Hollister School District wins awards at regional event

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At its May 28 meeting, Hollister School District Board of Trustees celebrated staff and district awards received at the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 10 Spring Fling ceremony. The San Benito Arts Council also received an award that night, and presented its annual report to the district, ending with student awards and an art showcase of work from students and schools in the district. 

While trustees expressed joy in the unity and achievements of the district, Hollister school teachers expressed frustration over negotiations with the district regarding kindergarten and first grade classroom sizes. 

ACSA Region 10 represents the San Benito, Salinas Valley, Monterey, and Santa Cruz charter schools. At their awards banquet, Hollister School District won in eight of 21 categories. 

Hollister School District Superintendent Erika Sanchez won the award for administrator of the year. Jeanine Ostoja, principal at Ladd Lane Elementary School, won elementary principal of the Year, while Jeff Aguirre, assistant principal at Ladd Lane, won elementary co-administrator of the year. Other winners in the district include Jennifer Miller, Linda Villalon, and Branden Johnson.

“This team is a magnificent team,” Sanchez said, “I am proud of every single one that was recognized, and I know that there are many more that grind everyday and work their hearts out for our students.” 

Students present the school crest. Photo by Jenna Mayzouni.

The San Benito Arts Council won a Partners in the Education of the Year Award at the ceremony. 

Executive Director Jennifer Laine and Director of Arts Education Amanda Chiado from the San Benito Arts Council presented their annual report on the arts and education program. Laine noted that the council believes “every single student, independent of grade level, neighborhood, [or] parent background, has the right to an art education.” She said that studying the arts “has a host of benefits,” including academic achievement, health and well-being, plus social and emotional learning.

Students and teaching artists also presented student-designed school crests to the district. 

While the district and trustees celebrated their achievements, the public comment period included complaints that classroom sizes remain a tense negotiation point between the district and the Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association (HESTA). 

Four HESTA members spoke about classroom sizes for kindergartners in the district. HESTA members had voiced similar frustrations at the April 23 board meeting.  

Teacher addresses the board to voice concern about classroom sizes. Photo by Jenna Mayzouni.

Darci Cristobal, a first grade teacher at R.O. Hardin Elementary School, lamented at the May 28 meeting that “negotiations about class size are at a standstill. But they are at a standstill because there’s no conversation, no compromise, no negotiation. There is a proposal and a flat ‘no.’  If we truly are working towards the same goal, just as my students are in my classroom, then let’s have a conversation.” 

HESTA President Ethan Cristobal, concurred, adding that the union “has dreams of reducing class sizes across the board.”

The next Hollister School District Board of Trustees meeting is June 25, 2024.

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