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Pajaro Valley Unified votes to close Pacific Coast Charter School, transition services into district independent‑study program
Summary
Trustees approved a recommendation to discontinue Pacific Coast Charter School (PCCS) on June 30, 2025, and to create a PBUSD independent‑study program to retain in‑person options and staff. PCCS teachers and the governing council supported a transition process but urged clearer administrative support and an on‑site administrator during transition.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted Wednesday to discontinue ongoing operations of Pacific Coast Charter School (PCCS) on June 30, 2025, and to transition its services into a district independent‑study program, staff told the board.
District staff described PCCS as experiencing declining enrollment, resource constraints and accountability concerns that make renewal at this time unfeasible. "If we were to look at the renewal now, it would not go through," an interim district presenter said while outlining options under the Education Code. The presentation stressed that PCCS students and staff would be guaranteed placement and that in‑person instruction options would continue as the district builds the new program.
PCCS teachers and governing‑council members said they accept change but asked the board to address systemic problems that contributed to PCCS’s decline, such as frequent interim principals and insufficient administrative follow‑through. "We were not informed as a staff that there were any problems regarding our charter renewal status until last spring," one teacher said, citing repeated leadership turnover. The PCCS governing council voted to support the transition plan and said staff should participate in planning.
Trustees and staff framed the action as an opportunity to preserve the program’s strengths while addressing state compliance requirements. The board’s motion to close PCCS and convert it to a district independent‑study program passed with a recorded vote in the meeting record.
Next steps include forming a task force, meeting with staff and families to develop the program model and returning to the board with a formal action item and operational details. District staff said in‑person offerings (art, birdwatching, small group classes) and teacher employment would be honored during the transition and that the new program would aim to integrate successful elements of PCCS and Virtual Academy into a sustainable district model.
