, complete with autumn décor and a large welcome sign provided by Yard Love Dixon. Visitors moved through rows of booths and attractions operated by school clubs and organizations, with each game or activity costing $1 to $2.
Source: Fall Festival Brings Families to Dixon High School | Independent Voice
The city is moving forward with the Markeley Lane reconnection project.
It proposes construction of a 0.2-mile, two-lane residential collector extending from Peabody Road to Viking Lane. The project will provide new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, additional egress and ingress access, and improve local and school traffic circulation.
Source: City shares plans, timeline for Markeley Lane reconnection | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Sarah Rodriguez
Off Tuolumne Street is a chain-link fence lined with dozens of tiny blue-painted handprints. Each paper reiterates a student’s love for their school — Johnston Cooper Elementary.
The students’ detail their school’s loving community, sense of safety, and above all, its family-like feel.
Source: Cooper Elementary shows off after-school program – Times Herald Online
Family, friends, coaches and teammates gathered in the campus library to celebrate the collegiate signings of three premiere athletes at Rodriguez High School.
Swimmer Brandon Ha will be headed to Northwestern University once his senior season is complete. Nick Schikore will take his pitching skills to the University of the Pacific baseball team. Coco Trotter will make the short drive to Cal State East Bay to join the women’s golf team.
“We are celebrating three seniors off to bigger and better things,” Rodriguez athletic director and swim coach Sarah McLaughlin said. “Thanks to all that have played a part in their support network. They are all tremendous students and athletes.”
By Sarah Rodriguez
The fourth and final Vallejo City Unified School District town hall to discuss ongoing school closures and consolidations brought a mirage of fearful, frustrated parents and faculty throughout the district.
In their final attempt to speak out on the district’s second phase of “rightsizing,” dedicated community members took to the mic, citing their school’s robust student populations, improved academics, and supportive relations with neighboring communities.
Source: Final town hall invites mirage of districtwide concerns – Times Herald Online
Today, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond issued the following statement External link opens in new window or tab. in response to the Trump administration’s stated plan to enter into six different interagency agreements across four federal agencies, redistributing major responsibilities of the United States Department of Education (ED).
The four agencies that would receive staff and responsibilities from ED would be the Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. The programs that would be redistributed include those that serve the most vulnerable children, such as students from low-income communities.
Source: SPI Thurmond Condemns Trump Plan to Dismantle ED – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)
The Travis Unified School District board on Tuesday will consider a right-of-entry agreement that will allow Fairfield to begin work on Markeley Lane.
The agreement does not provide a specific date of when the work will start, but it does define the definition of work.
“As part of the planned improvements, the city will reconstruct the roadway, install new sidewalks and (disability)-compliant ramps, and upgrade drainage and traffic features,” the document states. “These enhancements will support safer pedestrian access and improve overall mobility in the area.”
Source: Travis Unified trustees to consider Markeley Lane access agreement | News | dailyrepublic.com
Today, the California Department of Education (CDE) published the 2025 California School Dashboard External link opens in new window or tab. and corresponding data files on DataQuest, showing that students continue to see improved outcomes across all key indicators of student success.
Source: 2025 Dashboard Shows Gains for California Students – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)
By Thomas Gase
Amy Gallegos has loved having her children spend time at Johnston Cooper Elementary School. She’s hoping that generations of future families can experience that same feeling.
Gallegos — a PTA member and mother of two — joined with PTA President Veronica Garcia and others Friday to hand out flyers raising awareness about the school’s possible extinction.
In August, a 7-11 committee put together a recommended list of seven schools for closure in the Vallejo City Unified School District, including Cooper. The committee selected Lincoln Elementary, John Finney Education Complex, Pennycook Elementary, and Steffan Manor Elementary as the top four.
Source: Cooper Elementary doesn’t want ‘family’ broken up – Times Herald Online
The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Citizens’ Oversight Committee is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Monday.
The committee is slated to review Measure J and Measure S financial reports ending on June 30.
New committee members will be introduced.
Source: F-S schools bond oversight panel meets Monday | News | dailyrepublic.com
Vacaville Unified School District high school seniors now have direct admission to the California State University system.
The school district and CSU signed a memorandum of understanding designed to expand access to higher education and simplify the college admissions process for VUSD high school seniors, the school district said in a press release.
Direct admission is a proactive college access program where eligible students receive an admission offer before even applying, as long as they meet certain academic standards. Students are then invited to take the next steps to finalize their admission.
Source: Agreement simplifies CSU admissions for VUSD high school seniors | News | dailyrepublic.com
By Sarah Rodriguez
One look out at the crowd of a town hall or school district-led board meeting, and there is pretty much a guarantee that packed into the stands are people repping blue and yellow.
That is the force of Vallejo’s Steffan Manor Elementary School.
Steffan Manor is one of the seven schools under consideration in the Vallejo City Unified School District’s second phase of school closures and consolidations – a multi-faceted approach to maintain the district’s fiscal solvency.
Source: Steffan Manor Elementary: Where education meets ‘consistency’ – Times Herald Online
By Robin Miller
The state of Vacaville’s schools took center stage Wednesday as local education leaders shared updates and insights at the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce’s Business Issues Forum.
Vacaville Unified School District Superintendent Ed Santopadre and Travis Unified School District Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Nick Girimonte joined business and community leaders to discuss student success, program growth, and the challenges ahead for both districts.
Santopadre opened by emphasizing the shared purpose between the two school systems.
Source: School leaders spotlight successes – The Vacaville Reporter
By Richard Bammer
Multiyear budget numbers will be on the agenda when Vacaville Unified leaders meet Thursday night, as Kelly Burks, associate superintendent of business and administrative services, will offer an update from the district’s Budget Advisory Committee.
In a computer-aided slide presentation, she will detail the functions of the committee, its mission, its goals for the current fiscal year, and a timeline shared by the governing board and the BAC.
Highlighting some of the numbers in boldface, Burks will tell trustees that the red ink during the next three budget years, through 2027-28, will increase each year by $18.7 million, $19.1 million and $21.4 million, respectively.
Source: VUSD trustees to hear multiyear budget update – The Vacaville Reporter
Eugenia Yoh, designer on the children’s books team, and Olivia Guimaraes, children’s editorial team member, from San Francisco’s Chronicle Books, shared inspiring stories at Center Elementary’s recent First Book Showcase.
The event was designed for third- through fifth-grade students to celebrate creativity, literacy and student voice as young authors shared their original book projects with peers, teachers and special guests from the publishing world.
Yoh and Guimaraes shared insights into the world of children’s publishing, from design to storytelling, before serving as judges for the showcase.
Source: Center Elementary welcomes special guests for inaugural Book Showcase | News | dailyrepublic.com
In a press conference at the California Department of Education (CDE) today, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced efforts to allow for flexibility in students’ access to nutritional services in response to the continued uncertainty of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This includes the filing of federal waivers to allow for existing federal funding for meal programs to provide food for hungry children beyond the school day and over the holidays.
Superintendent Thurmond was joined at the press conference today by members of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and leaders from the California Association of Food Banks, SupplyBank.org, the California School Nutrition Association, End Child Poverty, and other advocacy groups.
Source: Call for Flexibility with Federal School Meals – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)
The Solano County Office of Education will host a Mathematics Curriculum Fair on Nov. 18 to showcase educational materials.
“Quality math instruction helps students build confidence, strengthen critical thinking, and solve real-world problems,” Solano County Superintendent of Schools Nikki Parr said in a statement. “This fair provides an opportunity for educators to explore curriculum that supports high standards and meaningful learning experiences for every student.”
Source: Mathematics Fair shows off curriculum options | News | dailyrepublic.com