LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):
Parents, with some help, offer views on LAUSD spending plan
It was “pencils down” day yesterday, for the members of the Parent Advisory Committee, who completed their first opportunity to weigh in on LA Unified’s Local Control and Accountability Plan, the so-called LCAP required of Gov. Jerry Brown‘s new Local Control Funding Formula. The 47 parents and guardians selected to give feedback, have had two weeks to “live with” Superintendent John Deasy’s propo
After mixup, West Valley charters facing anxiety over bills
A bureaucratic mistake at LA Unified has led to a degree of anxiety among affiliated charter schools in the West Valley, which will begin paying for classroom basics they had previously gotten for free from the district. A lack of oversight and confusion among several departments with little experience in understanding how affiliated charter school should operate, including school operations, scho
LA Unified says it followed the law in handling abuse reports
Mark Berndt, teacher accused of abusing children In the face of reports that Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt molested many more children than previously known, according to an LA County Sheriff’s investigation, LA Unified today said it followed prescribed legal regulations in dealing with reports of the allegations. The sheriff’s report included the assertion that the school distri
McKenna riding decades of experience into District 1 race
George McKenna Third in a series of profiles of candidates for LA Unified’s open District 1 board seat. At 73 years old and now retired as an LAUSD administrator and principal, George McKenna shows no signs of slowing down. With more than 35 years under his belt, serving in multiple roles in eight different schools in several districts, including principal at George Washington Preparatory High Sc
Morning Read: LAT endorses Tuck for state public education chief
Marshall Tuck for state superintendent of public instruction Opinion: Torlakson has been an able administrator, and after years as a state legislator, his relationships in Sacramento give him some influence on lawmaking. He deserves praise for his role in the state’s smooth implementation of the Common Core curriculum standards. But he has not brought much vision or leadership to his role. The big
MAY 01
Candidates for board seat, CA education chief at USC forum
Yet another education-related candidate forum has been scheduled for Los Angeles, this one on Saturday at USC, and it’s unusual in that it will include back-to-back conversations with candidates for the open board seat for LA Unified’s District 1, then another with those running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The co-sponsors — Parent Revolution, the Los Angeles Urban League and St
De Blasio announces contract deal with teachers’ union
Via The New York Times | By Michael M. Grynbaum and Nikita Stewart Mayor Bill de Blasio, confronting a key challenge of his first year in office, announced what he called a “landmark” labor deal on Thursday with New York City’s largest teachers’ union that officials said would provide a framework for dozens of other outstanding contracts with the municipal work force. The deal, hammered out in mar
USC ‘masters’ to hear grad speech from LAUSD’s Melendez
Thelma Melendez Commencement season is upon us and with it, the rush to find moving speakers to lead graduating students through the expensive right of passage. Sometimes schools get lucky, such as UC Irvine, which this year reeled in President Barak Obama by sending 10,000 postcards from students, staff and alumni, inviting him to be the guest of honor. Other times, schools look to their own past
JUST IN: Plan to use ‘Need Index’ to go before LAUSD board
In a surprise move, LA Unified school board will consider a resolution that supports the use of an alternative formula, known as the “Student Need Index,” in deciding how to distribute school funds throughout the district. LA School Report has learned that Monica Garcia and Board President Richard Vladovic have agreed to co-sponsor a resolution to put before the board at its next meeting, on May 1
Kayser sniffing out problems with scented soap in LAUSD schools
LA Unified Board member Bennett Kayser is not only thinking about the LCAP, arts education, and transitioning to Common Core standards, he’s also thinking about soap. Specifically, unscented soap. According to Kayser, who has championed a variety of health issues since joining the board, the almond-scented, goopy, pink soap found in nearly every restroom, classroom or kitchen on an LA Unified camp
Morning Read: LAUSD budget aims at helping foster children
LAUSD foster kids to get more help from school social workers Los Angeles Unified’s plan to help some of its most troubled students — foster kids — calls for creating a corps of social workers and manning 17 centers in poverty-stricken neighborhoods. If approved, the $32.7 million effort would hire 95 social workers to manage California’s largest classroom population of foster children, 11,604. LA
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LA Unified students ask Vladovic to use ‘index’ for needs
Fremont High students, on their way to see LAUSD Board President Richard Vladovic After weeks of trying, a group of students from Fremont High School finally got a meeting yesterday in the office of LA Unified Board President Richard Vladovic to promote their Special Need Index for use in the board budget negotiations. Vladovic wasn’t there, they were told, but they presented a petition with 4,300
22 LAUSD elementary schools make state’s ‘distinguished’ list
Nearly two dozen LA Unified schools were among the 424 elementary schools cited by the state today as California Distinguished Schools. The announcement came from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson who said, “I applaud these strong, thriving schools that are making such impressive strides in preparing their students for continued success.” The 2014 California Distinguished Sc
District 1 board candidates meeting twice in early May
Candidates for LA Unified’s District 1 board seat are participating in two forums in early May, but not all candidates are attending both. On May 7, Genethia Hudley-Hayes, George McKenna, Alex Johnson and Sherlett Hendy-Newbill will take questions from a moderator and the audience in an event organized by 10 community groups under the sponsorship of The California Endowment. Why just those four, a
Commentary: UTLA needs online voting for a wider union voice
By Linda Yaron A vote for online voting next month might be the most important decision UTLA members make as a union. It has the potential to systemically increase teacher participation at a foundational level of our union and make it far easier for all members to have a voice. As a 10-year teacher in LAUSD, I’ve seen, and have experienced, various levels of participation in the union. Though some
Decathlon title in hand, El Camino Real gets ready to celebrate
The winning teamPhoto: LA Daily News And now for the celebration. In honor of its seventh national Academic Decathlon championship, El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills is holding a rally tomorrow morning for a team that won the title last Saturday in Honolulu. Neighboring Granada Hills Charter High School, which had won the championship in each of the previous three years, placed
Morning Read: More troubles with iPads, local school bonds
iPad, Wi-Fi issues interrupt LA schools testing Teachers and students often grumble about end of the year tests,but at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the complaints are mounting: iPads the district purchased to take new state competency tests aren’t getting online. They’re having trouble connecting to keyboards. And, in some cases, they’re not turning on at all. KPCC Trouble ahead for l
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Zimmer: Congratulations for Caputo-Pearl, Thanks for Fletcher
Board Vice President Steve Zimmer The LA Unified School Distirct issued a statement from board vice president, Steve Zimmer, on the election of Alex Caputo-Pearl as president of UTLA, the teachers union: “I want to congratulate Alex Caputo-Pearl, and his team of candidates upon their election to the leadership of the nation’s second-largest teacher union, local United Teachers Los Angeles. “Throug
JUST IN: Caputo-Pearl wins decisively for UTLA president
Mr. President: Alex Caputo-PearlPhoto–LA Times Alex Caputo-Pearl was declared the new UTLA president today as he overwhelmed incumbent Warren Fletcher in the second-round of voting, the LA teachers union announced today. After outpolling Fletcher 2-1 in the first round, Caputo-Pearl beat him by more than 4-to-1 in the runoff, with 5,801 votes (80.18 percent) to Fletcher’s 1,434 (19.82 percent). In
Commentary: Another test, but what is it, exactly?
In a recent opinion piece in The New York Times, “When the Circus Descends,” David Brooks derided opponents of Common Core Standards, implying that they were ideologues on the far left and far right making “hysterical claims and fevered accusations.” But as I visit classrooms across the city talking to teachers about the Common Core, I don’t hear any hysterical claims or fevered accusations. I do
LA Times endorses McKenna for District 1 board seat
Via Los Angeles Times | By the editorial board The seven candidates for the District 1 seat on the Los Angeles Unified School Board include several teachers, a reality-show contestant and a former member of the board. The one who stands out, though, is former principal and district administrator George McKenna. In 1985, years before “school reform” became a buzz phrase, McKenna was profiled in Peo
LA Schools’ maintenance budget trails other large districts
Via KPCC | By Annie Gilbertson The Los Angeles Unified spends the least on maintenance and operations of California’s largest school district, according to new analysis by a district committee. The committee, which oversees bond money used for major repairs, argues the district should increase maintenance spending to avoid more costly work from deterioration created by compounding problems. “If yo
Morning Read: News on graduation rates and fidgety boys
California graduation rate rises, but achievement gap remains Commentary: Let’s assume, at least for discussion, that maximizing high school graduation rates is – or should be – the primary goal of any public school system. A corollary assumption, of course, is that a system’s diploma is meaningful, that it indicates the graduate is prepared to enter the workforce or seek post-high-school educatio
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LA Unified graduation rates up for third straight year
For the third straight year in LA Unified, the high school graduation rate increased and the dropout rate decreased. Last June, the graduation rate climbed to 67.9 percent, or 1.3 percentage points higher than the previous year. And more students stayed in school: The dropout rate for the same group fell by 3 percentage points, to 17.3. “Our rate of improvement is on par with the whole state, and
Students to school board: Neediest schools deserve more
Briana Lamb, encouraging students to sign the petition A new movement is brewing at Fremont High School, a school with a troubled past that has been at the epicenter of community and educational change many times over the years in south LA. For the past week, students there have been using an old-fashioned organizing tool — a petition drive – to bring a message directly to the LA Unified school bo
SEIU 99 president ‘still thinking’ about LAUSD board seat
Barbara Torres, president of SEIU Local 99, is “still thinking about running” for a seat on the LA Unified School Board against incumbent Bennett Kayser despite concerns raised by the union’s executive director, says her campaign manager Lewis Myers. “She has not made her decision yet,” Lewis told LA School Report. “There is a lot of good she could do for the families and students of LAUSD, and sh
Hendy-Newbill bringing a coach’s perspective to board race
Sherlett Hendy-Newbill Second in a series of profiles of candidates for the LA Unified’s open District 1 board seat. As a teacher, basketball coach and wife of a former NBA player, Sherlett Hendy-Newbill knows the value of teamwork, discipline and dedication. It’s those attributes she is promising to bring to the LA Unified school board if she succeeds in winning election for the vacant seat in D
Morning Read: Brown wants separate reserve for education
Governor’s proposed rainy day reserve for education would rarely be filled To even out the boom-and-bust revenue cycles that can particularly destabilize education funding, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing a separate reserve for K-12 schools and community colleges in his revised plan for a rainy day fund. But that lock box for education would gather dust most years because of the tight restrictions t
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City, LA Unified join forces for one-stop family needs centers
Lydia Ponce at the podium Once upon a time people turned to local parishes in times of need, whether they needed help for aid for family counseling, putting food on the table or finding safe shelter. Now, labor and city leaders in Los Angeles want that hub of help to be your local school. SEIU Local 99, the school workers union, is the driving force behind OASIS — Optimizing Access to Services, In
Hudley-Hayes still has big-name support in LAUSD board race
Genethia Hudley-Hayes Despite her inability to substantiate a number of academic credentials and other claims on her resume, Genethia Hudley-Hayes still has the backing of her major supporters in the race for the LA Unified District 1 board seat. “Outsiders don’t get it,” said one longtime south Los Angeles activist who spoke to LA School Report on the condition of anonymity. “Our community close
LA Unified can keep teacher ratings anonymous, judges say
Via the Los Angeles Times | By Teresa Watanabe The Los Angeles Unified School District does not need to release the names of teachers in connection with their performance ratings, according to a tentative court ruling issued Thursday. A three-judge state appellate court panel tentatively found a stronger public interest in keeping the names confidential than publicly releasing them. Disclosure wo
Morning Read: LAUSD receives $7 million federal tech grant
New federal grant will prepare graduates for high-demand careers The Los Angeles Unified School District received $7 million Youth CareerConnect grant to expand career pathways in health care, biotechnology and other tech-related opportunities at three high schools, as well as business and finance, another high growth area, on three additional campuses. Students will benefit from specialized instr