Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, July 10, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:
Chinatown San Francisco

Education Headlines

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Fruitvale sues over defective gym construction

Fruitvale School District has filed a lawsuit claiming that construction companies were negligent in building and installing a gymnasium floor at its junior high school, court filings show.

Schools facing tighter budgets

Sonora High School, Summerville High School and Calaveras Unified School District have all approved budgets for the next fiscal year that anticipate steep drops in revenue, setting the stage for more possible cuts to programs.

Los Angeles, Long Beach districts scale back summer school due to cuts

A line of students snaked out the door of the Canoga Park High attendance office Monday morning, with scores of teens hoping to get a seat in Los Angeles Unified's smallest-ever summer school program.

Galt high school district finally closes books on years-long project

Trustees for the Galt Joint Union High School District have closed the financial books on a years-long project, but not before shelling out an additional $168,612 for construction work already performed.

Group contests raises to Central Unified's top employees

Central Unified teachers, parents and faculty say they are not giving up in their fight to overturn a contract approved last month that gives pay raises to the district's top employees. The contract will give five administrators annual merit-based raises each year if they get a satisfactory performance review.

School closures loom in San Diego

The merry-go-round of dire and familiar budget cuts continues at the San Diego Unified School District. The school board is once again laying the groundwork to shutter campuses to cope with the state's relentless fiscal crisis.

Summer squeeze: LAUSD offers limited summer school classes

With a bare-bones budget of $1 million, the district's Beyond the Bell branch is offering summer school at only 16 of its high schools. Classes are limited to core subjects and enrollment to failing students - seniors get priority - who need to make up credits to graduate.

Caltrans awards $48.5 million for Safe Routes to Schools improvements

Caltrans has awarded $48.5 million through its Safe Routes to Schools program to help fund construction of sidewalks, bike paths and other improvements near campuses throughout the state.

First LEA waivers looking for relief from pre-K program

As school officials statewide begin preparing transitional kindergarten programs to be offered this fall, nine districts are calling on the California State Board of Education to give them a reprieve from the mandate because of fiscal restraints.

Baron: Schools short of API targets prepare to lose millions in aid

Although the State Department of Education hasn’t yet released the final list of schools that will be asked to exit the program, about 30 percent of last year’s 474 QEIA schools fell short in at least one required area. Of those, the schools that missed their Academic Performance Index targets are most likely to be dropped. So far, 39 have asked the State Board of Education for waivers from their API growth targets and all but one were denied. (More on that in a minute.)
Monday, July 9, 2012

Alhambra Unified turns over files detailing teacher misconduct

More than three months after a public records act request was submitted by this newspaper, the Alhambra Unified School District released the names of two former teachers who resigned following district investigations into misconduct.

School district violated discrimination law

The Temecula school district discriminated against special education students at Vail Ranch Middle School by denying them instruction in social studies and science, according to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Judge: Tustin district did not illegally move students

A Riverside Superior Court judge ruled the Tustin Unified School District followed state law when it approved construction projects at four schools and transferred students to a vacant elementary school while work is being done.

Schools aren't keeping up with anti-bullying law, grand jury says

Not all Orange County schools have posted anti-discrimination and anti-bullying policies in public places as required by law, an oversight that should be immediately corrected as educators work to curb verbal and physical harassment among students, an Orange County grand jury panel has found.