Schools

Two Morgan Hill Unified School District educators took to the video waves this week, producing a Youtube silent clip that depicted their plights as teachers trying to make due in one of the most expensive parts of the country.The video comes on the heels of the local teachers’ union’s ongoing contract negotiations with district leadership that have stalled to a point where a mediator has been brought in.A married couple and veteran teachers, Britton Middle School’s Tony Goble and Nordstrom Elementary School’s Anna Goble, held up cards telling their story from living with their parents to save money for a home, to using grandparents for free day care that they would otherwise not be able to afford.MHUSD and the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers have a scheduled meeting in January with the mediator to attempt to work out a fair compensation agreement before the current contract expires at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

School district officials declared an impasse in contract negotiations with the teachers union Nov. 10. Representatives for both sides will now sit down with a mediator in the coming weeks in hopes of reaching a new agreement on salaries, leaves and other negotiable articles.

The local school district could become a housing developer in the near future as school board trustees gave them the okay to invest $12,350 in pursuing allotments through the city’s Residential Development Control System.

Trustees Bob Benevento and Rick Badillo sat on the local dais for the last time Nov. 15 as the two board members served out the end of their four-year terms on Morgan Hill Unified School District’s governing body. The terms officially end Nov. 30.

Two classrooms at Nordstrom Elementary School have been temporarily relocated after mold growth was detected in one of the portable structures, according to a letter sent out to families from principal Deborah Grove.

A recent school-wide project at the Charter School of Morgan Hill demonstrated the ingenuity, tenacity and creativity of its students as each grade level amassed as many cans as possible, designed a thematic sculpture out of them and then donated the cans to needy families.

More than 100 students will take part in St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic School’s latest production of “Annie” with performances beginning this weekend.

Kaile Itow, a student in Darren McDonald’s class at El Toro Elementary School, earned third-place honors in the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s video contest that asked participants to tell their story of how they are being civic-minded and getting others involved.

School officials are further pursuing employee housing development options and will discuss their next steps with trustees at the Nov. 15 board of education meeting.

Morgan Hill Unified School District’s board of education will welcome two new faces and one familiar one with first-time challenger Mary Patterson and incumbent Thomas Arnett leading their respective races in the Nov. 8 election.