UTLA votes to endorse McKenna in District 1 board race
George McKenna The LA teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to endorse George McKenna for LA Unified’s District 1 board seat in the August runoff election. McKenna, a retired administrator, had no direct ties to the union and in his winning primary campaign struck a note of independence in assessing various issues. But in the end, said Marco Flores, chairman of the union’s political action commit
Hendy-Newbill endorses McKenna in the District 1 runoff
Sherlett Hendy-Newbill Sherlett Hendy Newbill, the Dorsey High teacher who finished third in the District 1 school board race, is throwing her support behind George McKenna in the August runoff. McKenna, a former administrator, was the top vote getter in the June 3 primary, with 43.7 percent of the vote. He will face the runner-up, Alex Johnson, an aide to LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas,
Vergara ruling gets mixed reaction from school board
Predictably, the historic superior court decision yesterday in the Vergara case elicited mixed reactions from members of the LA Unified school board. The ruling, which found California laws dictating teacher tenure, seniority rights and dismissal practices unconstitutional, is seen as huge blow to teacher unions and a boost to education reformers. Here is what a handful of board members had to say
New state money helping LAUSD expand services for foster youth
The new state funding formula that is sending more money into LA Unified is enabling the district to expand programs for foster youth, a group of students who have been under-served by the district for years. The LAUSD student population currently includes between 8,500 and 11,600 foster youth, as much as 12 percent of the total foster youth in the state. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, the
Analysis: The long wait for the impact — if any — of Vergara
Marcellus McRae, a lawyer for Vergara plaintiffs at a news conference yesterday Now what? Two years after Vergara v California was filed and one stunning Superior Court decision later, the long wait to a final resolution now begins in earnest. Will Judge Rolf Treu’s lower court decision stand? He knocked out five California laws that he viewed as unconstitutional, violating state laws that guarant
Deasy’s revised budget for LAUSD a ‘doggone’ improvement
The LA Unified Board of Education got one step closer yesterday to approving Superintendent John Deasy’s 2014-15 school budget. And unless the six-member board makes radical changes over the next two weeks, his work, which includes plans for divvying up $332 million in new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) monies, will carry the day. Passage would signify a major political triumph for Deasy, wi
Morning Read: Revised bill may hurt kindergarten enrollment
Eligibility for transitional kindergarten threatened under revised bill Nearly half of California’s currently eligible 4-year-olds would lose their eligibility to enroll in transitional kindergarten in 2015 if a bill that passed the Senate last week gets the governor’s approval. The bill would expand transitional kindergarten, a program for children who turn 5 in the first few months of the school
6-10-14 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): LIVESTREAM coverage of today’s LAUSD school board meetingThe LA Unified School Board will meet all day today, starting at 9 a.m. with a closed door session. The agenda is here). But the fireworks don’t begin until 1 p.m., when the board will reconvene for its regular board meeting, open to the public, Tha