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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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Parents allege massive enrollment fraud at Carpenter Community Charter in Studio City




Education Headlines

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Contra Costa County superintendent frustrated by snub related to charter report

Tensions between the Contra Costa County Office of Education and the Mt. Diablo school district have intensified after the county superintendent was snubbed when a recent report was created for the district.

Facebook threat at El Camino High taken seriously; youth arrested

The swift arrest Sunday of a local teenager who threatened a campus shooting on Facebook underscored how seriously communities take online comments in the wake of violent school incidents.

SD schools in contract talks with new superintendent

A week after San Diego schools chief Bill Kowba announced his retirement, the board of education will meet in closed session Tuesday to enter into contract negotiations with surprise superintendent candidate: Central Elementary School Principal Cindy Marten.

Potential layoffs tied to Temecula Valley Charter changes

The Temecula Valley Unified School District board on Tuesday will consider issuing layoff notices to almost 40 teachers and eliminating 16 classified positions as part of the district's budgetary preparation for the 2013-14 school year, which is complicated this year by potential changes to Temecula Valley Charter School's charter.

Quick school boss pick raises questions

While the selection of elementary-school Principal Cindy Marten as the next San Diego superintendent has won praise in many quarters, the process leading to her appointment has raised questions about whether the board followed open-meetings laws in making its choice.

School district to consider preliminary layoff notices

The Temecula Valley Unified school board will consider eliminating nearly 40 teaching positions and 16 classified — or nonteaching — jobs at a meeting Tuesday, March 5.

Parents allege massive enrollment fraud at Carpenter Community Charter in Studio City

Los Angeles Unified will let schools use public records to verify student addresses after a high-performing charter in Studio City complained that scores of parents from outside the neighborhood committed fraud to get their kids admitted, officials said Monday.

Santa Clara County Office of Education to shed a net 17 jobs

In a move that will save $2 million, the Santa Clara County Office of Education will reduce mid- and upper-level management by a net of 17 jobs, according to Superintendent of Schools Xavier De La Torre.

Prop. 39's bounty: New dollars, a lot of them, head to schools

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to give California’s 1,032 school districts more than $2.6 billion over the next five years to help them lower their energy bills. Districts say they don’t know where to apply, what they can spend the money on or how much of an overall need exists but they’ll gratefully accept the money – particularly after years of recession-fueled state funding cutbacks of at least $10 billion.

Fensterwald: Worst is over - Sharp decline in districts in financial straits

The number of school districts in financial distress has fallen significantly after cresting last year, according to a state report released Monday.

California school districts in better financial shape, report says

California school districts are slowly emerging from financial crisis, with the number in danger of running out of cash dropping by one-third over last year, state education officials announced Monday.
Monday, March 4, 2013

Too much candy at school? Not everyone agrees

Classroom snacks, incentive prizes and the goodies parents provide for holidays and birthdays are at the discretion of individual school districts, and there are very different rules among school boards about how to handle them.

Sacramento region rural schools see rapid enrollment declines

Sacramento City Unified captured headlines last month with its decision to close seven schools because of declining enrollment, but it's not the fastest-shrinking district in the region. It's not even in the top 20.

Sacramento Unified likely to grant Tahoe, Twain schools reprieve from closure

The last of two Sacramento City Unified schools slated for closure this year are likely to remain open. Superintendent Jonathan Raymond is no longer recommending school board members decide this Thursday night between closing either Tahoe Elementary or Mark Twain Elementary.