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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

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California's school money fight heads to new venue







Education Headlines

Tuesday, February 4, 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.

Speakers call on Kern HSD to expand superintendent search

At a Monday hearing held to gather input on the qualities the public would like to see in the Kern High School District's next superintendent, speakers called on the board of trustees to cast a wider net in its search for a successor to retiring superintendent Don Carter.

S.J. school suspensions up; question is, by how much?

School discipline statistics released by the California Department of Education last week show that San Joaquin County suspensions increased by 0.5 percent from 2011-12 to 2012-13, and that expulsions decreased significantly.

Fresno Unified teachers wear black to protest contract proposal

Dozens of Fresno Unified teachers wore black Monday, protesting an employee contract pitched by administrators that lengthens school days and ties student test scores to teacher evaluations.

Top administrator criticizes school district response to cheating case

Calling Newport-Mesa Unified’s handling of a student cheating scandal a “farce,” a top district administrator claimed that the Corona del Mar High principal failed for months to warn parents about a private tutor and his suspected involvement in the hacking scheme.

Twin Rivers school community awaits trustee’s next move

Twin Rivers Unified parents, teachers and administrators are waiting to see if Cortez Quinn will take his seat as Area 5 trustee at today’s school board meeting. Quinn took a self-imposed 90-day leave shortly after his arrest Nov. 6 on three felony and five misdemeanor charges, which include allegedly falsifying a paternity test and using the results in court to deny fatherhood.

Monterey Peninsula USD expulsion rates way down

The number of students being expelled or suspended from California schools fell sharply last year, and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is among the districts locally leading the decline.

Beverly Hills principal did not report $40,000, report says

The principal of Beverly Hills High School did not report more than $40,000 he received from a for-profit summer sports camp he ran for the school's athletes — a possible violation of conflict-of-interest and ethics policies, according to a report on the program reviewed by The Times.

Data Center: Suspensions and expulsions at California schools

How does your school fare against others in the area, or around the state? Use our database to see and compare the numbers for yourself.

Adams: New ‘trauma-informed’ approach to behavioral disorders in special education

A pilot program is hoping it can better help emotionally disturbed children by addressing what may be the root cause of many of their behaviors: trauma they’ve endured at home or in their neighborhoods.

California's school money fight heads to new venue

The obscure Office of Administrative Law is the next venue for opponents of the state Board of Education's newly adopted rules governing the expenditure of billions of extra dollars meant to enhance the educations of poor and "English learner" students.

Former Alhambra school administrator faces sexual assault charges in Riverside

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Monday filed 16 felony counts against a former Alhambra High School administrator for allegedly having sexual relationships with two underage girls while employed as a teacher in Riverside County.

Citrus School supporters seek to save it

People who love Citrus School, the oldest elementary school in the Chico Unified School District, are preparing to launch a campaign to save it.
Monday, February 3, 2014

Truancy sweep nets just one

Police officers bang on a door at the Courtyard apartments in Santa Ana, searching for a child with 24 absences from school since August – missing almost a third of class time. “We’ll see if the kid is home and ask why he’s not in school,” said Kevin Ruiz, an investigator with the Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership. “If he’s playing video games and watching cartoons, we’re going to get him to school.”

Alpine, teachers reach tentative pact

The Alpine Teachers Association and the Alpine Unified School District reached a tentative labor agreement late Friday that appears to have staved off the threat of a strike.

Galt high school district classified union contract negotiations at impasse

A neutral third-party mediator will be called into Galt Joint Union High School District in an attempt to resolve differences between the district and the classified union after union leaders declared an impasse in contract negotiations.