Summer is coming to an end as districts welcome back students
Back to school season has officially arrived with many districts welcoming back students this week.
On the Peninsula, Pacific Grove Unified School District will be the first to start the 2025-26 school year on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District will open its doors for students, followed by Carmel Unified on Thursday. Stevenson School boarding and day students will be back in classrooms for their fall term on Aug. 27.
“I’m so excited to be having our students back,” said Pacific Grove Unified Superintendent Linda Adamson. “…Everyone is so eager and ready to continue building our ‘Culture of We,’ and implementing our three core values of belonging, safety and prosperity. We’re excited about the results that we saw from that last year … We’re going to do amazing things this coming year, building on what we’ve already done.”
While the idea of the Culture of We remains the same, campuses will look a little different this year for Pacific Grove Unified, as the district’s Board of Education voted not to renew its contract with the Pacific Grove Police Department for a dedicated School Resource Officer during its June 5 meeting.
After a long discussion, the board ultimately decided not to renew the approximately $90,000 contract which previously had one officer traveling between sites. The board voiced concerns over having an armed officer on campuses, lack of data on the effectiveness of a School Resource Officer as well as an overall feeling that the officer’s educational and support duties could be better carried out through a different position.
The resounding belief was that the program should be halted for now, while the district figures out what a replacement program may look like. The money that was used to fund the position will be reinvested into safety measures based on site-level input as well as recommendations from the district’s safety committee, according to Adamson.
Pacific Grove Police Department Chief Casey Day will now serve as the district liaison. Day will participate in regular site visits, school events, staff training, collaboration on traffic safety efforts and district safety planning.
“I think that’s an imperative piece, that we need to be building that trust and collaborating with the police department … getting to know so many of our students and staff and continuing to really have more of a presence within the community, I think that’s how we’re going to build that trust,” said Adamson.
Back to school season will also begin in the Salinas Valley on Tuesday, with the Salinas Union High School District and Alisal Union School District both re-opening their campuses. Salinas City Elementary School District returns on Thursday. The North Monterey County Unified School District will welcome back students on Aug. 13.
Alisal Union’s guiding theme for the school year is “Cultivating Our Future: Rooted in Community, Growing Together.”
“Our district is profoundly ‘Rooted in Community,’” wrote Alisal Union’s new Superintendent, Monica Anzo, in a letter to parents. “This means that the strength of our schools comes directly from the vibrant connections, shared values and unwavering support of families like yours.”
On Monday, Monterey Peninsula Unified hosted its annual Back to School Kick Off with nearly 1,500 teachers and staff members coming together to celebrate the start of the new school year.
“We’re thrilled to welcome students back this Wednesday to begin another incredible year of learning and growth,” said Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh in a prepared statement. “This year’s theme, ‘Honoring the Past. Shaping the Future,’ reminds us of how far we’ve come and the limitless potential ahead. I’m more energized than ever to continue this important work alongside our dedicated staff and amazing students as we pursue our bold vision of becoming one of the finest public school systems in the country.”
The 2025-26 theme will highlight the past decade of transformation within the district while looking ahead to what more can be accomplished.
This summer, many Monterey Peninsula Unified educators have undergone professional development and learning opportunities to help guide their instruction. As Measure I, a $213 million bond approved in 2018, wraps up and Measure A, a $340 million facilities bond approved last year, school facilities improvements have also continued over the summer break. Notably, classroom modernizations and campus-specific facility and athletic improvements have been implemented over the past few months.
