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Thursday, April 25, 2013

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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 to LAUSD reformer's campaign





Education Headlines

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.

SL Coastal cuts $4.2 million and 40 jobs

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District trustees voted unanimously Tuesday night to cut $4.2 million from its budget, making some of the deepest cuts the district has seen in a decade.

Alisal teachers push for contract

Teachers in the Alisal Union School District took to the picket line Wednesday in hopes of revving up contract talks.

Monterey Peninsula USD board, community take stock amid superintendent controversy

A day after Monterey Peninsula Unified School District trustees postponed their decision to name a new superintendent, teachers and other employees went back to their workdays with conflicting emotions.

Redondo Beach Unified's Nancy Kelly hired as Upland Unified superintendent

Nancy Kelly, assistant superintendent of human resources for Redondo Beach Unified School District, has been selected by the Upland Unified School District Board of Trustees after a recruitment process that lasted several weeks.

Fensterwald: Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula

Gov. Jerry Brown emphatically vowed Wednesday “to fight with everything I have and whatever we have to bring to bear” for passage this year of his school finance reform, as proposed.

Fresno Unified opposes allowing more time to force McLane election

Fresno Unified trustees voted Wednesday night against allowing more time for petitioners to force a special trustee election in the McLane High area, siding with a community group that had asked them to oppose an election.

Banks' work on school bond elections targeted

If your school district wants to issue bonds to pay for new classrooms, it shouldn't let an investment bank run the political campaign aimed at convincing voters to authorize them. That's what a growing number of critics are telling the dozens of California schools who have hired political strategists from banks and other financial firms to quietly work behind-the-scenes to win votes for bond measures.

Del Mar teachers, district reach agreement

Teachers and school officials in Del Mar have reached an agreement to reduce spending by $1 million next year by increasing class sizes, letting temporary teachers go, reducing stipends and adjusting rules about paid planning time.

Study: S.D. Unified faces graduation challenge

Disadvantaged students across the state will have difficulty meeting stiff new graduation requirements unless sweeping interventions are quickly implemented, according to a report released Wednesday that draws on evidence from the San Diego Unified School District.

Oakland: Alliance teachers, parents speak out on recent school violence

In a call to action, teachers and parents at Alliance Academy Middle School protested Wednesday morning in response to unsafe school conditions and repeated violence.

Oakland Unified School District board appoints Gary Yee to temporarily replace outgoing Superintendent Tony Smith

The Oakland Unified School District board appointed Gary Yee as acting superintendent during its regular Wednesday meeting, a move that brings to an end his 10-year tenure as a board member.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 to LAUSD reformer's campaign

Earlier this year when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked his New York City counterpart to back a slate of candidates in the Los Angeles Unified board primary election, Michael Bloomberg donated $1 million to the Coalition for School reform.

Baron: ACLU sues state over English-language instruction

Civil rights groups sued the state Department of Education and the Board of Education on Wednesday, saying they are failing in their obligation to require school districts to provide 20,318 English learners with the language instruction they are entitled to by law.

Rumor of deal roils teachers union

The leadership of the Los Angeles teachers union is roiled over whether its officials made a private deal with a Board of Education candidate whom critics view as an ally of anti-labor forces.

Making high school students pass all courses needed for admission to the University of California could backfire

As schools strive to prepare students for college, more districts are requiring teens to take college prep courses -- the same courses required for admission to the University of California -- in order to graduate from high school.

Gov. Jerry Brown promises fight over education overhaul

Jerry Brown says lawmakers will get "the battle of their lives" if they balk at his plan to give more funds to poor districts and more spending flexibility to all school districts.

Teacher evaluation bill opposed by unions dies in committee

Legislation that would have required more frequent evaluations of educators was killed by a state Senate committee Wednesday under strong opposition from teachers' unions.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hawthorne schools pilot use of palm scanners to speed lunch lines

The project is happening on a trial basis at Hawthorne Middle and Ramona Elemenary schools, where students - once they reach the front of the lunch line - place a hand on a digital reader in the shape of a palm.

Guevara's hiring in Monterey district on hold

Monterey Peninsula Unified’s decision to hire Lake Elsinore Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Alain Guevara as superintendent there was delayed Monday after dozens of parents and teachers spoke against his hiring at that district's governing board meeting.

New school for homeless to open

More than 25 years after a drop-in center for homeless students opened in San Diego with a single teacher, a gleaming $15 million campus for transient youth will make its debut in downtown’s East Village Wednesday.