LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):
Bus crash update: LAUSD offers no names of dead and injured
Via @NBCLA LA Unified officials had no additional information by mid-day on the fate of 19 students from 16 LAUSD high schools who were on the bus involved in a fatal crash yesterday, heading to Humboldt State University. Superintendent John Deasy met with reporters at a noon press conference but couldn’t offer much beyond reports of earlier in the day. The authorities confirmed that 10 people die
Commentary: Mayor Garcetti’s elephant in the room
Via KPCC In his first State of the City speech, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti laid out a plan to boost job creation, safety and the city’s ability to compete in a global economy. Noticeably absent, however, was any mention of the vast education challenges facing the city. The Mayor’s vision of Los Angeles was notable for its optimism and his passion. And the half-hour speech (transcript here) wa
With post-trial briefs in, Vergara 90-day clock starts ticking
Judge Rolf Treu Just in case Judge Rolf Treu might have missed anything during the two months of Vergara v. California, a battle over teacher employment protections that concluded last month, the parties filed their post-trial briefs yesterday, each making one last effort to influence Judge Treu’s decision. At issue are five state laws that govern tenure, dismissal and seniority. Defendants want t
Morning Read: LAUSD students in fatal California bus crash
California bus crash: 5 students among 10 killed; at least 30 injured Los Angeles Unified officials said Friday that 19 of its students were aboard the bus that collided with a FedEx freight truck in Northern California. At least 10 people were killed in the fiery crash. Officials have not released the identities of those killed in the crash, which occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Thursday when th
APR 10
Sacramento City Unified won’t renew NCLB waiver
Faced with intense opposition from teachers, Sacramento City Unified announced Wednesday it would not join other California districts in reapplying for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law. Its defection leaves seven of eight districts seeking to extend a waiver from the federal accountability law through the California Office to Reform Education, a nonprofit that they formed. The wa
Rousseau to LAUSD board: Native English students left behind
Sylvia Rousseau, Liaison LAUSD Board District 1 After less than two months on her temporary position as liaison for LA Unified’s District 1, Sylvia Rousseau says she’s figured out how to improve the academic performance of the most troubled schools: zero in on what’s called Standard English Learners. Rousseau, a USC professor and former local superintendent in the district who was appointed to ser
Morning Read: Glitches slowing use of Common Core tests
As testing gains steam, help center ‘inundated’ with teacher calls It’s week three for California’s new web-based standardized tests and some schools are reporting hair-pulling moments. “Our students are becoming frustrated,” said Bonnie Tanaka, principal of Madrid Middle School in El Monte. She said screens are freezing up, and – unlike what was promised – tests don’t resume where a student’s lef
APR 09
Youth asks LAUSD, ‘Where does all the money go?’ in song
Song Lyrics composed by youth at BHC Boyle Heights (Photo by Gaby, age 15, from the Las Fotos Project) Community groups big and small, have responded collectively to the extra $332 million coming into the district via the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Governor Jerry Brown‘s signature K-through-12 education initiative. For now, only a few schools have complete autonomy in deciding how the m
UTLA raises may be on the horizon but not negotiations
Vivian Ekchian, LA Unifie’d chief labor negotiator Within LA Unified’s proposed budget for 2014-2015, Superintendent John Deasy includes a line item for teacher raises. However, in the absence of a contract for the last three years between the district and the teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, labor talks remain at a complete standstill, raising questions about just much remains “TBD
LA 2020 Commission calls for ‘bold steps’ to improve LAUSD
An LA City Council commission charged with providing a blueprint for the future of the city released its second report today, this one offering recommendations to move Los Angeles toward fiscal solvency and greater job creation. The Los Angeles 2020 Commission’s report, “A Time for Action,” largely focuses on issues related to jobs, budgets and transportation. But it also has a few critical words
Morning Read: LAUSD to spend $837M on low-income students
LAUSD plans to spend $837 million on disadvantaged students Disadvantaged students in L.A. Unified stand to benefit from a multimillion-dollar infusion for more tutoring, counselors, English language coaches, nurses, librarians and other support under a budget plan presented Tuesday. In the opening salvo in a two-month process under the state’s new school finance system, L.A. schools Supt. John De
APR 08
New settlement reached on lawsuit challenging teacher layoffs
A new settlement has been reached in a lawsuit challenging budget-base layoffs, marking a major breakthrough in a long-fought case. The settlement, aimed at addressing inequities at low-performing schools, will provide a huge boost in resources to 37 schools that have long struggled with high teacher turnover, student drop-out rates and low student achievement. The LAUSD school board will conside
LAUSD board approves a student voice, but not how to get it
Steve Zimmer LAUSD Board Meeting 4-8-2014 A grand plan by Steve Zimmer and Bennett Kayser to put a student voice on the LA Unified School Board hit a road block today when the board accepted the idea in principle but delayed adopting a plan for how to do it. In a 50-minute debate, board member Tamar Galatzan was the first to lead the charge against their Student Engagement and Empowerment resoluti
LA Unified board to Deasy on budget: ‘go further, faster’
Superintendent John Deasy, explaining the budget Months in the making, LA Unified’s $6.8 billion budget, along with an extra $332 million through the Local Control Funding Formula, finally reached the school board today, as Superintendent John Deasy walked the members through its highlights, pointing to dozens of areas where the new money is going. His presentation was the featured attraction at a
Vergara teacher tenure case: point counterpoint
Edweek has done a nice job providing opposing perspectives on the potential outcome of the Vergara v. California case, a lawsuit challenging the state’s teacher tenure and job protection laws. Below are the two articles, the first of which claims that the case is a lose-lose for the plaintiffs and defendants, while the second lauds it as a revolution in education equality. Why Vergara Is a Loser
Groups stage a rally to show impact of LAUSD drop outs
The sound of classroom silence. As part of a rally by parents, education advocates and civil rights groups who represent Communities for Los Angeles Student Success, or CLASS, 375 desks were set up this morning at the LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. With downtown LA’s skyline as the backdrop, the empty desks represented the number of LAUSD school students who drop out of school each w
LIVESTREAM coverage of today’s LAUSD school board meeting: budget a top priority
Community rally on school funding, April 7 2014 This morning, the Los Angeles Unified School Board meets to discuss a wide variety of issues including what promises to be a charged debate about a budget plan unveiled by Superintendent John Deasy last week. Community groups have held a series of meetings and rallies, including one last night, advocating for a say in the budget process – which inclu
Morning Read: Hundreds of students protest LAUSD budget
Groups protest LAUSD spending priorities Several hundred students protested Los Angeles Unified’s proposed budget Monday, claiming poor pupils and schools will receive too little funding. Protest organizer Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of the Community Coalition, said the district’s spending plan is too vague and does too little for kids who need help the most. LA Daily News Districts develo
APR 07
UTLA sends out ballots in runoff for president
Ballots were dropped in the mail today to the 35,000 members of the Los Angeles teachers union (UTLA), to decide who will win the top job of the second largest teachers union in the country, in a second-round runoff. It’s down to two candidates from the original field of ten: between current president Warren Fletcher, considered a moderate and left-leaning candidate Alex Caputo-Pearl. Pearl not on
Rallies at LAUSD for budget priorities and a student voice
More rallies at LA Unified With the LA Unified board meeting tomorrow, two rallies are taking place outside district headquarters that seek support for two different educational issues. Parents, education advocates and civil rights groups, who represent Communities for Los Angeles Student Success, or CLASS, are organizing a “silent protest” on behalf of low-income students, schools and communities
6 LA Unified schools sharing grant for industry-related courses
Six LA Unified high schools are splitting a $7 million Youth CareerConnect grant to expand career pathways in health care, biotechnology, and business. The district is one of the first in the nation awarded funds from a collaboration between the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. It is designed to help schools provide more industry-related knowledge and skills. “These pathways provide additi
Garfield High opens doors to new Jamie Escalante Auditorium
Jamie Escalante Auditorium (Photo by Jesse Saucedo) Garfield High School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Saturday for the Jaime Escalante Auditorium, which appears as a radical improvement over the old theater set ablaze by an arsonist seven years ago. Construction of the new auditorium included the restoration of Memorial plaza, which connects the auditorium to a new three-story building that
Unions have lukewarm response to Deasy’s new budget proposal
LAUSD Supt. John Deasy unveiling budget The budget proposal LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy will present to the school board tomorrow has won lukewarm responses from three of the district’s biggest labor partners — the teachers union (UTLA), the principals union (AALA) and the support workers union (SEIU Local 99). After reviewing documents the district released on Friday, each group expresse
Long-term impact of childhood trauma worse for low-income kids
A new study by the California Department of Public Health has found that childhood trauma has a long-term impact on a child’s life, and the consequences are far more prevalent among children from low-income families. It is an especially acute issue for LA Unified, which has among the highest concentrations of low-income students in the state, with more than 80 percent living at or below the povert
Morning Read: Less than 40% of Students are College Ready
College-Readiness not keeping up in California Fewer than 4 in 10 California high school students are completing the requirements to be eligible for the state’s public universities, fueling worries of a shortage of college-educated workers when the value of a bachelor’s degree has never been higher.To meet entrance requirements, high school students must complete 15 classes with a grade of C or be
APR 05
Deal announced on teacher dismissal bill that governor would support
Joan Buchanan, Source: Ed Source Via Ed Source | by John Fensterwald Signaling the resolution of an acrimonious issue, Assembly Education Committee Chairwoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, introduced a bill Friday to make dismissing teachers charged with severe misconduct quicker, easier and cheaper. “I want to thank the education community for its willingness to continue to work on this critical issue,