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Take 5 - April 2026
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Take 5! is a monthly spotlight of promising practices happening at county offices of education throughout the state, rotating the five that are featured and the focus areas covered. The map coordinates with the location of the stories featured this month from across our state.
You can view past bright spots by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.
Visions of Transformation: Butte County’s Commitment to the Arts
Butte County is making arts education a central strategy for student engagement and academic development, led by the Butte County Office of Education (BCOE) and Superintendent Mary Sakuma.
The 12th Annual Superintendent's High School Art Show, titled Visions of Transformation, featured 99 student works displayed at Chico State, showcasing the quality of arts instruction across the county.
Proposition 28 funding now brings approximately $4.1 million annually in dedicated arts funding to Butte County schools. Between 2021–22 and 2023–24, the number of full-time equivalent arts teachers nearly doubled, including 14 itinerant VAPA teachers serving elementary schools across multiple districts. Thanks to Prop 28, BCOE's long-term strategy focuses on content, infrastructure, and sustainability — including expanding media arts pathways, launching a countywide student film festival, and partnering with Butte College on programs like music production in Juvenile Hall.
BCOE is positioning the arts not as enrichment, but as a foundational element of student success — available to every student regardless of background or geography.
Sonoma County Literacy Promise Community Event Celebrates Reading and Learning
The Sonoma County Office of Education recently teamed up with Northern California Public Media and more than a dozen community partners to put on The Great Literacy Adventure, a daylong celebration of literacy and learning.
About 350 students and family members came to the free event, which featured PBS Kids characters Buddy the Dinosaur and Carl the Collector, nationally recognized children's book authors, guest readers, and a scavenger hunt filled with activities and tips to promote literacy at home. At the end of the scavenger hunt, children received a free book in English or Spanish, courtesy of Scholastic.
The event was part of the Sonoma County Literacy Promise, an initiative launched by Sonoma County Superintendent Dr. Amie Carter to bring together a coalition of partners to address Sonoma County's literacy outcomes. As part of the promise, the county office has underwritten professional development and follow-up coaching for more than 200 educators, grounding their instruction in the Science of Reading.
Santa Clara's Local Scholarship Program Expands to Address Teacher Shortage
The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is expanding its Classified School Employee Teacher Grant program to 15 California counties to help address the state's teacher shortage in STEM, special education, bilingual education, and transitional kindergarten.
The program provides current and former classified school employees $4,000 per academic year toward earning a bachelor's degree and/or teaching credential, with funds covering tuition, fees, and books. In return, graduates commit to one year of classroom instruction for each year of funding received.
The rationale is straightforward: classified employees already have a demonstrated commitment to students and don't experience the culture shock that newcomers to classrooms might. The program is growing — the first round enrolled over 260 participants, and the second round exceeded 400. $2 million in scholarships is available for the upcoming cycle, with applications opening July 1, 2026.
A Downtown Landmark, Renewed with Purpose in Kern County
The Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) has restored the historic Bell Tower Plaza in downtown Bakersfield — a nearly century-old landmark originally completed in 1932 — and transformed it into a professional learning and events center for educators.
Designed by prominent architect Charles H. Biggar in Romanesque Revival and Mission Revival styles, the building served as First Baptist Church until 1977 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. KCSOS closed escrow in December 2023 after the previous owners approached the organization, knowing it needed additional downtown space.
The two-year renovation, led by Facilities Manager George Carson, modernized mechanical and electrical systems, added flexible learning spaces, upgraded audiovisual technology, and fully renovated a commercial kitchen that will also serve as a teaching kitchen for students in KCSOS's Food and Nutrition Services CTE pathway. A functioning bell was returned to the iconic 74-foot tower, and breakout rooms were named after past Kern County Superintendents of Schools.
An official ribbon-cutting was held on April 9, with Superintendent Dr. John Mendiburu framing the investment as one in educators and, ultimately, students.
Riverside County Student: "I May Have Lost My Sight, But I Have Found My Voice”
Nomi Maqbool, a Vista Murrieta High School senior, was diagnosed before his first birthday with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), a rare retinal disease that progressively leads to blindness. In 2011, his father secured him a spot in a gene therapy clinical trial that helped slow the degeneration of his vision.
With support from the Riverside County Office of Education's special education team — including mobility training, Braille instruction, and assistive technology — Nomi thrived academically, eventually taking all AP classes and was named salutatorian for the Class of 2026. When a community college accommodation office advised him to abandon STEM, he pushed forward, earning an "A" in anatomy lecture and lab.
Nomi has been accepted to UC Berkeley as a biology major and plans to pursue a combined MD/JD program. He already holds three associate degrees at age 18, serves on an advisory board at Vanderbilt University, and contributes to statewide community engagement planning.
"I may have lost my sight, but I have found my voice," Nomi said. "And, when you find your voice, you create the ability to be able to pursue your dreams."
