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Growing together on the court Features, Page 1
Volume 143, Number 25 — Locally-owned since 1884
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, July 29, 2026
The hometown paper of Becky Griffey
WHS unveils innovation plan to boost engagement By Logan Chrisp Express staff writer
EXPRESS
The Winters Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees received an innovation plan presentation from Winters High School faculty during its regularly scheduled meeting on May 7, highlighting efforts to strengthen critical thinking and performance-based learning opportunities for students during the 2026-27 school year. WHS Principal Justin Young explained that staff developed the plan after reviewing data from the Youth Truth Survey and gathering feedback from the student-led Junior Board, both of which indicated that some students feel less engaged in their learning experience. According to Youth Truth Survey data collected from WHS students in December 2025, 50 percent of students reported feeling engaged with their school and education. In addition, 33 percent of students indicated they feel equipped to pursue college and careers beyond high school. “The key insight is that traditional measures, such as dashboard outcomes, do not always translate into consistent student experiences,” Young said. “That’s why this work requires intentional coherence, aligning instruction, grading and our schedule, so that every student has access to meaningful, rigorous
learning.” Junior Board Member Maliya Murphy explained that engagement is most effective when learning is interactive, relevant to real-life situations and encourages collaboration among peers. A key component of that engagement is creating clear, consistent grading structures to reduce student stress and support motivation. “We recognize that changing between AP and lower-level classes is sometimes stressful, so we want to try and offset that to meet students where they are, while also keeping engagement high,” Murphy said. In addition to consistency in grading, workload and pacing, Murphy emphasized the importance of strong relationships and intentional support between teachers and students. “I still want to drive the point home that students are looking for a connection with their teachers,” Murphy said. “This was really heavily emphasized with the survey that we sent out to students. We had a high response rate, and a lot of students put a lot of their effort and time into responding to the survey to give the Junior Board, as well as multiple staff members involved in the process, insight into what they’re looking for as far as engagement.” Education Specialist Thanh Trinh met with staff in listening sessions to gather feedback and better understand staff experiences. Staff identified a need for consistency
See PLAN, Page 5
Courtesy graphic
Winters Police Department’s e-conveyance guide, published in May, helps riders and families understand the differences between e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motos while promoting safer use of electric transportation devices. The Winters Express is sharing the resource alongside its coverage of proposed e-conveyance regulations.
Council considers e-conveyance regulations, approves budget By Sonora Slater Express staff writer During the July 21 meeting, Police Chief John P. Miller presented Ordinance 2026-07, which would add Chapter 10.44 to the Winters Municipal Code establishing regulations for e-conveyances, including e-bikes, e-scooters and other electrically powered personal transportation devices. The council voted unanimously to intro-
Staff to return with revised draft By Sonora Slater Express staff writer A proposed outdoor lighting ordinance,
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improve public safety while preserving the lawful use of the devices by addressing concerns including excessive speeds, reckless operation, sidewalk riding and operation in areas used by pedestrians. According to the staff report, the California Vehicle Code regulates many aspects of electric conveyances but does not address all local operational concerns or provide the Winters
which has been under discussion by the Winters City Council and Planning Commission for several months, returned to the council July 7 as members sought to give staff clearer direction on the ordinance’s purpose and scope. The discussion began in December 2025 when Natural Resources Commission Chair Kate Laddish requested during public comment that the council consider a comprehensive outdoor lighting ordinance. The council subsequently directed staff to bring a draft ordinance back for review in April. As staff understood the direction, the ordinance was intended to focus on minimizing light pollution from future projects based on the DarkSky
Model Ordinance, a template created by DarkSky International that can be modified for individual communities. Staff’s direction was to draw on lighting standards already included in the city’s form-based code, along with other existing regulations, while using the DarkSky Model Ordinance as a framework for a comprehensive ordinance. The Natural Resources Commission is an advisory body to the City Council and traditionally does not create legislation. While the council did not specifically direct staff to work with the NRC on the ordinance, staff was directed by the Planning Commission to gather feedback from the commission because of its interest
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Police Department with sufficient authority to regulate their use in certain public locations. Miller told the council that state law has not kept pace with the rapidly changing landscape of electric transportation devices, making local regulations necessary to address emerging safety concerns. Some of the proposed regulations
See CODE, Page 5
Council clarifies direction for outdoor lighting ordinance
Index Features ........................ B-1
duce the ordinance and waive its first reading, allowing it to return for a second reading and possible adoption at a future meeting. The proposed ordinance follows months of public concern about the safe operation of e-conveyances, as well as increased public education efforts by local public safety agencies. According to the staff report, the regulations are intended to
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and expertise on the topic. At the same time, the NRC developed its own draft recommendations, and both versions were presented to the Planning Commission for discussion. But when the draft ordinances were discussed during the Planning Commission’s Feb. 24 and April 28 meetings, it became clear that the scope of the proposal had grown beyond its original intent. The DarkSky Model Ordinance covers more than minimizing light pollution from future projects, offering suggestions for regulating existing lighting of various kinds and resulting in a proposal with a much broader scope and greater complexity than
See CLARITY, Page 5
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