Monterey County Office of Education

MCOE was proud to host Governor Newsom for this historic announcement at Elkhorn Elementary School in the North Monterey County Unified School District.

San Benancio Middle School students Grant Rosenberg, Ben Dickson, and Nate Crandall were first in line to get their shots at Natividad’s free COVID-19 vaccine clinic today! Appointments online at mcvaccinate.com or walk-in until 3.

The Monterey County Office of Education and the North Monterey County Unified School District welcomed Governor Gavin Newsom, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, State Board of Education President Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond and Health and Secretary of Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly to Elkhorn Elementary School today for a historic announcement. The Governor outlined his California Comeback Plan today which proposes the highest level of state school funding in California history.... It includes $15 billion for targeted investments to reimagine our public schools, $2 billion for savings accounts for 3.7 million kids and $2.7 billion for universal pre-k. To learn more about this proposal, please visit https://www.gov.ca.gov//california-roars-back-governor-ne/. See more

MCOE Regular Board Meeting of May 12, 2021.

MCOE Board Policy Meeting of May 12. 2021.

MCOE has had the pleasure of surprising nine outstanding Classified school employees across the county as this year's Classified School Employees of the Year. They now head to the California competition where we know they will represent Monterey County with flying colors. The California Department of Education's Classified School Employees of the Year Program highlights contributions of classified school employees who support the education of California’s more than six millio...n public school students from preschool through grade twelve. The Program pays tribute to the tireless efforts of our states outstanding classified school employees. Kudos to each of our 2021 Classified School Employees of the Year, shared here in alphabetical order: * Aidee Aldaco, District Intervention Program Coordinator, Health & Student Services Category, Soledad Unified School District * Adrian Bravo, Para-Educator II, Paraprofessional Services Category, Salinas Union High School District * Ernie Camacho, Lead Maintenance Worker, Skilled Trades Services Category, Alisal Union School District * Adriana Espinoza, Campus Security Officer, Security Services Category, Salinas Union High School District * Armando Lara, Gardener, Custodial & Maintenance Services Category, Greenfield Union School District * Bereniz Lopez, Clerk I, Clerical & Administrative Services Category, Greenfield Union School District * Allen Lute, Bus Driver, Transportation Services Category, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District * Ugendra Raj, Network Systems Engineer, Technical Services Category, Monterey County Office of Education * Luvilily Ramos, Head Cook, Food & Nutrition Services Category, Soledad Unified School District Congratulations to each of our winners!

Monterey County’s Adjusted Case Rate has fallen below 25/100,000 today (24.0 adjusted case rate announced today, February 16, 2021), meeting the metric assigned by the updated COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year to allow K-6 schools to re-open to in-person instruction. Schools in Monterey County can now finalize plans to re-open to in-person instruction for K-6 after posting on t...Continue reading

MCOE wishes everyone a healthy, safe and happy Presidents Day! Our employees will be on holiday Monday, February 15th. All offices will be once again available to the public via phone or email on Tuesday, February 16th.

February 10, 2021

Join Dr. Guss as she speaks with Supervisor Root Askew on school reopening guidance.

The healthiest of holidays is staying home with your loved ones! montereycountycovid19.com Lo mas saludable en estas fiestas es quedarse en casa con sus seres queridos! montereycountycovid19.com

A message from our County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Deneen Guss: 2020 was a challenging year for our residents and our communities. The COVID-19 pandemic displaced students, exhausted resources and tested us like never before. While we have much hope for a better year in 2021, it will have its challenges, but the innovative spirit of our educational community is strong, and our students are resilient. Monterey County is diverse and the needs of every community vary, but ...we share the common goal of keeping our students and families healthy and safe. I would like to commend the tireless work of educational leaders, teachers and support staff throughout Monterey County. The care and compassion for students and their families shown this last year is evidence that improving outcomes for our children is the reason we all put extraordinary time and effort into this work. I am also proud to join the more than 1,000 local educational agencies in the state in recognizing the contributions of school board members this month, as we celebrate January as School Board Recognition Month. Though board members are not the ones directly serving students, board members work tirelessly to help their districts and schools ensuring that students continue to learn in spite of these uncertain times. School board members are our elected representatives and a vital link between the school/district and the communities they serve. The board sets the foundation and vision for the district/school, directs resources where they are most needed, ensures a fiscally sound budget, and provides accountability to the community by monitoring progress toward goals, all with a strong focus on supporting and elevating student achievement. During this challenging year, school board members have worked to bring instruction online, close the digital divide, provide meals to more than 55,000 children daily, direct resources to students most in need, and provide social-emotional support to students and families. These efforts, alongside those of our educators, food service, custodial and all other staff, have helped to ensure the children in our community are not left behind during this pandemic. It is times like this that remind us that schools are so much more than a place to receive an academic education. School board members keep equity at the forefront and put the needs of students first. They govern with compassion, fiscal responsibility, respect, transparency, and integrity. I hope you will join me in saluting Monterey County’s hard-working school board members during School Board Recognition Month for their support of our students through effective policies and for their continuing advocacy for our children.

A unified message to encourage you to celebrate a safe and healthy holiday! #AUSD #SUHSD #SCESD #SRUSD #MCOE

Sixth District PTA is hosting a free parent education speaker series about Parenting in a Pandemic. These events are open to anyone, not just PTA members. To learn more and register, visit https://capta6.org/parenting-in-a-pandemic/

We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! Our offices are open via phone and email until Friday, December 25th and we'll be back on Monday, January 4th.

The Monterey County Office of Education’s Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Team is pleased to announce the recipient of a new math teacher award from Mr. Robert Balles: the 2020 Robert Balles Monterey County Math Teacher of Excellence Award. MCOE is honored to share that this year's recipient of the Robert Balles Monterey County Math Teacher of Excellence Award is Parker Stone from Seaside High School in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School Distri...ct (MPUSD). Parker was surprised on the morning of Thursday, December 17th by MCOE and MPUSD staff members via a virtual surprise presentation. Parker is a leader in the classroom and in fostering staff learning and continues to push re-thinking systems towards greater equity. Parker was nominated by a site administrator for his dedication and hard work, and specifically for his focus on student voice, fostering student collaboration, and embodying student-centered teaching and learning. During the transition to distance learning, he shifted a focus onto standards, deciding to only factor in assignments focused on content mastery into grading. He has been instrumental in pushing the department to examine and re-think systems and policies. We are grateful for everything Parker does to best serve all students. Mathematics can often be a struggle for so many students; which is why it is so important to ensure all students are engaged and invested in the learning process understanding mathematics’ importance in our everyday lives. We are proud of Parker Stone for the work he has done to re-think and re-focus student learning in a virtual environment, said Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools. Seaside High School and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District are extremely proud of Parker. The work he does day in and day out for our students is incredible and is making a real difference in building their mathematical skills, said PK Diffenbaugh, Superintendent, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. This award of $1,500 was created by Robert Balles to honor a secondary mathematics teacher in Monterey County. Robert Balles, a native of New York City, earned degrees from Fordham University and Harvard University. He is a retired Community College Mathematics Professor and Retired Businessman. His mission is to recognize and reward high-achieving students of Mathematics and the teachers that support them on their academic journeys. Teachers were nominated by a colleague or administrator for the award. Nominees are full time, high school (grades 9-12) math only teachers employed in a Monterey County high school.

Kudos once again to our own Joel!

Monterey County Superintendent Dr. Guss, former County Superintendent Dr. Nancy Kotowski and others from MCOE current and past joined together together together to celebrate former County Board Member Ruth Andresen turning 100 years old! Ruth served for 43 years on the Monterey County Board of Education (the Ruth Andresen Elementary School in Salinas is named for her), was one of the first members of the California Coastal Commission, a board member of the Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, and a director of the Lyceum of Monterey County. She is also involved with the Historic Resources Board for the city of Salinas, the board of the Historic Harvey House Museum, and the planning committee for Founders Day. Happy 100th Ruth!