Trustees authorize 6-month contract with Sacramento PR firm to assist with communication to public
Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Hilda Maldonado recommended that the school board hire a Sacramento public relations firm. “When we speak about public relations it is not meant to hide or lie,” she says. “It is quite the opposite.” (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo) By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
January 31, 2021
| 7:25 p.m.
The Santa Barbara Unified School District has hired a Sacramento public relations company to help with reputation management, communications and district leadership.
The district’s $50,000 contract with Nichols Strategies LLC runs from January to June.
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The Santa Barbara Unified School District has adopted a new grading policy for secondary students grades 7-12 as they continue with distance learning.
By a unanimous vote, the school board passed a grading policy that now includes an option for a grade of No Credit in lieu of an F.
The proposed change was prompted by data showing a drop in student success rates as the pandemic and distance learning continue.
“The primary intent of the proposal was to provide a hold-harmless reprieve to students who are struggling to pass courses during these pandemic times,” said Shawn Carey, assistant superintendent of secondary education.
K12 Climate Action Listening Session III: How Can Schools Adapt to the Impacts of Climate Change?
Extreme weather events such as flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes have already impacted schools across the country, threatening children’s health, safety, and wellbeing. This listening session will focus on how education systems can adapt the impacts of climate change and improve their resiliency. Panelists will share how their schools and communities have been affected by climate change and adaptations they have made in response.
This is the third in a series of listening session from K12 Climate Action. The panelists at this session will be:
Housing and Development Newsletter
For the fall semester, the United Way raised $681,000 and so far has raised another $710,000 for remote learning through April. The United Way hopes to offer the program to serve even more students through the end of the school year with additional funding. We are thrilled to be a part of this crucial support for youth and families during this time, said Kristina Webster, director of programs for Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara.
Girls Inc. has space for 88 youths, including 16 spaces for seventh through 12th grades on its Goleta campus, 14 spaces for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade at its downtown location and another 58 spaces for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade at the Goleta campus.
Blake DeVine/NC3
Local high school students have created the Hope for Red Pledge, encouraging teens to do their part to in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. It’s been almost a year since high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District held classes on campus.
“Eleven months without in-person school has been insane,” Dos Pueblos ASB president Nate Vance said. “It’s been very strange not seeing our friends or peers in class.”
“Being on the Zoom calls you only get to see so many people and some people have their cameras off,” Santa Barbara High ASB president Izzy Kamin said. “It’s not as much of an experience as being in-person is.”