FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, February 28, 2014

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Education Headlines

Friday, February 28, 2014

FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

District Attorney’s Office receives complaints about compensation for Centinela Valley chief Jose Fernandez

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s Public Integrity Division has received several complaints regarding Centinela Valley schools Superintendent Jose Fernandez, spokeswoman Jane Robison confirmed Thursday.

Centinela Valley school board hires media-relations consultant amid fallout

After the fireworks died down at a raucous public meeting, the embattled Centinela Valley Union High School board this week hired a public relations consultant to help trumpet positive news amid a storm of bad publicity.

Rialto Unified dumps longtime accounting firm in wake of Judith Oakes embezzlement allegations

Citing a failure to catch financial irregularities, including the alleged embezzlement of former accountant Judith Oakes, the Rialto Unified school board has dumped its old auditing firm.

Riverside County rejects Coachella Valley Unified cutbacks

The Riverside County Department of Education rejected the Coachella Valley Unified School District’s plan to slash millions from its budget by laying off nearly 70 employees.

Guess what grade schools have banned now?

There's no disagreement: Brightly colored bracelets woven from little rubber bands are this school year's hottest toy. Rainbow Looms also are the latest toy to be restricted at some elementary schools, going the way of Pokémon cards, pogs and Tamagotchis. Ladera Ranch Elementary has outlawed the bracelets, and nearby Oso Grande Elementary has put restrictions on when students can access them.

Denair Unified votes to cut administrative, teaching jobs

To bring spending back in line, Denair Unified School District has to cut all or parts of 38 teaching jobs for next year, many of which already sit empty. Thursday night, it finished making those cuts.

Summer and after-school programs provide a jump on Common Core

Middle school English teacher Kellie Madden already has a good grasp of the new Common Core State Standards. In fact, she has been teaching to those standards for the past two years without realizing it.

Billions would be needed to repair L.A. schools, officials say

Maintaining Los Angeles Unified campuses will be difficult because of staffing and funding shortages combined with repair backlogs, aging buildings and more than 100 new schools, officials said Thursday.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Moorpark Unified names assistant as new superintendent

Kelli Hays will be the new Moorpark School District superintendent effective July 1, succeeding Teresa Williams. Williams is retiring in June after leading the district for almost three years.

Increase in school counselors a priority for Ventura schools

he board said it hopes to use the state’s new funding mechanism, which is more flexible than in past years, to hire more counselors, including those specifically trained to help students deal with emotional and psychological issues.

Business flows at Alisal USD board meeting

The Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees voted to improve its conduct Wednesday night but not before hearing from its most vocal and dissenting member.

Lodi, Galt students find a flexible alternative to traditional education

Loretta Hans was seeking a flexible education program that would allow her first-grader to learn at her own pace and from the comfort and safety of her own home.

Fresno Unified to get mediator, board starts budget talks

Fresno Unified's school board kicked off annual budget conversations Wednesday and also learned the state has approved the district's plan to declare an impasse over teacher contract negotiations.

Fresno Unified spent $360,000 on Krista Uribe special education case

Fresno Unified has spent $360,000 on attorneys fees since February 2012 in a court battle with a mother and her special needs daughter, who twice was removed from Duncan Polytechnical High School because of her disabilities.

Fence boundaries hit a nerve at Newport-Mesa schools

Hundreds of parents and residents are squaring off in an uncharacteristically rabid Newport-Mesa Unified School District debate – but not over the usual topics like academics, teachers or cheating. This time, it's a debate over fences.