The following is the Sept. 6 edition of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Homeroom email newsletter, by reporter Savannah Kuchar. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
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A weekly email with news and insights into Sacramento area schools and how it impacts your students.
Welcome back to Homeroom!
Checking in mid-Labor Day weekend and wondering how others with a three-day break are spending it.
I recently moved so my days off have been largely devoted to unpacking boxes and scouring Facebook Marketplace for items like a new microwave.
Labor Day marks the unofficial end to summer, and it certainly feels that way with the recent cool weather reprieve. I still can’t believe it’s almost fall. Time for cozy sweaters, warm drinks and, for my fellow sports fans, football.
READY FOR THE WEEK AHEAD?
Education, parenting and other relevant stories from the Sacramento region you may have missed this week.
🏈 Any Hornet fans planning to bring the family to a Sacramento State home game this season? Spoiler: It won’t be at Cal Expo, despite what officials were optimistically planning. Read more here about what happened with that project.
⌛ State Superintendent Tony Thurmond has so far not acted on a threat to take over supervision of Sacramento City Unified. But what happens if they do run out of cash? Diana Lambert of EdSource explains that process here.
🏅 Speaking of sports, finding the right coach can make or break the experience for a young person. Carolyn Becker has some advice, sourced from local parents and coaches, on what to look for. Read her tips here.
What else is in today’s newsletter?
First Sacramento City Unified trustees proposed increasing their pay. Then, following a wave of public backlash, they backpedaled. Find the latest below.
Plus, you and your student can learn more about an underground point of pride in the Sacramento music scene.
HOMEROOM HIGHLIGHT
Sacramento City Unified trustees scrap plan raising their own pay
The plan to nearly triple monthly stipends for board members was pitched amid an ongoing financial crisis.
BY FELICIA ALVAREZ AND SAVANNAH KUCHAR | skuchar@kvie.org
In short: The Sacramento City Unified school board was considering raising pay for its trustees from $826 to $3,000 per month. After a wave of public backlash, the board pulled its proposed raises at its Thursday night meeting.
A bit more: The decision arrives as the school district is facing a $150 million budget shortfall and is entrenched in a political battle aimed at avoiding state receivership.
It’s a routine question on the car ride home or sitting around the dinner table. I want to hear more than “fine” from students across the region: How was school? What did you learn? Did something interesting happen?
Anoushka Vyas, a senior at Franklin High School and the Elk Grove Unified student board member, sharing her ideas on what the district’s technology advisory committee should look into this school year:
| “How we identify a student’s usage of AI, examining that and making sure that there’s no false accusations. Because it can be hard to distinguish between AI and students’ actual writing or work sometimes.”
Parents, feel free to share any tidbits from your student about their day by sending me a message at skuchar@kvie.org.
FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Things to do with (or without!) the kids this week.
🎂 It’s the 176th anniversary of California statehood Wednesday, Sept. 9. Celebrate Admission Day on the west steps of the state Capitol from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with free cake and ice cream, plus live performances of 1850s tunes by a ukulele group. More information here.
🏰 Cinderella, Moana, Rapunzel and Flynn will be in Roseville 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, for Fairytale Day at the Fountains shopping center. Take a photo with Disney royalty and grab a complimentary treat. Those in costume can stop in at the mall’s Salt and Straw, purchase a scoop and get a free sprinkle of fairy dust. Learn more here.
🍴 Elk Grove’s Global Feast Fest is also Saturday, Sept. 12. From 3-8 p.m. at District56, explore a world’s worth of food trucks and vendors, enjoy live music and check out the Kids Zone with games and crafts. Admission is free. Find more information here.
Want an event to be featured in our next newsletter? Submit it to our community events calendar here.
A STORY TO SHARE
News isn’t just for the adults — each week, I’ll highlight a piece from myself or one of my colleagues that you can share with the student in your life. Hopefully they can find interest or insight in the hyperlocal, community-focused stories. To fuel conversation, check the discussion prompt below.
Engagement Journalist Jordan Mata introduces us to Zack Bissell, a local musician and promoter, who can take the lion’s share of credit for helping make Sacramento a hub for Japanese underground bands. And the pipeline goes both ways. Almost a dozen Japanese groups have played or are scheduled to play in Sacramento this year, while bands here are booking tours there, with Bissell’s help.
📝 Discussion prompt: What was most interesting to you about this little-known cultural pipeline? What did you think of the descriptions of the performances?
If you were at our listening session on education last month and enjoyed getting to hear directly from your friends and neighbors, I have good news: Abridged by PBS KVIE is hosting another one! This time, we want your thoughts on transportation. Highway construction, traffic woes, pedestrian safety, Flock camera concerns — it’s all on the table Thursday. RSVP here.
Like usual, thanks for being here! Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated. Reach out anytime.
