Clarifying role of ‘caretaker’ for LaMotte’s school board seat
The LA Unified school board on Tuesday is expected to approve a list of proposed responsibilities and job qualifications for a temporary, non-voting board member to fill the seat of Marguerite LaMotte, who died in December. The recommendations grew out of a meeting this week chaired by Steve Zimmer, the most vocal school board member to support installing an interim appointment. A document (see be
Vergara trial: Tears fall over challenges of minority students
Kareem Weaver In an abbreviated day of testimony in the trial Vergara v. CA, a suit that is challenging teacher dismissal laws in California, Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu heard from two witnesses who described their personal disappointments with California’s public education system and the laws regulating teacher employment. Testifying on behalf of the plaintiffs, Kareem Weaver, an award winning
iPads going home? ‘That’s concerning to me,’ says Ratliff
iPads may be heading home again Some LA Unified schools may be moving closer to allowing students to take district-bought iPads home again, and that has caught district officials by surprise. The district put an end to the practice in September after students figured out how to bypass the device’s security filters. But school board member Monica Ratliff, chair of the district’s technology committe
Morning Read: iPad curriculum off limits to LAUSD
L.A. school officials barred from access to curriculum for iPads Los Angeles school officials have failed for now in their efforts to get full access to a digital curriculum that the school system purchased in June. The curriculum, developed by Pearson for use on district iPads, is off-limits because Pearson is likely to bid on a separate contract with the L.A. Unified School District, and distric
FEB 06
Vergara trial turns another focus onto LA Unified teachers
Thomas Kane A Harvard professor of education and economics provided the Vergara plaintiffs powerful testimony today when he told the court that schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District have ineffective teachers and a disproportionate number of them are assigned to minority and low income students. The opinions of Thomas Kane went to the heart of the plaintiffs’ case in Vergara v Californ
UTLA tax return offers glimpse behind the curtain
image: UTLA.net The latest IRS tax filing for UTLA, the nation’s second largest teachers union, was made public this week on its website, providing a look into the financial health of the powerful union. For the year ending August, 2012 (the most recent available), the union reported a 2.5 percent drop in total revenue, and a 4 percent drop in membership dues. While salaries remained about the sam
The pathway to LA Unified’s Parent Advisory Committee
via the LAUSD Parent Community Student Services Branch With new education tax dollars coming in, LAUSD is quickly assembling a 47-member Parent Advisory Committee as part of its Local Control Accountability Plan, which represents the district’s spending priorities. For parents there’s a two-step process for participating. A local School Site Council identifies interested parents as potential cand
Commentary: Vergara case is chance to break impasse in 3 steps
By Mike Stryer and Arielle Zurzolo While the judge’s ruling in the Vergara vs. California case about educational equity remains weeks away, one verdict is already in: California suffers from a toxic polarization on educational issues that harms both students and the teaching profession. Ironically, though, the case may provide a unique window for unprecedented collaboration around teacher quality
Schools failing to protect students from abuse, US says
Via EdSource | By Jane Meredith Adams The failure of U.S. schools to protect students from sexual abuse by school personnel is a story of district cover-ups, lack of training, incomplete teacher background checks and little guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, according to a new federal report. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the nation’s K-12 schools lack a systemic appr
Morning Read: Brown wants new fees on prep programs
Brown calls for new fees on teacher preparation review Still struggling to find a fiscal footing in the wake of the recession, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing would be granted additional authority to impose fees on educator preparation programs under a proposal from the Brown administration. The agency, which serves as the state’s standards board for teacher certification and professional
FEB 05
Another witness in Vergara says tenure in CA comes too soon
Mark Douglas of the Fullerton School District The Vergara v California trial and its testimony from educators and administrators from around the state continued its geographic journey today, when the focus turned to Fullerton. Assistant Superintendent of the Fullerton School District, Mark Douglas, a 37-year veteran of state public education systems, took the witness stand in state superior court
LAUSD still to fire Miramonte teacher after charges dropped
Via the Los Angeles Times | By Howard Blume, Richard Winton and Alan Zarembo The Los Angeles Unified School District said it would not reverse its decision to fire former Miramonte Elementary teacher Martin Springer after charges against him were dropped Wednesday, officials said. L.A. County prosecutors canceled Springer’s pending trial after the teacher’s young accuser decided not to testify. He
Aspire charters planning to expand ‘blended learning’ model
Aspire Public Schools, a nonprofit charter school operator with 12 schools chartered through LAUSD, announced this morning that it will expand its blending learning curriculum to all of its elementary schools in the Los Angeles region by the end of the 2015-16 school year. The expansion is supported by the Eli & Edyth Broad Foundation, and comes after the organization’s blended learning model
Holy cow! LA Unified does not condone this behavior
Never say LA Unified doesn’t look out for the kids. This press release arrived from the district yesterday, so everyone can relax: L.A. UNIFIED’S STATEMENT ON GRAPHIC IMAGES OF COWS DISTRIBUTED TO STUDENTS DURING ANIMAL ACTIVIST PROTEST A cow and a calf, part of a mobile classroom provided by the Dairy Council of California, were bought on the campus of Calabash Charter Academy in Woodla
Zimmer gets the message, interim cannot have binding vote
Only two LA Unified school board members hold law degrees: Tamar Galatzan and Monica Ratliff. But Steve Zimmer, a college professor, did a pretty good impression of a lawyer last night. Zimmer presided over an ad hoc “committee of one” — no other board members attended — that was charged with defining the role and scope of a temporary representative for the vacant District 1 seat while the city aw
Morning Read: State Controller wants to post public school salaries
Controller seeks pay data from all California public schools State Controller John Chiang has asked every public school district in the state to provide salary and benefit information for all employees and elected officials so that it can be posted on the Web and shared with the public. LA Times Earthquake safety: LA school district to spend $41M to rebuild 2 Sylmar structures The Los Angeles Un
FEB 04
Vergara hears moving testimony from oft-dismissed teacher
Bhavini Bhakta A stunning silence fell over the courtroom today when Bhavini Bhakta, the first teacher to testify in the Vergara v California trial, described the impact of the state’s current teacher dismissal and seniority laws. An award-winning educator with two master’s degrees, she recounted how despite her success, the warm embrace of her students and the appreciation of their parents, she w
LAUSD joins partnership to confront school health hazards
An intergovernmental pilot project began last week to address potential environmental health hazards in Southern California schools, with LAUSD as the only school district involved as a core particpant. The six month pilot program, known as the Southern California – Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Partnership, is intended to foster collaboration among local, state and federal regulators — includi
LA Unified students compete to solve social issues
Teams of students across LA Unified are preparing for the kickoff this weekend of the Aspen Challenge, a citywide competition launched by the Aspen Institute in partnership with the school district. In an effort to hone social entrepreneurial skills, the program challenges students to find solutions to a series of pressing social issues presented to them on Feb. 8, then sets a deadline of seven we
Commentary: Why Vergara won’t solve the real teacher problem
Bad teachers need to leave. And it is a gross injustice that they are disproportionately congregated in low-income communities. Right now, because of Vergara vs. California, the lawsuit waged against education laws alleged to protect bad teachers, there is a tremendous amount of public anger directed at those teachers. But to fire grossly incompetent teachers is not the same thing as to guarantee
Morning Read: Zimmer seeking public input for open seat
LA school board committee to tackle job description for temporary member Los Angeles Unified school board member Steve Zimmer is inviting the public to help write a job description. It’s for the role of District 1 advocate – a position proposed by Zimmer and approved by the school board to speak on the behalf of south Los Angeles schools while the area prepares to elect a full member in June. KPCC
FEB 03
Vergara trial: finally, evidence of a student hurt by state laws
Jonathan Raymond, a former superintendent and Joey’s dad. It took six days of testimony to finally put a human face on the legal issues in Vergara vs. California, and it wasn’t Beatriz Vergara or any of the other eight plaintiffs challenging the state and its biggest teacher unions. Rather it was Joey Raymond, the son of the former Sacramento City Unified superintendent, Jonathan Raymond, who took
Christmas returns to the stand as the Vergara trial resumes
Troy Christmas, of Oakland Unified Testimony resumes this morning in Vergara v California, with Troy Christmas of the Oakland Unified School District returning to the stand to face cross examination by lawyers for the defendants — the state and its two big teachers unions. Christmas, the Director of Labor Management and Employee Relations for his district, has largely plowed the same ground as LA
Morning Read: Deasy testimony helps both sides in Vergara
Deasy provides fodder for both sides in lawsuit In a groundbreaking trial over teacher job protections, Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy was the early star witness — for both sides. The case, Vergara vs. California, challenges a set of laws that affect how teachers are fired, laid off and granted tenure. LA Times Aggressive pr campaign amplifies courtroom battle The potentially game-changing
JAN 31
More ‘ineffective teacher’ testimony, even without Vergara
Troy Christmas, testifying in the Vergara trial. After the first week of the groundbreaking trial Vergara vs. California in a California superior court, lawyers and witnesses talked a lot about ineffective teachers, arcane rules for dismissing them and how much money it costs. One thing they didn’t talk about was Beatriz Vergara. The lawsuit in her name — she’s an LA Unified 10th grader — centers
Union candidates gang up on Fletcher and, of course, Deasy
Bill Gaffney, one of ten candidates for president of UTLA The Los Angeles teachers union election process is long – from February to July – and a lot like a reality show, with multiple voting rounds to knock out candidates/contestants, until finally, there’s only one person left standing. That’s especially true in the race for UTLA president, which has 10 men competing for the chance to lead about
Morning Read: LAUSD orders more iPads for spring testing
LA schools to get 45K more iPads for spring tests Officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District put in order with Apple Thursday to buy 45,000 new devices for student standardized testing in the spring. After weeks of negotiation, the price dropped by more than $200 from earlier rounds to $504 per device – but doesn’t include Pearson education software preloaded on the other devices. KPCC