News

After about eight months of contract negotiations, local school district and teachers union bargaining teams have failed to reach an agreement on a pay raise for its certificated workforce—and the waters are getting choppier by the day.

Morgan Hill Unified School District incumbent candidates Rick Badillo and Tom Arnett received endorsements in the November 2016 election from the California Charter School Association Advocates, which announced its support to those running for offices in various races throughout the state.

Thanks to cost savings reported on previous school bond projects throughout the district, one of Morgan Hill Unified School District’s elementary sites is getting a bigger modernization boost than originally expected.

School board trustees will consider the costs associated with different options for having their meetings recorded and available to the public for viewing, according to the Oct. 18 board of education agenda.

Update: The decision on the allocation of funds has been moved to the November 1 school board meeting as (district officials) need additional time to gather information to respond to questions presented at the Oct. 11 study session, according to district staff.

As the only school board candidate in her trustee area for the November election, San Martin resident Teresa Murillo has already locked up a seat on Morgan Hill Unified School District’s governing body for the next four years.

Morgan Hill Unified School District and the American Association of University Women encourage local families to participate in a free screening of the documentary “Screenagers,” which will be held 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Ann Sobrato High School (401 Burnett Avenue).

One school board candidate has raised about $19,000 more than his only challenger in the Nov. 8 election, with most of the funds coming from an organization based more than 2,400 miles away. Another school board hopeful owes nearly $8,000 in unpaid bills to a Gilroy-based campaign consulting firm in a race in which she is running unopposed.

A forum on the Borello Elementary School property, a presentation by City of Morgan Hill staff on its Below Market Rate Housing Program, a Measure G quarterly report and Charter School of Morgan Hill’s annual update are all on the Oct. 4 docket for Morgan Hill Unified School District’s board of education meeting.

Hearing for 2015 murder suspects delayed againThe preliminary hearing for two young men accused of murdering Morgan Hill resident Cody Flores in 2015 was delayed yet again, according to authorities.Suspects Chase Benoit, 22, and Spencer Smith, 22—both of Morgan Hill—were scheduled to appear in court at the Hall of Justice in San Jose Sept. 19. However, the preliminary hearing—where the judge will determine if there is enough evidence against the suspects to go to trial—was continued to Oct. 3, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Pandori.Smith and Benoit are accused of stabbing Flores to death in a field in east Morgan Hill May 31, 2015, according to authorities. Both suspects were arrested shortly after Flores’ death, and have remained in custody on a murder charge since then.The stabbing happened near the intersection of Diana Avenue and Ringle Drive, according to police.The suspects pleaded not guilty at a previous hearing.The D.A.’s office and Sheriff’s investigators have revealed few details about the late-night stabbing incident and the suspects’ possible motive. The court file on the case, which is held at the clerk’s office in San Jose, does not contain police reports or other narrative of the incident.Pandori expects the Oct. 3 preliminary hearing to conclude as scheduled.Driver accidentally collides with post officeNobody was injured when an elderly woman accidentally drove her car into the front window of the Morgan Hill Post Office Sept. 23, according to police.The vehicle, a four-door sedan, was parked in a designated spot just in front of the front doors of the post office, located at 16600 Monterey Road, when the woman accidentally drove into the glass panels, MHPD Cpl. Scott Martin said. The vehicle was not moving at a high rate of speed at the time of the impact, which resulted in a shattered glass window panel and damage to a planter outside the post office.No injuries were reported, and there is no suspicion that drugs or alcohol were involved, Martin said.Woman, 30, arrested on suspicion of domestic violencePolice arrested a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of domestic violence after someone reported a couple fighting at the Morgan Hill Community Park Sept. 23, police said.Morgan Hill police officers responded to a call about 2 p.m. reporting a man and woman were involved in a scuffle at the public park on West Edmundson Avenue, MHPD Cpl. Scott Martin said. When officers arrived they located the couple in the parking lot next to the Community Park tennis courts.The male victim suffered non-life threatening injuries during the fight, and declined medical treatment, Martin said.The female suspect was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence, police said.