San Juan School

I must agree with the last poster. My grandson has also been harrassed the entire first year by two bullies and these bullies are still running free. My grandson can count to 20 in Spanish but only to10 in English. There are a few really great teachers there and hopefully the new principal this year will be able to fix the disaster that the last principal left the school in. The school also has no desire to find and help children with disabilities. For some reason, children are not even tested until1st or 2nd grade. Which means no work will be started with them till 3rd or 4th grade. This school is near the bottom of the list for ratings for all of the schools in California.
--Submitted by a parent

My grandson has been at San Juan School for a year. John isn't comfortable there, he hasn't made friends, he is made fun of. He obviously feels disenfranchised. John talks about the gang influence already rearing its ugly head. What is being done to educate the students regarding gangs and challenging the them to be the best they can be.

This school used to be wonderful, teachers, administration, and aides WOULD work together. Know there are only a handful of teachers who actually care about the students and do their best. The school has low performance test scores and dinosaur teachers who are to set in their ways and hate change. They hold racial biases and should retire or find a new line of work. There is a lack of dicipline in the school, who's incidents reports are double that of the high school. There are many new chages being implemented, but good quality teachers and aides, and a structured dicpline method is what is really needed in the school. I am hoping the state takes over in order to return the school to how it was before, a school for the students.
--Submitted by a parent

I'd love to give our school 5 starts but we are not there yet. At the beginning of the 2009-2010 year we got a new principal and a new superintendent. We also were able to win a grant to a technology, teachers, and learning programs (just to mention a few). We now have new teachers, a wonderful resource teacher, several new instructors for various specialized programs, and better technology in the school. The changes I have seen in the school in the last 1.5 years compared to the 5 years before that are amazing. We have caring teachers, a great support staff, and administration to get our kids back on track. The kids are excited and I am too. We even have a website now so the parents can find out what is going on. This school is really going places.
--Submitted by a parent

I have found the teachers at San Juan School to be very caring and supportive of all the staff and students. They seem very dedicated to make sure that all students are meeting their potential and have a love of learning. The principal has a huge job and seems to be putting in 110% of herself to make sure things are done right. Is it the best school in the world? Of course not, but I wouldn't put my kids anywhere else. I'm teaching my kids to believe in supporting your local school, community, and neighborhood. This is the best option for us.
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent that is very involved with my child's education and San Benito County I am very dissatisfied with the school. The Principal is a poor leader, the teachers are rarley available to discuss issues my child faces, and the school overall lacks discipline. I am a parent of a child with special needs. And my child is entitled to a free quality education and has yet to receive one. Teachers must be adaptable, structured, and responsive to students. Unfortunately the teachers at San Juan School have not meet these minimal standards.
--Submitted by a parent

As a former student and parent of a student I feel there has been a lot of change for the better since a new pricipal was hired. Overall I am happy with the improvements made so far
--Submitted by a parent

San Juan Bautista is a wonderful small town. The school is great and I love the teachers. There is a real sense of community.
--Submitted by a teacher

Wonderful school, beautiful campus and scenery and very quiet!
--Submitted by a parent

My wife and I both attended San Juan School and all of our children have or are attending San Juan School. As some have noted Tenure has done its damage with some teachers. There are some great teachers too, the Sixth Grade teachers are superb and when they retire the 6-8 grades will be worth less. There are some great teachers, unfortunately the District as a whole is poor and they put on a good facade without any quality to ack it up. There is a new principal this year who appears to be trying, though the school still alcks discipline.
--Submitted by a parent