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Friday, April 26, 2013

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Fensterwald: Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula





Education Headlines

Friday, April 26, 2013

Bullying still hot topic at Summerville High

A months-long discussion about alleged bullying at Summerville High School carried into a board meeting Wednesday, with parents urging trustees to continue addressing the issue.

New jobs in Alisal district in dispute

District officials have said that the layoff notices issued to 25 classified workers in March were necessary as they attempt to reorganize some departments for efficiency and in anticipation of revenue limits from the state and some federal programs.

Lake Elsinore Unified will keep Butterfield

After agreeing to sell the property at one point, the governing board last week approved keeping the campus to one day possibly be used as a school again.

Guevara lawsuit could be distraction for MPUSD, employment attorney says

Whether or not Alain Guevara is cleared of pending sexual harassment charges, trustees with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District should be mindful of the challenge a lawsuit poses for a new superintendent, a local attorney said Thursday.

Fensterwald: Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula

Joan Buchanan, the Democratic chair of the Assembly Education Committee, grilled administration officials at length Wednesday on Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to reform school funding. She wanted, without success, to get them to concede there are flaws and inconsistencies in the plan.

Sandy Hook absences cost Capo $123,000

The Capistrano Unified School District wants to recoup money it is poised to lose because thousands of students stayed home in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Capistrano Unified approves 32 layoffs

Capistrano Unified School District trustees on Wednesday approved laying off 32 nonteaching staffers as they await word on the state budget.

Democrats say they have better school plan than Jerry Brown

One day after Gov. Jerry Brown called his education financing plan a civil rights issue and promised opponents "the battle of their lives," Senate Democrats said Thursday that their counterproposal is better for low-income students.

ADULT EDUCATION: Proposal to shift classes to colleges creates confusion

Inland school and community college officials were surprised by Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget proposal to shift adult education dollars and responsibility from school districts to community colleges. The change could begin July 1 or next school year. The plan’s status may be clearer with Brown’s revised budget in May , or more likely, when the Legislature adopts a budget in June.

Tracy schools hit hard by cost of bomb hoaxes

A wave of bomb threats that hit Tracy high schools in March has racked up big bills for the school district.

How do the education funding plans differ?

Under Gov. Jerry Brown's plan, each school district would get a per-pupil base grant. Districts would also receive supplemental grants equal to 35 percent of base grants for each student who is either poor, an English-language learner or foster youth.

Mt. Diablo school board fires superintendent, general counsel

The Mt. Diablo School Board voted late Thursday to release Superintendent Steven Lawrence and General Counsel Greg Rolen from their contracts by May 1 without cause, Board President Cheryl Hansen announced.

Bruno: California should not adopt Next Generation Science Standards

With the release of the final draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), states must begin in earnest to consider replacing their own existing standards. California should be especially cautious in this deliberation because, by some measures, the Golden State already has some of the strongest science standards in the country.

The coming revolution in public education

Critics say the standardized test-driven reforms pushed by those like Michelle Rhee may actually be harming students.

New graduation requirements will require support

Freshmen in San Diego city high schools this year are the first class to have to complete the courses needed to get into the University of California or California State University in order to graduate. A report from UC San Diego and the Public Policy Institute of California looks at what it will take to make the effort to improve college access for all city students work.

Law that holds parents accountable for kids truancy applied differently across Southern California

It’s widely accepted that a child who repeatedly misses school is more likely to commit a crime or get into more serious trouble later in life. That’s the cycle the 2010 law aims to stop. But it’s not clear how well it’s doing that – and not all prosecutors are embracing it.

L.A. Unified removes four administrators from their posts

Two senior officials and two principals were removed pending completion of a probe into their handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a teacher.
Thursday, April 25, 2013

Ventura superintendent says school district budget looking better

The budget outlook for the next academic year in the Ventura Unified School District is the brightest it's been in six years, Superintendent Trudy Arriaga said Tuesday.

Oxnard district plans to open academies at 3 schools

The academies will promote an integrated curriculum of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Pleasant Valley school employees face possible furloughs

Classified employees in the Pleasant Valley Unified School District will take up to 10 unpaid days off next year to avoid layoffs, but those days could be restored once state budget figures are released, according to an agreement approved by the Pleasant Valley School Board last week.