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COVID-19 Dominates Noozhawk’s Top Stories of 2020
Other most-read stories include fatal vehicle crashes, the arrival of British royalty, a spectacular meteor shower and a persistent mountain lion
Sansum Clinic medical assistant Leti Gutierrez administers novel coronavirus tests to patients with drive-through appointments in Santa Barbara on Aug. 4. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk file photo) By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @BT Holland
December 30, 2020
| 10:13 p.m.
The dynamic novel coronavirus took center stage this year, and Noozhawk coverage of the pandemic captured readers’ attention.
The list of most-read stories of the year was dominated by stories on the pandemic, public health response, and widespread business and school closures in Santa Barbara County.
A critical shortage of substitute teachers during the pandemic may make it difficult for some California school districts to reopen campuses or to keep open schools already offering in-person instruction.
A sharp decline in applications for substitute teaching credentials since January, as well an exodus of already credentialed substitutes, have left some districts unable to keep classrooms open, especially as more teachers are quarantined after potential exposure to Covid-19.
Substitute pools at school districts are being drained, in part, because temporary teachers are tired of waiting to be called for the scarce jobs available during distance learning or are uncomfortable with the technology required. Some substitutes in districts that have reopened campuses fear returning to the classroom during the pandemic or can’t find child care for children who are home half the week in hybrid instruction.
Her plan for now is to resume running her technology consulting company
Longtime Goleta school board member Susan Epstein, pauses to takes a selfie with the large crowd at the March for Science event in De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara in April 2017. She was emcee for the event. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk file photo) By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
December 19, 2020
| 9:35 p.m.
Long before Susan Epstein was a Goleta Union School District board member, she was writing stories as a student journalist during her sophomore year of high school.
She wrote an award-winning investigative piece, an expose, as she recalls it, on a sudden proposal to eliminate electives at her school. It was in accordance with state law, Epstein s principal told her at the time. Showing early signs of her analytical style, Epstein deep-dived into the story, discovered it was a choice, not a mandate, to eliminate electives. She broke the story.
Chronic absenteeism poses a problem, and the district sees a drop in enrollment of more than 400 By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
December 15, 2020
| 10:24 p.m.
Elementary school students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District have experienced a 15% increase in reading test scores, but a drop of 8% in math test scores, according to data presented at Tuesday night s school board meeting.
Chronic absenteeism is also up at two schools, Cleveland Elementary and Harding University Partnership. At Harding, absenteeism jumped about 6% from the year prior.
At the junior high and high school levels, the number of students with three or more Ds or Fs has increased from the year prior.