Press Releases

Press release

to host teacher recruitment fair for Sac State students
District working aggressively to bolster teacher ranks in light of looming statewide shortage

February 18, 2016 (Sacramento):  Sacramento City Unified School District is hosting an exclusive job fair for Sacramento State teacher credentialing candidates on Friday (February 19). The event is one part of an aggressive recruitment strategy aimed at building teacher ranks for the 2016-17 school year.

Press release

schools rally for No One Eats Alone Day

Students at several schools will participate in National No One Eats Alone Day on Friday, February 12. During the student-led lunchtime initiative, students sit with new friends and classmates to reinforce a message that all students are valued and accepted by their peers.

“No One Eats Alone Day fits in with ’s work to make our schools happy, safe and fun places for students to learn,” said Superintendent José L. Banda. “The overall goal is to break down barriers that prevent students from getting to know their peers.”

Press release

School orchard destroyed by vandals to be replanted on Saturday
Donors, volunteers will work to rebuild part of Pacific Elementary School’s “outdoor classroom”

January 27, 2016 (Sacramento):  With the help of volunteers and community donations, a school orchard destroyed by vandals will be replanted on Saturday morning (January 30).

Fourteen young fruit-bearing trees were destroyed at Pacific Elementary School (6201 41st St.) on November 15. Vandals ripped off branches and pulled trees from the ground, dragging some across campus. The orchard was only about a year old, installed in the fall of 2014 by the group Common Visions in partnership with The California Endowment, Soil Born Farms and .

Press release

to help former students receive retroactive diplomas

December 16, 2015 (Sacramento):  Former students who completed all graduation requirements except passage of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) may be eligible to receive a diploma retroactively.

In October, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 172 allowing K-12 districts to award diplomas to eligible students who did not pass CAHSEE, which became a graduation requirement starting with the class of 2006. The new law takes effect January 1.

Press release

ONTRACK and awarded federal grants for youth mental health services

November 13, 2015 (Sacramento):  ONTRACK Program Resources and the Sacramento City Unified School District have been awarded three-year grants from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to train adults in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

With this Project AWARE Community Grants funding, parents, guardians, community members and staff will learn how to recognize the signs of mental health issues in children. ONTRACK and the school district will be coordinating services and focusing on youth in the Meadowview area of Sacramento.

Press release

Help wanted: holds job fair on Saturday
Qualified candidates will be offered employment on the spot

November 12, 2015 (Sacramento):  Sacramento City Unified School District’s Human Resource Department is hosting a Classified Recruitment Fair from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 14 at the Serna Center, 5735 47th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95824.

is one of the largest employers in Sacramento, with a workforce of about 4,200. The Classified Recruitment Fair will be one-stop shopping for those seeking employment in non-teaching positions: Candidates will be interviewed on the spot. Qualified applicants may get conditional offers on the spot as well. 

Press release

Jamba Juice, GENYOUth plant seeds for success with school garden grants
Event on Thursday morning will show how the funding is being used

November 10, 2015 (Sacramento):  Students at Nicholas Elementary School will demonstrate their new garden science curriculum at an event on Thursday morning to thank Jamba Juice and the GENYOUth Foundation for grants to 14 campuses totaling $36,000.

GENYOUth’s program outreach partnered with Jamba Juice on grants for school gardens. At , campuses are using the funding to either start gardens or maintain existing ones.

Press release

McClatchy teacher placed on leave following incident today

October 30, 2015 (Sacramento): A faculty member at C.K. McClatchy High School was placed on administrative leave today following reports of inappropriate behavior in class.

Several students concerned about the teacher brought cellphone video to school administrators, who acted swiftly to remove the teacher from class and contacted law enforcement. The teacher will remain on leave while the district investigates the incident.

The video appears to show the teacher, dressed in a Halloween costume, wrestling a student on the floor of a classroom.

Press release

California Middle School to celebrate $3.1 million gym renovation and expansion
Modernized structure will serve entire Land Park community

October 30, 2015 (Sacramento):  will cut the ribbon on California Middle School’s newly renovated and expanded gym during a high-energy pep rally with students and staff on Tuesday, November 3.

The event will feature a three-point basketball shoot-out, cheerleaders, live music and a comedy routine by the school’s Land Park Rangers troupe.

Cal’s gym, which was built in 1975, was overdue for modernization and expansion to accommodate the popular Land Park middle’s schools growing needs. Improvements include:

Press release

PHOTO OP: McClatchy and Burbank baseball teams to play fall scrimmage donning Halloween costumes

October 29, 2015 (Sacramento):  Why do ghosts go to baseball games? To BOO the umpires. Why did the vampire quit the baseball team? He couldn’t find his BATS.

Insert your favorite Halloween-themed baseball joke as the fall baseball teams for CK McClatchy and Luther Burbank High Schools will spend their Halloween morning squaring off in a scrimmage with players decked out in full Halloween garb.

The fall matchup between the two squads is an annual tradition, but with the game falling on Halloween this year the two teams decided to add a fun twist to the matchup.

Press release

hosts Halloween-themed pedestrian safety fair on Friday
Early morning event will feature kids in costumes, ‘Pete Walker’ safety mascot, bike helmet giveaway

October 28, 2015 (Sacramento):  Will C. Wood Middle School students will be treated to a fun, Halloween-themed safety fair on Friday morning – an event that will close Walk and Bike to School Month for .

Co-hosted by the state Office of Traffic Safety, the fair will feature Pete Walker, a California safety mascot who has appeared on billboards and bus ads throughout October. Walker wears a costume made of car parts and promotes the message “Pedestrians Don’t Have Armor.” The school will have a “selfie station” for students in costume to take photos with Pete Walker.

Press release

Chicas Latinas de Sacramento to give 400 pairs of new shoes to school
Every Woodbine Elementary student will receive a pair

October 26, 2015 (Sacramento):  Chicas Latinas de Sacramento will donate more than 400 pairs of new shoes to students at Woodbine Elementary School on Wednesday, October 28. The donation amounts to a new pair of shoes for every student at the school.

“We are so grateful to Chicas Latinas and the generosity of the group’s membership,” said Superintendent José L. Banda. “I look forward to seeing our students enjoying their new shoes.”

Press release

appoints veteran administrator to lead reopening of downtown school
Dr. Gema Godina-Martinez was instrumental in establishing McClatchy High’s respected Law and Public Policy Academy

October 2, 2015 (Sacramento): Sacramento City Unified School District’s Board of Education has selected Dr. Gema Godina-Martinez to lead the reopening of downtown’s Washington Elementary School.

The Board voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Godina-Martinez – currently an assistant principal at C.K. McClatchy High School – as Washington’s new principal, beginning immediately. Washington was one of seven elementary schools closed in 2012 due to chronic under-enrollment. With downtown development booming, the district is committed to reopening Washington next fall.

Press release

to celebrate start of school with Hollywood-style ‘premiere’
Students, parents to get superstar treatment with red carpet event at Hollywood Park Elementary

August 27, 2015 (Sacramento):  Lights! Cameras! Backpacks!

Sacramento City Unified School District is throwing an early morning red carpet bash – complete with life-size award statuettes, paparazzi and autograph hounds – to celebrate the first day of school on Thursday, September 3.

The event at Hollywood Park Elementary School (home of the Hollywood Park Stars) will kick-off a year of honoring ’s 76 neighborhood and specialty schools, campuses that have launched the dreams of Sacramento residents for generations.

Press release

Summer Break begins Monday: Help prevent crime on campuses
Report any suspicious weekend, evening activity at schools

June 11, 2015 (Sacramento):  Sacramento City Unified School District is asking the community to help keep its 75 schools safe and secure on summer evenings, weekends and holidays. School resumes on Thursday, September 3.

Summer programming begins on 40 campuses on June 22 and lasts through July 30. Most programs operate in the morning and are over by 2 p.m. During late afternoons, evenings and weekends, campuses will be locked and alarmed. Security cameras will be monitored as well.

Press release

Two students named Gates Millennium Scholars
Award covers college tuition, living expenses for four years

June 8, 2015 (Sacramento):  Two students have been named Gates Millennium Scholars, an award that covers the cost of attending college for high-performing, low-income students of color.

Luther Burbank High School salutatorian Sabreena Singh, 18, and John F. Kennedy High School senior Manuel Valencia, 18, are among 1,000 students nationwide in the program’s Class of 2015. The scholarship is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Press release

joins California Thursdays fresh food movement
Morning kick-off event TOMORROW will feature breakfast, free farmers’ market

April 22, 2015 (Sacramento):  will kick-off its participation in California Thursdays, a growing statewide movement to bring California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables to school cafeterias, with a breakfast event at John Still K-8 School this Thursday (April 23).

With partner the Center for Ecoliteracy, is joining 41 other districts around the state in its commitment to improving the health of children by improving the food they eat at school.