February-March 2025 Updates

February-March 2025 Updates
Dear Evergreen Community,
I wanted to share key updates regarding new education policies, budget developments, and local
initiatives that will impact our schools and community.
State Updates

Immigration enforcement resources
● On Feb. 27, David Schapira, California Department of Education (CDE) chief deputy
superintendent, sent a letter to all county and district superintendents regarding
“resources to support school employees who may come into contact with federal agents
who are conducting immigration enforcement activities.” In addition to its webpage on
welcoming and supporting immigrant families, the CDE provided an immigration
enforcement response document, “which is intended to be completed by officials at the
local level who can add relevant local policies, regulations, and administrative contacts.”
● The 2023 California Mathematics Framework implementation survey is currently open.
To ensure the successful implementation of the framework, the CDE is developing
professional learning opportunities, instructional resources, implementation videos and an
online platform to provide practical tools and strategies for educators and students. The
survey is recommended for educators with a variety of experience and knowledge about
the framework to ensure these resources align with the needs of the field.
● Applications are being accepted for the 2025 Classified School Employees of the Year
(CSEY) Program. The program identifies and honors exemplary classified school
employees throughout California in nine occupational specialties such as
paraprofessional, clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and
nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services and security services. County
offices of education must work with their CSEY county coordinator to submit
applications.

California School Boards Association (CSBA) Information
East Bay Times: California sues Trump Administration over cuts to teacher training grants
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and attorneys general from seven other Democratic
states are suing the Trump Administration, claiming it illegally terminated federal grant funding
for K-12 teacher preparation programs — a decision the attorneys general say will ultimately
hurt students at a time when the nation is already facing teacher shortages. The grants provide
stipends or other support for individuals training to become teachers, which help with efforts to
recruit and retain educators and increase the number of qualified teachers — especially for
hard-to-fill positions, Bonta said during a press conference at the state Department of Justice
building in downtown Los Angeles on March 6.
Nationwide, about one in eight teaching positions was vacant or filled by uncertified
teachers in 2024, Bonta said. Due to teacher shortages, schools end up with larger class sizes,
canceled courses or teachers without the proper credentialing, he said, adding that President
Donald Trump will “only make these problems worse” by ending the grant funding. “Sadly, the
people Trump’s hurting most of all are our kids — kids in rural areas, kids in urban areas, kids in
high-poverty communities, in high-needs schools, kids who need and deserve extra support and
additional resources, kids just trying to learn,” Bonta said. According to the lawsuit — filed
March 6 in U.S. District Court in Boston — the U.S. Department of Education in February
notified grant recipients that it was terminating approximately $600 million in grants, effectively
ending the Teacher Quality Partnership and the Supporting Effective Educator Development
federal grant programs. These programs educate, place and provide support to aspiring or new
teachers in hard-to-staff schools, particularly in rural and underserved communities, and in
hard-to-fill courses like math and special education.
Federal Education Related Updates
Department of Education launches reporting portal
● Local educational agencies should be aware of a new portal (EndDEI.ed.gov) launched
on Feb. 27 by the U.S. Department of Education intended for parents, students, teachers
and community members to submit reports of “discrimination based on race or sex in
publicly-funded K-12 schools.” The portal states that the “Department of Education will
utilize community submissions to identify potential areas for investigation.” While
federal and state law already prohibit discrimination on the basis or race or gender, the
launch of the portal follows the department’s Feb. 14 dear colleague letter to schools
asserting “racial discrimination that has become widespread in this nation’s educational
institutions,” such as initiatives around diversity, equity and social justice, is illegal under
Supreme Court precedent and could result in loss of federal funding if changes to comply
with the law weren’t made.
● It is not immediately clear that this will have any direct impact on California LEAs.
Initially, the portal is only a place for tips that could be used to “identify potential areas
for investigation,” which does not indicate an immediate plan to withdraw federal funds.
Further, it is not clear if there will be available manpower to conduct investigations
triggered by reports to this website, especially if the Department of Education is
dismantled as appears to be the current plan. While the implementation of this hotline
may cause LEAs to take actions to avoid being targeted, it does not appear to create
significant risk at this time. CSBA will provide updates if there are changes in this area.
● Additionally, the department released a related frequently asked questions document on
Feb. 28 acknowledging it cannot control the content of school curricula and stating it is
not directing schools to restrict any First Amendment rights. Department officials said
schools with programs “focused on interests in particular cultures, heritages, and areas of
the world” are not illegal if they are open to all students regardless of race, “so long as
they do not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination.” But schools cannot have
affinity graduation ceremonies, administer or advertise scholarships and other
opportunities offered by third parties based on race, or craft admissions essay prompts to
require applicants to disclose their race.
K-12 Dive: 80 percent of parents say school shootings affect the childhood experience
Eight in 10 parents said the ongoing threat of school violence has affected the childhood
experience in America today, according to polling released March 10 by Sandy Hook Promise, a
nonprofit that works to prevent gun violence. Among children ages 5-11, some 25 percent have
expressed fear about school safety, and the share rises to 29 percent for 12- to 17-year-olds,
parents reported. In releasing the survey data, the group said tips to the National Crisis Center of
the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System had helped prevent two school shootings in
Florida and Indiana earlier this year.
Almost half of parents polled said they think about the possibility of a shooting or safety
threat at their child’s school on a monthly basis. Nearly 40 percent of parents said they have
those fears even more frequently — on a weekly or daily basis. The polling also found that four
in 10 parents said they feel “uncertain, frustrated or hopeless” about preventing violence in
schools — highlighting widespread concerns about current safety measures in K-12, according to
Sandy Hook Promise. About 1,000 parents of children 17 years and younger participated in the
online survey Feb. 4-9. “Parents in the U.S. are reporting increased levels of anxiety and fear
about the potential for violence happening in their children’s school,” said Mark Barden,
co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, in a March 10 statement. “Solutions exist, we
just need more people to know how to proactively prevent a devastating tragedy.”
NPR: US Education Department says it is cutting nearly half of all staff
The Trump Administration is working toward its promise of eliminating the U.S. Department
of Education. On March 11, the department released a statement saying it would cut nearly 50
percent of the department's workforce. Impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave
beginning March 21, according to the announcement. The statement confirms "all divisions"
within the agency will be hit by cuts, but also says it will continue to deliver programs protected
by law, "including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs
students, and competitive grantmaking." "Today's reduction in force reflects the Department of
Education's commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed
where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda
McMahon said in the statement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) informed recipient agencies on Friday, March 7,
2025, that it has cancelled the $660 million Local Food for Schools program for 2025. California
was on target to receive over $71 million in funds for school meals in 2025, according to the
USDA website.
Santa Clara County Updates
County of Santa Clara Board President Otto Lee will deliver the State Of The County 2025
Address on Friday, March 14 at Board Chambers, County Government Center, 70 West Hedding
Street, San José, CA 95110. Event registration will open at 5:30 PM, with the program to start
shortly thereafter.
You can join us for this special event. The address will be livestreamed online, and childcare will
be available. Please RSVP online - Click HERE for more information. Thank you!
● Submit District 2 Budget Inventory Item Requests for Fiscal 2025-2026
● Ballots Have Been Mailed For Special Election in San Jose
● Contact County Roads Department About Road Hazards
● 2025 July 4th Fireworks Grant Applications Now Being Accepted
● Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren Holding Tele-Town Hall March 16
● March Wildflower Event at Hellyer County Park
City of San Jose Updates
Office of Mayor Matt Mahan
200 E. Santa Clara St. San José, CA 95113
mayor@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 535-4800
During the Mayor’s first two years in office, we got back to basics. We’ve gone from over 40
Council-adopted priorities to 4. We’ve established dashboards to track our progress across these
4 priorities so we know what’s working and what’s not.
Now, if the Council approves my March Budget Message, it’ll be on the ballot for voters to
decide in 2026: should our city leadership — from the Council to Department heads — get
automatic raises without results? Or should we tie our pay to progress? Should we use our
dashboards to not just measure success, but mandate it? If you believe we should, come speak in
support of my March Budget Message, which centers on accountability.
In this year’s March Budget, Mayor Matt Mahan’s office is proposing that after 3 offers of
shelter, we hold people accountable for turning their lives around. After the first two refusals, we
will give people written warnings. After a third refusal, we will charge them for trespassing with
a goal of getting them into one of the County’s behavioral health courts. Because we all have a
responsibility to end this crisis – the government has a responsibility to build shelter, and our
homeless neighbors have a responsibility for using it. Read more about my proposal here.
Especially when over 200 people die on the streets each year. Especially when it’s harming the
broader community — shuttering small businesses and costing taxpayers tens of millions each
year. Especially when we’re offering a safe, private, dignified alternative. If you agree, sign up
here to speak in support of holding people accountable for coming indoors on March 18.
You can see how we’re increasing focus, transparency and accountability at City Hall by taking a
look at the beta version of our Focus Area Dashboards. You’ll see that we’re now focusing on
fewer goals, setting clear metrics for performance, and beginning to move the needle in some
areas. Now we need to accelerate our work and ensure that each new dollar we deploy has more
impact than the last.
In this year’s budget message, I’ll be asking my colleagues on the City Council and the
administration to use our limited funds to make life better and safer for everyone by banning
open flames in encampments, figuring out how to better enforce our 72-hour parking rule, and
fully implementing the policies we’ve outlined over the past few years to make a visible
difference in our communities.
Best regards,
Mary Hiền Pollett
Board President, Evergreen School District
Chief Business Official, Millbrae Elementary School District
Former Principal, Yerba Buena High School