New Santa Ana | Category Archives: Education

The SAUSD’s School Police Chief is retiring on March 31

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Retiring SAUSD Police Chief Hector Rodriguez

On the morning of March 29, 2017, the men and women of the Santa Ana School Police Department formally recognized the retirement of Chief of Police, Hector Rodriguez.

Chief Rodriguez will retire effective, March 31, 2017 after having had served in a variety of law enforcement roles for the past 29 years; includes the Los Angeles Police Department from 1988 to 2002, the Los Angeles School Police Department from 1991 to 2013, and retiring from the Santa Ana School Police Department as Chief of Police where he served from 2013-2017. Continue reading→

Local business and community leaders to act as Principals for the day at SAUSD schools on Friday

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, Youth Activities Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2017

Contact: Deidra Powell, Chief Communications Officer, (714) 558-5555 office, (714) 673-4995 mobile

56 OC Business and Community Leaders to Experience a Day in the life of a Principal during SAUSD’s Principal for a Day Program

The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) will host “Principal for a Day” to provide members of the community an opportunity to experience the daily operation of a school. Each of the district’s 56 schools will have a guest principal from the community on campus. Following their morning assignments at their specified schools, the guest principals will join all the principals in the SAUSD for a luncheon and program at McFadden Intermediate School, where they will share their experiences as Principals for a Day. Continue reading→

KPMG employees will read books to the kids at Taft Elementary School on Wed.

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Charities, Education, Literacy, Literature, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

KPMG’s Nationwide “Read to Succeed” Initiative comes to Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana on March 29, 2017

KPMG volunteers will read to students; 1,000 new books to be distributed to children

As part of KPMG’s nationwide “Read to Succeed” initiative, its 100+ offices throughout the United States are conducting events in the coming weeks at schools and organizations in low-income communities at which KPMG people, spouses, family members, and alumni, will volunteer their time to get more than 150,000 new books into the hands of children who need them most.

In Santa Ana, KPMG volunteers will be reading to Taft’s K-6 general education, special education, deaf, and hard of hearing students and providing each of them with books. Continue reading→

Tutor at Santa Ana’s Think Together arrested for distributing child porn

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Education, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Anthony Robert Chau, a 28-year-old Rowland Heights man who worked with students in Orange County, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of distributing child pornography by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to the O.C. Register.

Chau came to the attention of detectives during an operation that was not specifically targeting him but targeting people who trade child pornography online, Wegener said. It did not appear that Chau manufactured any of the footage he distributed, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Continue reading→

Artspiration, benefiting arts and music at the SAUSD, set for 3/23 at the Bowers

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Arts and Culture, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

5TH ANNUAL ‘ARTSPIRATION’ BENEFITING SAUSD ARTS AND MUSIC PROGRAMS TO BE HELD MARCH 23

The Santa Ana Public Schools Foundation, in partnership with the Santa Ana Unified School District, will celebrate the success and creativity of the arts during the 5th Annual Artspiration event from 5 to 7 p.m. March 23, 2017 at Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St. in Santa Ana. RSVP on Facebook here.

Student artwork will be sold during the event, giving students an opportunity to understand the value of art. Guests will also have an opportunity to meet some of the winning artists. Continue reading→

SAUSD pink slips are evidence of a dysfunctional system

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Cecilia Iglesias, Education, Politics, Santa Ana 4 Comments

By: Steven Greenhut

c/o The Orange County Register

The news from the Santa Ana Unified School District board meeting should raise red flags for anyone with children in the district’s struggling school system. The board voted, 4-1, to hand out pink slips — i.e., layoff notices — to 287 teachers and other educators. The dissenting board member raised real fears of kids being herded into larger classrooms.

The notices are a state requirement. If there’s any possibility the district will lay off teachers this year, it must notify them now. There’s a good chance a smaller number — or none at all — will get the boot. Nevertheless, the vote says a lot about the way public-school systems are designed and about the priorities of the unions that help elect board members. Continue reading→

The Santa Ana teachers union is to blame for teacher layoffs at the SAUSD

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Cecilia Iglesias, Education, Labor, Politics, Santa Ana 20 Comments

By: Cecilia Iglesias

c/o The O.C. Register

Confronting a financial disaster they helped create, Santa Ana teachers union leaders did Tuesday what they’ve done for years: They blamed someone else.

In a newsletter they sent to all Santa Ana teachers, union leaders blamed me for the declining enrollment in the district’s schools. Continue reading→

New charter high school that includes free college courses now enrolling in Orange

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Orange Leave a comment

Unity Middle College High School will open in the Fall of 2017 at 1310 East Lincoln Ave., in Orange, with 100 9th and 10th grade students. They are offering free college courses for all their students. Unity Middle College High School students will graduate with a High School diploma and college courses that may include an AA degree. They are currently accepting intent to enroll forms online. Continue reading→

Shame on Santa Ana Teacher/Councilman Sal Tinajero for allowing worker layoffs

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 6 Comments

School Board Member Ceci Iglesias just informed us here on New Santa Ana that 287 pink slips are being given to school employees. Now Santa Ana teacher and City Councilman Tinajero is allowing layoffs too.

Register article says: “The jobs listed for possible elimination include 100 K-6 teachers, 50 middle school teachers, 47 in the high schools and another 21 K-12 teachers who provide special education services and several assistant principals and program specialists. The list includes 70 teachers who hold temporary positions.” Continue reading→

The greedy Santa Ana teacher’s union pushed for raises that have resulted in firing 287 teachers

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Cecilia Iglesias, Education, Labor, Politics, Santa Ana 14 Comments

The teacher’s union blames a Trustee for the mess they created!

By: SAUSD Trustee Cecilia Iglesias

Just want to share on what is happening in SAUSD as I was rudely stopped from sharing during today’s Board meeting.

Confronting a financial DISASTER they helped create, teachers union leaders did today what they’ve done for years: They blamed someone else. And of course they blamed me. Continue reading→

If you live in Santa Ana which local school district is the best one for your kids?

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, irvine, Santa Ana, Tustin 13 Comments

Do you live in Santa Ana? If you have kids then you need to know that you don’t have to put them in our local schools. That said there are some fine schools in Santa Ana. But are they the best ones for your kids?

Parents are allowed to indicate a preference for the school which their child will attend, irrespective of the child’s place of residence within the district. And surrounding school districts have to honor this parental preference if their schools have sufficient capacity without displacing other currently enrolled students, according to California Education Code Section 35160.5(b).

So what school districts are the best ones in our area? Continue reading→

Event to support low income SAUSD STEM students set for May 11

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Anaheim, Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

The Achievement Institute of Scientific Studies (AISS) is hosting their 5th Annual Bridging the Gap celebration on Thursday, May 11 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Highway 39 Event Center, located at 1563 South State College Blvd., in Anaheim. Come to support and celebrate 4.0 and above students as they get into the right university for their STEM program. Click here to buy your tickets, starting at only $5.99. Continue reading→

2nd Annual O.C. School Choice Fair set for Jan. 28 in Santa Ana

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Art Pedroza Posted in Cecilia Iglesias, Education, Santa Ana 13 Comments

2nd Annual Orange County School Choice Fair, January 28

Local charter schools, community leaders and education partners will participate in the National School Choice Week celebration

SANTA ANA, Calif. – In celebration of National School Choice Week, California Policy Center along with local charter schools will host the 2nd Annual Orange County Public Charter School Choice Information and Enrollment Fair on January 28 at NOVA Academy Early College High School.

Representatives from Orange County public charter schools, ranging from K-12 will be available to help families understand the enrollment process to public charter schools for their children. Continue reading→

The new Nicholas Academic Center will open on 12/14 at Century High School

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Art Pedroza Posted in Education, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Youth Activities Leave a comment

HUNDREDS OF SANTA ANA STUDENTS HAVE A CLEARER PATHWAY TO COLLEGE WITH THE OPENING OF THE NEW NICHOLAS ACADEMIC CENTER AT CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL

Nicholas Academic Centers (NAC) is partnering with the Santa Ana Unified School District to make earning a college degree a reality for more students in Santa Ana, with 100 percent of students in the NAC programs expected to attend college after high school and 80 percent expected to attend a four-year university. Continue reading→

Should the Santa Ana City Council issue a formal apology to Nativo Lopez?

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Art Pedroza Posted in 2016 Elections, Education, immigration, Mark McLoughlin, Miguel Pulido, Nativo Lopez, Politics, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Do you remember Nativo Lopez? He was a Santa Ana School Board member who was recalled in 2003 due in part to allegations that he was impeding the implementation of Proposition 227 in the 62,000-student school system. Prop. 227 was the measure backed by wealthy Republican Ron Unz that put a stop to bilingual education in California. Unz also spent $100,00 to gather the signatures that put the Lopez recall on the ballot.

But in the November General Election this year California’ voters reversed Prop. 227 – by passing Prop. 58 they restored bilingual education in the Golden State. And this week the Santa Ana City Council passed a Sanctuary City resolution. Continue reading→