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Monday, March 24, 2014

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Fensterwald: One superintendent’s spending priority under local control - social workers



Education Headlines

Monday, March 24, 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.

Lucia Mar works on plan for improvements at aging schools

District administrators are working to address the problems, though the process will take years. But they’re nearing the conclusion of the first step: Creating a master plan that will identify all of the needs at each school, prioritize projects and identify funding sources.

State, feds investigate Central Unified for discrimination allegations

A Central High School East Campus senior who says she has been relentlessly bullied by students and a teacher for two years — so severely that she developed an eating disorder and tried to commit suicide — is pushing for change at the school.

Alpine superintendent stepping down

Alpine Union School District Superintendent Tom Pellegrino, who just saw the five-school district through the first teachers’ strike in San Diego County in nearly 20 years, announced he will step down from his post in June.

Encinitas to buy Pacific View property

The Encinitas school district has accepted an offer from the city to buy the closed Pacific View School site for at least $9.5 million.

SD Unified takes on diversity gap

As the San Diego Unified School District strives to diversify its workforce to better reflect its student body, a new report emphasizes the striking absence of Latino educators in the classroom.

Teacher layoffs down around Marin, state

Most Marin County school districts reported they wouldn't be laying off teachers. San Rafael City Schools, which governs the elementary and high school districts, was an exception, issuing slips for 13.5 "full-time equivalent" positions at the elementary school level and four positions at the high school level.

Sweetwater district on edge

The Sweetwater Union High School District begins a two-week spring break Monday with a great deal of uncertainty about what happens when it ends.

Six-figure teachers, school officials show dramatic rise in Modesto area

While the Great Recession has yet to recede Valleywide, the number of top-earning educators roared back in 2013, buoyed by the higher taxes of Proposition 30, passed in 2012.

Hayward Unified teachers get 5.5 percent raise

Teachers this week overwhelmingly approved a contract that gives them a 5.5 percent raise, retroactive to July 2013. The Hayward Unified contract, which runs through the 2015-16 school year, passed by 99.4 percent, according to a Hayward Education Association spokeswoman.

S.F. schools give students second chance at breakfast

Too many of the students at San Francisco's Charles R. Drew Elementary were skipping the before-school breakfast, arriving too late to eat or not feeling hungry first thing in the morning. They ended up cranky in class, distracted by their growling tummies and less able to learn. Two weeks ago, the school started offering them a second chance to eat - at recess. It's a pilot for the Second Chance Breakfast program for the school district.

Fensterwald: Legislators tell state board to consider changes to school funding rules

Non-profits and community groups that want to tighten the Local Control Funding Formula regulations to ensure more money will go to minority students have enlisted an influential ally: legislators.

Fensterwald: One superintendent’s spending priority under local control - social workers

One of the first school districts to finish a draft of the spending and accountability plan required by the state’s new school funding law is proposing to hire social workers to deal with the effects of troubled home lives, cyberbullying and other social and emotional issues hobbling students’ ability to concentrate and learn.
Friday, March 21, 2014

Bassett Unified hires Alex Rojas as deputy superintendent

La Puente Valley Regional Occupational Program’s superintendent will take over as second-in-command in the Bassett Unified School District starting April 1.

North Monterey teachers, district at impasse

Fed up over years without a pay raise and rising class sizes, teachers in the North Monterey County Unified School District are taking to the picket lines.

‘Many causes for concern’ found in audit of Rialto Unified’s spending

“Many causes for concern” in how the Rialto Unified School District spends its money were found in the audit report given to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office two weeks ago.

State schools leader promises drought relief for Valley districts

 California schools facing temporary closures, or increased numbers of absences due to the drought, can breathe a sigh of relief following an announcement Wednesday that the state won't punish districts when budget time comes around later this year.

Improprieties found in operation of Beverly Hills camp

A report commissioned by the Beverly Hills Unified School District has found a number of financial and ethical improprieties related to a summer sports camp that was run by the high school principal — including his failure to report more than $40,000 in earnings.

Santa Clara County School Board names interim superintendent

The Santa Clara County Board of Education early Thursday named Mary Ann Dewan as interim superintendent of the County Office of Education, effective Friday.

EdSource: School funding reforms spark push to get parent input

California’s new school funding law has sparked a major push to get input from parents, at least in most school districts being tracked by EdSource in diverse parts of the state.

Race to lead L.A. teachers union headed to runoff

The contest to head the nation's second-largest teachers union will go to a second round, pitting incumbent Warren Fletcher against challenger Alex Caputo-Pearl.