Difficult yet vital issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion in Ventura County public schools are the focus of the first-ever Ventura County Office of Education Equity Conference to be held on May 24, 2021. This three hour virtual event will feature a wide variety of workshops on ways to increase opportunities and break down barriers for students from marginalized communities. “We live in an extremely diverse county with schools that serve students from vastly differen...

A veteran teacher who has spent his career working with students with disabilities has been named Teacher of the Year for schools operated by the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). Shamus Auth has been a special education teacher at VCOE schools for 18 years and currently teaches young adults with disabilities at VCOE’s Dorothy Boswell School in Ventura. Mr. Auth will now be in the running for the Ventura County Teacher of the Year award, which is open to all teachers countywide. &...

Santa Susana High School in the Simi Valley Unified School District is one of just 33 schools in the state to receive the 2021 California Exemplary Arts Education Award from the California Department of Education. The winning schools engage students in quality arts education that meet California Arts Standards for Public Schools and demonstrate progress on indicators on the California School Dashboard. The award is designed to celebrate successful efforts to engage students in arts through expos...

Two Ventura County high schools are being honored as 2021 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. Oak Park High School in the Oak Park Unified School District and Rancho Campana High School in the Oxnard Union High School Districts are recipients of this coveted award. “I want to congratulate everyone at Oak Park High School and Rancho Campana High School for being named 2021 California Distinguished Schools,” said Dr. César Morales, Ve...

Dr. César Morales was formally sworn-in today as the new Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, becoming the first Latino and first person of color to hold the office since it was created in 1873.In an outdoor ceremony this morning at the Ventura County Office of Education in Camarillo, California State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin administered the oath of office to Dr. Morales. The ceremony featured speeches from students he has mentored and his colleagues in education and government.I...

Dr. César Morales was appointed today as the new Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. After conducting a nationwide search, the Ventura County Board of Education made the decision this morning by a unanimous vote. Dr. Morales will fill the vacancy created in February when Stan Mantooth retired from the post.Dr. Morales currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). Since Mr. Mantooth’s departure, Dr. Morales has assumed all duti...

Vaccine hesitancy, biodegradable plastic and ocean acidification are just some of the timely subjects of entries in the 2021 Ventura County Science Fair. The event, coordinated by the Ventura County Office of Education, was held entirely online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. While many students were unable to access the usual resources, tools and support that schools provide for science fair participants, this year’s event still drew several creative and innovative entries. &nb...

In a new sign of progress in the battle against the coronavirus, health officials have reduced the minimum required distance between students in a classroom from six feet to three feet. The change came quickly after the CDC announced the new three foot guidelines last Friday. The California Department of Public Health, which sets the baseline rules that Ventura County schools must follow, soon followed suit. Ventura County Public Health, which has the authority to impose stricter rules than the ...

For the first time since 2013, a team from Ventura County is the first place winner of the California Mock Trial Finals. Trinity Pacific Christian School in Thousand Oaks won the top spot in the statewide competition a few weeks after taking both first and second place in the Ventura County Mock Trial. Another Ventura County high school has reason to celebrate after the state finals. Jessica Zhou of Newbury Park High School took first place in the courtroom journalist portion of the competition....

More public schools will be reopening to in-person instruction now that Ventura County is moving to the less restrictive red tier in the State’s coronavirus monitoring system. The move from the purple to the red tier will take effect this Wednesday, March 17, as COVID-19 rates decline in Ventura County and after the State eased the threshold to switch tiers because of increasing vaccination levels.  The change opens the door for schools that had not reopened the last time the County w...