that, as of winter 2009, are unresolved. As of spring 2007, DVHS has a partnership with Sacramento City College's extension program to offer community college courses for free to DVHS students. Funding and partnerships The school is funded in part by a grant to the New Tech Foundation from the Gates Foundation. Bill Gates was interested in the program because he wanted a larger pool of technologically literate workers that required less training after employment. The New Tech Foundation runs schools around the country with a similar focus on problem-based learning. Budget and layoff challenges During both 2008 and 2009, massive budget cuts to the Davis Joint Unified School District put many of the da Vinci teachers jobs in jeopardy. However, due in part to fundraising from the Davis community, no da Vinci teachers were let go from the district. In an attempt to save their teachers, the da Vinci students went before the Davis school board to protest that their teachers (many of whom have special training), were being laid off before other, less-skilled teachers. This student effort received attention from many regional media outlets such as KGO, KALW, KXJZ, and the Local News10 Television Channel. Major Events On October 4, 2018, a sophomore student gave out cookies at both Davinci and the nearby Davis Senior High School (California). Students described the cookies as having a grainy texture, similar to sand. It turned out the student baked her grandfather's ashes into the cookies and distributed the cookies to her classmates. Nobody was ill as a result of the cookies, though several students who ate some of the cookies were horrified. In the end, the girl received no legal punishment, and ended up getting expelled from the school, to go attend one of the other high schools in Davis. See also New Technology High School Reference External links The Da Vinci Website Davis Joint Unified School District New Tech Foundation Website DaVinci High School on the Davis Wiki The DVHS Newspaper Buildings and structures in Davis, California High schools in Yolo County, California Public high schools in California