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Friday, June 22, 2012

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Education Headlines

Friday, June 22, 2012

Rowland superintendent leaves legacy at district; Ott takes job at USC

Maria Ott's 41-year career as an educator has taken her from the classroom to the chief administrator's office. And it is the former that she says has shaped her.

Inspire charter school to get more space on Chico High campus

Inspire School of Arts and Sciences won't be getting a new home this year, but it will be getting more space, based on a decision made Wednesday.

Class sizes are likely to increase

Sonora Elementary School District’s Board of Trustees discussed a dour financial forecast at Wednesday’s meeting, confronting the possibility that the district will need to increase class size in coming years to survive.

Student faces charges for spitting from bus

A Chula Vista middle school student whose spit sailed out a school bus window and into a nearby sunroof says the landing was inadvertent. The recipient of the saliva was so incensed by the act that he chased down the bus and pressed criminal charges.

Examining San Diego Unified's tentative jobs pact

It’s being hailed as a sign of new collaboration between labor and management in the San Diego Unified School District: a plan to save nearly 1,500 teaching jobs and keep class sizes from ballooning next year.

Some school districts try to fill growing summer nutrition gap

When districts throughout California cut back or eliminated summer school in 2009 because of state budget cutbacks, many children no longer could rely on a healthy lunch when school was not in session. But some districts like Riverside have found ways to offer meals, even if they no longer provide summer school.

Census Bureau says California school spending 35th in US

Just as two rival tax measures, both purporting to help struggling schools, qualified for the state's November ballot, the Census Bureau today released its annual report on school finance, revealing that California ranks 35th in per-pupil spending, more than $1,200 per year under the national average. Furthermore, the Census Bureau report said, California ranks even lower - 42nd - in school spending vis-à-vis personal income.

Budget deal would reinstate $50 million for charter school growth

Less than a week after going public with the fact that $50 million in extra funding had been stripped from their budget by the Democratic majority of the Legislature, charter school advocates were pleased to learn Thursday that the money had been restored in a deal worked out between lawmakers and the governor.

Baron: Some cuts, some cash in budget deal

Legislative leaders protected most student financial aid in the Cal Grants program and preserved status quo funding for charter schools in the budget deal announced yesterday between Democrats and Gov. Jerry Brown.

Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic leaders agree on welfare changes in California budget

Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers announced a budget deal Thursday that imposes harsher consequences on welfare parents who cannot find work after two years and moves 880,000 low-income children into a cheaper state health care program.
Thursday, June 21, 2012

Desert Sands Unified School District Superintendent plans to retire

Desert Sands Unified School District Superintendent Sharon McGehee will retire next year. McGehee will leave the district Jan. 31, she said Tuesday during the district's Board of Education meeting.

Fresno Unified approves hiring of consultants to track absenteeism

Fresno Unified trustees on Wednesday approved a contract with a Northern California consulting firm to track student absences and analyze chronic absenteeism.

Chico school board to discuss budgt; additional facilities for Inspire tonight

Tonight, the Chico Unified School District board will be asked to approve a nearly $100 million budget for the coming year, and to approve an effort to provide Inspire School of Arts and Sciences with a nicer temporary home.

LAUSD administrators union OK's tentative 10-day furlough deal

The union representing Los Angeles Unified's principals and other non-school administrators became the latest to reach a tentative agreement to take up to 10 unpaid days as a way to save jobs, officials announced today.