East Side Connect - September 2024

Hello East Side,

Your hard work over the first few weeks of school has led us to a successful start to the year! With a collective effort on attendance awareness, over the first month of school we had a 95 % attendance rate - the highest attendance rate for the first month since the pandemic! In the newsletter below you will find an interview with two of our staff members who share a little about the work that went into the high attendance.

Earlier this week we celebrated ESUHSD’s College and Career Night! We had over 1,200 RSVP for the event and over 2,000 in attendance! October 1st will mark the opening of the Cal State and University of California application openings - please remember to reach for the East Side Promise - guaranteed admission to SJSU if you meet the requirements. Learn more at: bit.ly/eastsidepromise

Many public school districts, including the East Side Union High School District, continue to face serious fiscal challenges. The level of school funding provided to schools by the State of California is below the national average among all 50 states. This funding puts East Side students at a competitive disadvantage when compared to county peers. ESUHSD receives about $14,927 per pupil from the state funding formula (LCFF), while other districts in our own county receive almost two times as much from the same state funding formula. Our district is seeking additional sources of funding and revenue to fill in the substantial gap.

In June the Board of Trustees voted to put a parcel tax on the ballot for Measure N in part to address this funding disparity. If approved by voters, Measure N will result in a parcel tax that will generate $6.4 million annually for five years for the East Side Union High School District. You can find information on Measure N at www.esuhsd.org/measure-n or in the stories below.

In community,

Glenn Vander Zee,

Superintendent

Among the business discussed during the Board Meetings during the summer on September 5, 2024 and September 13 the Board of Trustees:

The Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools has directed the District to revise the 2024-2025 adopted budget no later than October 8, 2024. Based on the District’s current projected revenues and expenditures, the District may not meet its required minimum reserves in the 2026-27 fiscal year, and projects to have a deficit of $39,000,000 based on the assumptions following the 2023-24 Unaudited Actuals Budget Report.

The Board of Trustees is committed to exploring all options to increase revenue, including local, state, and federal grants, and, consistent with that, has placed the local parcel tax Measure N on the ballot for approval by voters on the November 5, 2024, general election ballot.

During the FY 2024-25, the District will work collaboratively with all bargaining units and other district stakeholders to identify alternative budget reductions or revenue enhancements. Absent a material change in the District’s financial position sufficient to address the projected $51,100,000 budget imbalance in 2026-27, the Board will be requested to proceed with budget reductions based on the Fiscal Solvency Plan.

The Board of Trustees recognized ESUHSD student athletes who competed and won championships this last Spring. Congratulations to all winners! Below is the list of those recognized:

Evergreen Valley High School

• Badminton Team, Mt. Hamilton Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

• Girls Track Team, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

James Lick High School

• Baseball Team, West Valley Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

Independence High School

• Cameron Chatman, Track and Field - 100M, 200M, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champion; 100M and Long Jump Central Coast Section Finalist; Long Jump California Interscholastic Federation State Qualifier

• Teagan Hum, Track and Field – 100M, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champion

• Rebecca Sicotte, Track and Field - 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champion

Mt. Pleasant High School

• Girls’ Track Team, West Valley Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

Piedmont Hills High School

• Baseball Team, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

• Boys’ Golf Team, West Valley Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

• Boys’ Track Team, Santa Teresa Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

Santa Teresa High School

• Boys’ Volleyball Team, West Valley Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

Silver Creek High School

• Kyler Headley, Discus – Central Coast Section Discuss Champion and California Interscholastic Federation State Championship Qualifier

• Brielle Mosely, California Interscholastic Federation State Championship Qualifier

Yerba Buena High School

• Badminton Team, Santa Teresa East Division, Blossom Valley Athletic League Champions

• Hac Nguyen, Badminton Girls’ Doubles, First Place League Finals

• Han Nguyen, Badminton Girls’ Doubles, First Place League Finals

• Duong Nam, Badminton Boys’ Doubles, First Place League Finals, California Interscholastic Federation State Championship Qualifier

• Victor Tran, Badminton Boys’ Doubles, First Place League Finals, California Interscholastic Federation State Championship Qualifier

The Board of Trustees adjourned the September 5, 2024 meeting in honor of Dr. John L. Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez was Yerba Buena High School’s inaugural principal.

The 1972 yearbook honored its first principal when published. In this yearbook, it is found: “The process of building up a new school is difficult and arduous. It takes time, desire, leadership and a man like Dr. John Hernandez to guide, inspire and assist the physical progress of the construction and the mental growth of the students. It is to this man, who has accepted this challenge and who will help Yerba Buena grow in the coming years, that we gratefully dedicate.”

View the Full Obituary

Child Nutrition Services provides breakfast, lunch, and supper to students and staff of East Side Union High School District on a daily basis. This report is an overview of the 2023-24 school year and focal points of the 2024-25 school year.

Among the highlights of the annual update:

• An average of 12,574 meals are served daily for students.

• 2024-2025 reimbursement rates per meal served from Federal and State sources will be:

• Breakfast $3.349 - $3.819

• Lunch $5.499

• Supper- $4.43

• Snack - $1.21

View the Annual Update

Since 2011, the East Side Education Foundation has hosted a Hall of Fame Dinner and induction ceremony to honor the contributions of East Side Union High School District graduates in a variety of fields. This exciting event brings together education leaders, elected officials, and other notable figures from the East Side community.

The East Side Education Foundation invites you to join on the evening of Saturday, November 2nd at the historic Hayes Mansion in San José as we celebrate the Hall of Fame Class of 2024! These 11 East Side grads will join 164 current Hall of Famers, including rocket scientists, NFL quarterbacks, bestselling authors, business leaders, and world-famous chefs:

Bridgett Loriaux Bauer (Independence,1993)

Domingo Candelas (Evergreen, 2000)

Ginelyn Doldolea-Kudsi (Oak Grove, 1994)

Maria Garcia (Independence, 2000)

Paul Kilkenny (Silver Creek,1980)

Peter Khooshabeh (Santa Teresa, 2000)

Mitsu Kumagai (James Lick,1957)

Peter Ortiz (Independence, 2008)

Andres Quintero (Mt. Pleasant, 1999)

Nicole Simpson (W.C. Overfelt, 1992)

Jeneba Young (Mt. Pleasant, 2007)

Learn more at the East Side Education Foundation Website

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Created by the State of California, CalKIDS provides up to $1,500 in free money for eligible school-aged children to help kickstart their savings for future college and career training expenses.*

Your child may already have an account established in their name. Claiming your child’s college savings account is quick and easy! Visit CalKIDS.org and have the information listed below handy.

See your transcript or speak with a counselor to find your Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) (This will be different from your ESUHSD Student Number).

Visit the CalKIDS Website for Details