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
4-7-14 This Week in LA - School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: Less than 40% of Students are College ReadyCollege-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