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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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School suspension rates decline







Education Headlines

Tuesday, February 11, 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.

Conejo Valley Unified expects to have budget surplus next fiscal year

The Conejo Valley Unified School District will likely have a $2 million surplus in its general fund next fiscal year, officials said this week.

Rowland Unified offers teachers 3.5 percent raise

The Rowland Unified School District has offered 700 teachers and counselors a 3.5 percent raise and an increase in the contribution to health care benefits, according to a district document released shortly before today’s board meeting.

Baldwin Park teachers, district at impasse in health benefit dispute

A dispute over health benefits is expected to draw hundreds of frustrated teachers to Tuesday’s Baldwin Park Unified school board meeting.

Salinas schools' salad for lunch bunch

In the war to capture America’s future consumers, the public schools aren’t exactly turning the tide toward better nutrition but they are winning some battles.

Natomas 7-year-old wandered off campus for hours, parents say

Seven-year-old Samaya Dillard wandered across major intersections, over a freeway and through a Natomas shopping center parking lot on a cold December day while her classmates at Jefferson Elementary School sharpened their reading skills.

Calif. ranks 6th in US on AP exam participation

California often ranks near the bottom of national measures of education quality and student achievement, but a new report puts the state ahead of the curve when it comes to the number of public school students enrolling in Advanced Placement classes and doing well enough to earn college credits.

Proposed Monterey Peninsula USD charter school not likely to make the cut

Sometimes, what you need to improve education is to create a brand new school, Vadim Nazarenko believes. So the Ukranian linguist is proposing, for the second time in less than a year, to create a charter school in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. And for the second time, administrators will recommend the charter be denied.

School suspension rates decline

Fewer students were suspended across the Inland area and California in 2012-13 compared to 2011-12.

Centinela Valley schools chief amassed $663,000 in compensation in 2013

The superintendent of the Centinela Valley high school district negotiated a contract so loaded with out-of-the-ordinary perks that he managed to amass more than $663,000 in total compensation last year.

Lodi Unified School District trustees consider ending health, driver’s education requirements

High school students in Lodi who hope to be competitive when applying to college say they are having trouble fitting the required driver’s education and health classes into their schedules.

Bay Area school districts rewrite tobacco policies to counter teen e-cigarette use

The latest weapon in the tobacco wars is increasingly finding its way into the pockets and backpacks of students across the nation.

White students get better teachers in L.A., researcher testifies

Black and Latino students are more likely to get ineffective teachers in Los Angeles schools than white and Asian students, according to a new study by a Harvard researcher. The findings were released this week during a trial challenging the way California handles the dismissal, lay off and tenure process for teachers.

L.A. Unified students pitch in to help the homeless

Some 300 students from 36 high schools take part in a district-wide volunteer day at shelters.

Frey: Oakland middle school’s 9-hour school day is model program

Thinking bigger is part of the culture at Elmhurst Community Prep, a middle school in East Oakland that has expanded the school day to 5 p.m. with a variety of after-school offerings, such as Ashur Bratt’s class on building self-confidence.

Common Core: Will Valley students be ready to use computers for testing?

Valley school districts are buying up laptops and tablets by the thousands to administer new computerized state tests this spring, but officials say they're still working through snags like slow Internet connections and training students to type on keyboards.
Friday, February 7, 2014

San Joaquin sixth-graders master computer coding

It's a unique opportunity for now, but it's one that is gaining ground as schools adopt the Common Core curriculum and educators catch up with teaching skills relevant to our future society.

Public school enrollments continue to drop

School enrollment continues to decline in the Mother Lode, meaning less funding and signaling that young families are moving out of the area, according to school and county officials.

Fresno County schools employee sues for equal pay

A Fresno County education employee fighting for equal pay in the workplace is taking her case to court. In the civil suit filed in Fresno County Superior Court this week, Aileen Rizo, a 39-year-old math consultant at the Fresno County Office of Education, alleges she's unfairly paid thousands of dollars less than her male co-workers with the same job title.

Newport-Mesa board to consider armed guards at elementary schools

During a discussion on how to provide security at Andersen Elementary School, Newport-Mesa trustees decided to look into the possibility of armed security guards to protect all elementary schools in the district.

Irvine school district weighs issues of two sites for a fifth high school

Irvine Unified School District is pushing forward with plans to build its fifth high school on 40 acres northwest of the Orange County Great Park at a location that has come to be known as Site A.

Fullerton administrator: teacher protections hit poor hardest

Fullerton School District would need to spend an estimated $2.5 million to dismiss 10 “grossly ineffective” teachers employed by the district this year, according to testimony in a Los Angeles court case challenging California's tenure and dismissal laws.