Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/santa-ana-unified-school-district/)
Robyn MacNair supports arts education in the Santa Ana Unified School District, arguing it adds to a well-rounded education by increasing critical thinking, problem-solving skills, improved test scores and higher attendance rates.
As we mourn the innocent victims who lost their lives in the senseless tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and ask ourselves why and how has this happened again in our schools, we search for answers that we hope will guide us and give direction on how we can prevent such a horrendous act of violence from ever happening again. Although we may not have all the answers, what we do have – as elected leaders and educators – is a responsibility to ensure that we institute safety and security protocols to ensure our students and staff are safe when they are in our care at school. Schools must remain a safe place where all students can learn, grow and become productive members of society. In the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), the largest school district in Orange County serving 50,000 students, the Board of Education has a long-standing commitment to the safety of students and staff by investing in a strong, well-trained school police department that is specifically designed to support the school community. Operating 24 hours a day, each day of the week, the Santa Ana School Police Department monitors and oversees 57 schools while maintaining a strong partnership with the Santa Ana Police Department and many other neighboring law enforcement agencies in Orange County.
In response to a dramatic upswing in sexually transmitted diseases, schools and community groups serving low-income students are responding with no-nonsense educational approaches that factor in cultural beliefs and practices.
Rigo Rodríguez, who is a Governing Board Member for the Santa Ana Unified School District, questions implementation of a district plan to shift 25 of 38 District Security Officers (DSOs) from their middle schools and high schools to other sites, urging cooperation, just as labor leaders meet today with school district officials on the shift.
California’s new system for funding public education has pumped tens of billions of extra dollars into struggling schools, but there’s little evidence yet that the investment is helping the most disadvantaged students.
Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Stefanie P. Phillips reports that students in Santa Ana have achieved a significant increase of 11.5% in graduation rates over the last seven years, surpassing the State and County average with 91.6% of the District’s high school seniors graduating with their diploma and a direct pathway to college.
A meeting last week drew a wide cross-section of city leaders and residents – including top officials from the city, schools, police, and nonprofit groups – amid a tripling of shootings in recent years.
Santa Ana Unified School District launches the first public school of the arts. The Conservatory, SanArts will be open to students throughout Santa Ana and Orange County.
With his own victory, and those by other police union-backed candidates in Santa Ana City Council races, Mayor Miguel Pulido appears to have regained much of the power he lost in the 2012 “Santa Ana Spring” election.
Candidates for seats on the Santa Ana Unified School District board delved into issues like expanding mental health support for students and the need to end the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline”