UTLA candidates hit YouTube with stump speeches
With ballots going in the mail next week, Los Angeles area teachers will start a long, internal election process that could have a big impact on the future of the teachers union (UTLA), one of the most powerful in the country. The competition for the top job of UTLA president, which pays north of $100,000 a year, is tough. There are nine challengers (see our rundown here) hoping to prevent the inc
Vergara defense lawyers preview their case — if they need it
Martha Sanchez, a parent who is ‘sick and tired’ of corporate interests in public schools. As defendants in the Vergara trial were asking the court to dismiss the case, attorneys for the state’s two biggest teachers union met with reporters outside the courthouse to offer a preview of arguments they intend to make if the judge denies their request, and the trial resumes next month with witnesses f
Vergara defense team: plaintiffs failed to reach the bar
Jim Finberg, lawyer for CTA and CFT At 10:25 this morning, after they got their final documents entered into evidence, the plaintiffs in Vergara vs. California rested. That was the signal to Susan Carson, a lawyer for the state, to inform Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu that the state and teachers’ unions plan to ask him to toss the lawsuit, arguing the plaintiffs have not met their burden of proof
LAUSD opens more fingerprint centers for volunteers
Board Member Tamar Galatzan represents the western half of the San Fernando Valley LAUSD parents looking to volunteer at their child’s school no longer have to brave the LA freeways to get fingerprinted at the district’s downtown headquarters. Thanks to a recently passed resolution sponsored by board members Tamar Galatzan, Steve Zimmer and Monica Garcia, parents can have their fingerprints proces
‘Repairs Not iPads’ Facebook group moves into the open
Click to view slideshow. The Facebook group, “Repairs Not iPads,” whose pictures of deteriorating LAUSD facilities have gone viral, took on a real-world turn yesterday afternoon when the group gathered at Esperanza Elementary for its first press conference. Matthew Kogan, who anonymously launched the Facebook effort in December, told LA School Report that the event was intended to introduce some o
Breaking News: Defendants ask judge to throw out Vergara
Defendants in Vergara v California told Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu this morning that they would file a motion later today, asking the court to dismiss the case. Treu suspended further testimony, saying he would dispense that the request first before the defendants call a witness. The request for “summary judgment” is routine after plaintiffs conclude their side of a case, which they did today
Watch now: Livestream coverage of today’s LAUSD committee meetings
The LA Unified school board is busy today with two committee meetings, both chaired by school board member Bennett Kayser: 10:00 a.m.: Budget, Facilities and Audit Committee Meeting: (Agenda) 1:00 p.m. Early Childhood Education and Parent Engagement Committee Meeting. (Agenda) LA School Report, has livestream coverage: click LIVESTREAM LAUSD
After 22 plaintiffs’ witnesses in Vergara, it’s the defendants’ turn
In a trial that began in late January and was supposed to take 20 court days, plaintiffs in Vergara v California used the first 16 to put on their case, as Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu heard from 22 witnesses through yesterday. Testimony from several others became part of the case record through their depositions. Today, the defense begins its counter-arguments as the trial is now expected to st
Morning Read: Cost of LAUSD earthquake fixes nearly $1 billion
More than 600 L.A. school buildings need quake evaluations, retrofits The Los Angeles Unified School District still has hundreds of school buildings in need of detailed seismic evaluations and strengthening to withstand a major earthquake, according to district data. The Times requested an update of the school district’s inventory of its buildings in need of seismic review. LA Times LAUSD parents
2-19-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: LAUSD board finds a liaison for open seatL.A. Unified names caretaker for vacant board seat The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday appointed a former district administrator to oversee the seat left vacant by the death of member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte in December. In a closed-do