Wednesday, August 21, 2013

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Education Headlines

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Twin Rivers employees call for an end to administrators' pension perks

Twin Rivers Unified School District employees and union officials called on the school board to end pension perks to top administrators at a meeting Tuesday night.

Oxford Preparatory enrollment increases

With approval from the Capistrano Unified School District, Oxford Preparatory Academy, a K-8 charter school in Mission Viejo, is bumping its fall enrollment by 92 students, in part to accommodate existing students’ younger siblings.

Supervisors nix Garden Grove Unified's bond deal

Garden Grove Unified’s efforts to remodel its aging schools were left uncertain Tuesday after the Orange County supervisors declined the district’s request to borrow an additional $120 million.

Ex-Glendora Unified employee arrested in missing cash case

Glendora police detectives on Tuesday arrested a 35-year employee of the Glendora Unified School District after investigators uncovered the misappropriation of more than $350,000 in district funds.

As Salinas' Tiburcio Vasquez Elementary School opens, focus is on education, not name

Tiburcio Vasquez, the 12th elementary school of the Alisal Union School District, opened its doors to students for the first time Tuesday. While most of the attention the school has received relates to its namesake, most parents seemed more concerned with its educational focus and how close it was to their homes.

Lodi Unified School District to finance track at Lodi High School

An estimated 50 students and parents — most of them wearing red Lodi Flames T-shirts — cheered wildly after Lodi Unified School District trustees agreed to finance more than half a million dollars to construct an all-weather track at Lodi High School.

Poll: Most Americans oppose free education for children of illegal immigrants

A majority of Americans oppose free public education for the children of parents who entered the country illegally, according to a new poll released today.

Poll of Americans' views on education shows little awareness of new standards, wariness of tests

Although 45 states including California have adopted new Common Core curriculum standards aimed at improving education, more than half of Americans surveyed in May had never heard of it.

Fensterwald: L.A. Unified union, district at odds over best way to train teachers for Common Core

Both Los Angeles Unified officials and the union representing teachers agree that the bulk of one-time state money for the transition to the Common Core standards should be spent on teacher training. They disagree over how best to provide it.

California auditor says schools should measure if anti-bullying programs are working

California's state auditor, citing recent high-profile tragedies tied to bullying, called on the Sacramento City Unified School District as well as districts statewide to gauge whether their anti-harassment programs are working.

L.A. school board ratifies hiring of Garcetti's top education aide

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday ratified the unusual hiring of the mayor’s top education advisor, Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana.

LAUSD takes aim at reforming Proposition 39 charter law

After years of battling over the co-location of charter and traditional campuses, the Los Angeles Unified board took steps Tuesday toward seeking changes to the law approved by voters in 2000 that requires districts to give unused space to the independent schools.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Davis district parcel tax gets overhaul

Davis school leaders eliminated a legally vulnerable section of the city's parcel tax last week, hoping to preserve the rest of a voter-approved measure they expect to generate $3 million annually.

Garcetti picks Santa Ana official as education advisor

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has chosen a former Santa Ana schools superintendent and Obama administration education official as his top education advisor, a key appointment in his evolving relationship with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

New national standards pump extra $113 million into LA Unified

The Los Angeles Unified School District will soon have an extra wad of cash on hand. It's getting $113 million from the state of California over two years to phase in new national standards called the Common Core.