Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth has been presented the 2016 Pinnacle Award from the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO). The Pinnacle Award is CASBO’s highest honor and recognizes Mr. Mantooth’s many years of service and dedication to education. As part of this recognition, Mr. Mantooth receives honorary lifetime CASBO membership benefits.CASBO Executive Director Molly McGee Hewitt said, “Stan Mantooth was one of CASBO’s firs...

Cathy Osgood, a 19-year veteran of special education in Ventura County, has been named the Ventura County Office of Education District Teacher of the Year for 2016. Osgood is a special education teacher at Phoenix School in Moorpark and is now eligible to compete for Ventura County Teacher of the Year. In his nomination letter, Phoenix School Principal Mark Contreras explains why Osgood deserves high praise for her many years of work on behalf of our community's most vulnerable kid...

Twenty-three Ventura County elementary schools have been honored as 2016 Gold Ribbon Schools by the California Department of Education. The Gold Ribbon Awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.The Califor...

A new report from iKeepSafe finds VCOE has distinguished itself as an internet safety trendsetter in the education space. Through effective programs and initiatives, collaboration with iKeepSafe and other experts in the field of online safety, and the skilled leadership of Stephen Carr, VCOE has guided their county into a positive digital culture.

After an extensive search, the Ventura County Office of Education has named Dr. Antonio Castro as its new Associate Superintendent of Educational Services. Dr. Castro will replace Dr. Valerie Chrisman, who is retiring in June after 14 years of service with VCOE.Dr. Castro is currently the Director of Student Support Services at the Conejo Valley Unified School District in Thousand Oaks. In his new role, he will lead VCOE’s Educational Services Branch, which provides training, curriculum de...

From early education to after school programs, learning opportunities are expanding in Ventura county. In this edition of Focus on Education, we take a look at how early these programs are evolving into key components of a well-rounded education.

The Ventura County Office of Education is now accepting applications for the 2016 Ventura County Teacher of the Year. This program recognizes outstanding Ventura County teachers for the dedication and innovation they bring to their students and highlights the contributions local teachers make in our schools every day.  Candidates must be nominated by a school district, charter school, private school or service club and be at least one of the following:• A fully credentialed pre-kinderg...

Ventura County Office of Education Communications Manager Dave Schermer was honored with two awards from the California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) at its annual seminar on March 3 in North Hollywood. Schermer received Awards of Merit in the categories of Internet/Intranet Website and Newsletter/Newspaper.The website award recognizes Schermer’s work leading a complete redesign and redevelopment of VCOE’s public website at www.vcoe.org. The redesigned website replace...

The Ventura County Office of Education has received a $5.7 million Career Technical Education Incentive Grant from the California Department of Education (CDE). VCOE is one of 265 applicants receiving a total of $245 million to integrate academics with career training, connect employers with schools and prepare students for jobs in high-demand fields, including robotics, information technology, health care, teaching and emergency services.VCOE leads a consortium of local school districts that of...

The Ocean View School District was honored as a Health Champion by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting today in Ventura. The Oxnard-based district was recognized for its Healthy Habits initiative, which encourages employees to have an annual preventative visit with their health care provider. The campaign, which offered gift cards to employees who receive an annual preventive visit, had a dramatic impact. Prior to the Healthy Habits program, only 29 percent of district...