Friday, May 17, 2013

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, May 17, 2013

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Gov. Brown, lawmakers still apart over details of school funding plan





Education Headlines

Friday, May 17, 2013

Claremont school district board passes recommendation to offer career technical education course despite opposition

The Claremont Unified School District passed a recommendation Thursday to offer a career technical education course as an optional high school graduation requirement in lieu of visual and performing arts or world language course.

Robert P. Taylor named new superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District

Robert P. Taylor has been appointed superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District. He will take over July 1 in the high-performing district that is facing a difficult fiscal future.

Chico teachers jam board meeting over contract conflict

Wednesday night, members of the Chico Unified Teachers Association filled the Chico City Council Chambers, where the Chico Unified School District board of trustees conducted its regular meeting.

California struggles to assess teacher training programs

A high-quality teacher can make all the difference to a student who is struggling, according to a growing body of research that has found teachers are the largest in-school factor affecting student achievement. And there’s an emerging consensus that how teacher candidates are chosen and trained can make all the difference in developing teachers with the knowledge and skills to propel their students ahead.

Jim Yovino to replace Larry Powell as Fresno County schools superintendent

The Fresno County Board of Education trustees voted Thursday to appoint deputy superintendent Jim Yovino to serve as superintendent of schools until the end of the current term, which expires in December 2014.

San Juan names fill-ins during school chief probe

The San Juan Unified School District tapped two top officials to run the district while Superintendent Glynn Thompson is on paid leave pending an investigation of employee complaints.

Schools superintendent selected

Trustees in the Rocklin Unified School District have named Roger Stock as the new superintendent, replacing veteran Superintendent Kevin Brown, who is retiring after more than a decade in the job.

ACLU to high school: twerking not sexual harassment

The ACLU has urged Scripps Ranch High School to reconsider the suspensions and sexual harassment charges handed down to 31 students for their role in the now-infamous twerking dance video posted on YouTube last month.

Grand jury calls for adult-child bully policy

The county’s 19-member civil grand jury released a report on Thursday calling on the San Diego Unified School District to create policies to better investigate and address adult-to-child bullying, harassment or intimidation by employees or volunteers.

On Campus: A map to the school bond

Anyone whose hand has cramped while signing real estate documents knows the sticker shock of those huge numbers. Spending school bond money, on the other hand, usually happens with an "aye" and a community cheer. The disconnect of paying and spending isn't lost on California League of Bond Oversight Committees co-founder Michael Day, who calls it one of two central problems with the school bonds process.

Fewer teachers lose jobs for next school year

Fewer California teachers found pink slips in their mailboxes this week, but that was scant solace for Denair Unified teachers. May 15 is the deadline for final notice to teachers of a layoff. March 15 is the date that warning notices must be given.

STAR test scores raise questions, but don't prove cheating

Two school districts in the South Bay and East Bay showed dramatic swings in standardized test scores in recent years, similar to the fluctuations in the troubled Atlanta Public Schools, where 35 educators have been charged in a cheating scandal.

State bill seeks to reduce school suspensions for defiance

The Los Angeles Unified school district isn't the only government body seeking to reduce the number of student suspensions. The Center for Public Integrity reported in a story today that a bill working its way through the California legislature, AB 420, would limit schools' ability to suspend students for defiance. In 2011-2012, 700,000 California students were suspended -- half of them for defiance.

Gov. Brown, lawmakers still apart over details of school funding plan

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, of Sacramento, and fellow Democratic senators intend to continue pushing back against Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to provide extra “concentration factor” funding to all school districts in which at least half of all students are from low-income households, are English learners or are foster children.

Jerry Brown's plan could increase future school costs

Even as Gov. Jerry Brown pledges to chip away at the state’s debt, his budget plan will leave California on the hook for billions more in school funding down the line.
Thursday, May 16, 2013

As budget prospects improve, no furloughs expected for Ventura teachers

The Ventura Unified School District's 800 teachers won't get raises, but will have better health insurance coverage and face no furloughs, the School Board decided Tuesday in approving the salary contract for next year.

High school district teachers ratify contract

Teachers in the Salinas Union High School District voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to approve a new contract with their employer.

Barbs fly at Alisal board meeting

As promised, teachers in the Alisal Union School District turned out by the dozens Wednesday night at a school board meeting to extend their protest over contract negotiations they say are going nowhere.