Hillary OJeda

Parent advocate Mads Realmuto and graduating Pajaro Valley High senior Eriberto Estrada have announced campaigns for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board, challenging incumbents Misty Navarro and Daniel Dodge Jr., respectively, in the November election.

More than 40,000 University of California workers, including about 530 at UC Santa Cruz, are preparing for an open-ended strike beginning Thursday. Campus officials warned students and staff to expect disruptions to dining, transportation and health services.

Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz were among thousands of schools nationwide impacted last week after a cyberattack on Canvas parent company Instructure forced temporary shutdowns of the learning management platform just as students were preparing for finals. Officials at both campuses said Canvas has since been restored.

Pacific Collegiate School went into lockdown Tuesday afternoon after receiving an anonymous threat call, but Santa Cruz police later determined the threat was not credible following a sweep of the campus. School officials said all students and staff were safe.

The University of California and the union representing around 40,000 of its employees reached a tentative labor agreement early Thursday morning, averting a planned open-ended strike involving service and patient care workers across the UC system. The proposed contract includes wage increases, caps on healthcare premium hikes, expanded leave and workplace protections.

UC Santa Cruz faculty members are pushing back against planned cuts to the university’s languages department, including the elimination of all Arabic courses next year. Administrators say the reductions are necessary due to budget constraints and declining enrollment, while faculty argue that the cuts harm cultural learning and student community spaces.

Staff members at Santa Cruz nonprofit The Diversity Center voted 5-2 last week to unionize, citing concerns over wages, burnout, workplace safety and protections for gender-affirming care.

Teachers and staff at two Pajaro Valley Unified schools are opposing a district proposal to relocate Renaissance High to the Duncan Holbert School campus in Watsonville, a move that would disperse Duncan Holbert’s special education students to other elementary schools. District officials argue that the proposal addresses infrastructure costs, declining enrollment and efforts to better integrate special education students with their peers.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board approved final layoffs equivalent to about 100 full-time positions Wednesday, including special education staff, mental health clinicians, healthcare assistants, teachers and counselors. Staff, parents and union leaders warned the cuts will worsen student support services, increase workloads and create safety risks on campuses.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District governing board has postponed discussion of a controversial proposal to relocate students from Renaissance High to Duncan Holbert School and disperse Duncan Holbert’s special education program after parents, staff and students urged trustees to reject the plan.