Board of Education

State law (California Education Code Section 60119) requires school boards to hold an annual public hearing and then declare whether every student has enough textbooks and instructional materials that match California's academic content standards. This is that hearing for the 2026-2027 school year in Pajaro Valley Unified. Resolution #8 states that each student in transitional kindergarten through grade 12, including English learners, was provided sufficient textbooks and instructional materials, that students in foreign language and health classes received materials, and that laboratory science equipment was available for science lab classes in grades 9-12. A yes vote adopts that finding on the record.

Staff from the Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development department will present the results of fall 2026 screening tests in reading and math and answer board questions. The reading data (DIBELS in English and Lectura in Spanish) covers foundational literacy skills in kindergarten through grade 3, and the math data comes from a Beginning-of-Year diagnostic taken by all grade 3-5 students under the new Paradigm Mathematics program. This is a report and discussion item, so the board would hear the information and discuss it rather than approve or fund anything.

The board will describe upcoming listening sessions across the district to gather community input that will shape student-centered goals and "guardrails" guiding district direction.

The board would approve district staff recommendations to expel students in cases numbered 26-27-001 and 26-27-002.

The district would add one more full-time mental health clinician to its existing contract with Effective School Solutions, LLC, the outside firm already providing three full-time mental health therapists for the 2026-2027 school year under an agreement dated March 23, 2026. The added clinician would start November 1, 2026 and work through the end of the school year, serving up to 25 students at a time, with services tied to students' Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals. A yes vote approves the addendum and the extra cost of $66,080.00, paid in seven equal monthly installments of $9,440 from November 2026 through the end of the school year. The item is on the consent agenda, meaning it is voted on with other routine items unless a board member pulls it out for discussion.

The school board is asked to approve a professional services agreement with Symbal Inc. to supply extra trained staff for the district's after-school programs during the 2026–2027 school year. Symbal would provide behavior technicians, registered behavior technicians, and other trained personnel who would work alongside the district's Expanded Learning teams so students who need individualized support can take part in after-school academic, enrichment, and recreational activities. The rate sheet lists a contract value of $469,000, paid from after-school program funding (ELOP/21st Century/ASES). A yes vote approves the contract; it is on the consent agenda, meaning it would be approved along with other routine items unless a board member pulls it for discussion.

The school board is asked to approve Addendum No. 1 to its Site Services Agreement with Arts Council Santa Cruz County, adding $74,349 and raising the not-to-exceed total from $363,972 to $438,321. The change grows full-year after-school arts residencies from 12 to 22 school sites and from 24 to 45 classes. Added programming includes visual arts, Latin dance, hip hop, fabric arts, African drumming, four six-week Pajaro Pathways ceramics workshops at the Watsonville Center for the Arts (including that venue's rental cost), and one more second-semester after-school ceramics class. A yes vote pays the Arts Council the higher amount and locks in the expanded scope; all other terms of the June 17, 2026 agreement stay the same.

The school board is asked to add $85,995 to an existing contract with El Sistema Santa Cruz, a music program provider. The extra money would pay for music instruction through the district's CTE New School program (both during the regular school day and after school) and for after-school classes at Mintie White Elementary and other Expanded Learning sites. A yes vote raises the contract's not-to-exceed total from $232,140 to $318,135. It is on the consent agenda, meaning it would pass along with other routine items unless a board member pulls it out for discussion.

The district would approve a private evening event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Saturday, December 12, 2026 for Pajaro Valley Unified students and their families, with exhibit viewing from about 6:45 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and a 'strolling breakfast' meal served from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. The aquarium's proposal is priced for 1,200 guests at an estimated $201,751.86, paid with Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) money rather than general funds. A yes vote approves the event for more than 1,200 participants, lets children age four and under attend free without counting toward the cap, and authorizes staff to finalize the contract within the approved not-to-exceed amount.