Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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Education Headlines

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Review of Twin Rivers police focuses on vehicles, weapons, command structure

The Twin Rivers Police Department has curtailed its emphasis on traffic enforcement, and more operational changes will follow if the school district police force moves forward with recommendations in a report released Tuesday.

Documents detail alleged illegal loans to Twin Rivers trustee

Money orders, bank statements and credit card bills are among the documents Twin Rivers Unified School District officials turned over to authorities as evidence trustee Cortez Quinn allegedly accepted $55,000 in illegal loans from a school district employee.

Arcohe Union School District struggles with $150,000 deficit

The superintendent of the tiny Herald school district is searching for $150,000 in ongoing cuts to balance the 2012-13 budget after trustees there denied two motions to lay off teachers. But Arcohe Union School District Superintendent Jim Shock does not know where the money will come from.

SD Unified lays off more than 1,500

After months of rallies, protests and unsuccessful pleas for union concessions, the San Diego school board Tuesday night finalized sweeping personnel cuts that could drive up class size and leave roughly one in five teachers in the district without a job come September.

Schools pull plug on East Coast trips

The era of the eighth-grade East Coast trip is over for San Diego schools, ending a rite of passage that has brought history alive for generations of students — while leaving those who cannot afford it at home.

Upland Unified board gets the ominous word that more cuts on the horizon

The Upland Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday was updated on the current budget situation and cuts that need to be made for the 2012-13 academic year.

Board member allegedly sought buyout to quit

Two Moreno Valley school board members said Tuesday night, May 22, that fellow board member Mike Rios asked the board to pay him to resign when they met at a Riverside County jail in April, an allegation Rios flatly denied.

Mt. Diablo school board appoints two principals; trustee says district must address school problems

Dozens of Mt. Diablo school district union members protested past cuts to their hours and benefits and told board members Monday night they don't want future ones, either.

LAUSD board OKs college-prep plan

With just three months to go before a mandatory college-prep curriculum takes effect, the Los Angeles Unified board gave lukewarm support Tuesday to a policy that outlines how the program will be implemented.

Sac schools get $4.1 million in federal grants for afterschool, summer learning programs

After-school and summer learning programs offered at Sacramento City Unified School District campuses will get a boost from more than $4 million in federal grants, the district learned this month.

Vargo: Schools must repair their other damaged infrastructure, relationships

If Governor Brown is serious, as it seems he is, about valuing local control and local decision-making, then the goal of state policy should be to foster a vibrant and locally-responsive set of service providers that can provide ongoing professional development, coaching, and support to schools and districts. What it takes to do this is both simple and difficult; it takes two scarce ingredients: money and trust.

Individual districts may apply for $400 million, fourth-round RTT grant

Individual or groups of school districts are eligible for a shot at millions of dollars under the latest ‘Race to the Top’ federal grant program, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.

Fensterwald: Race to the Top opens up to districts

California school districts will finally be able to seek Race to the Top money without interference and resistance from Gov. Jerry Brown and state officials.

Assembly school finance guru sides with Brown on Prop. 98

The state's fiscal analyst has explained one way lawmakers could avoid Gov. Jerry Brown's deepest cuts, but the Legislature's top education finance aide said today that solution is unconstitutional.

Oakland schools' black male students at risk

By the time they reach middle school, more than half of the African American males in Oakland show signs they'll miss high school graduation day, with suspensions and chronic absenteeism topping the list of common characteristics among them, according to a study released Tuesday.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Long Beach education officials wary of financial future

Gov. Jerry Brown had a clear message in his budget plan released on Monday - Funding for public schools will depend on voters in November.

Norwalk-La Mirada, Paramount join growing list of cash-strapped school districts

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified and Paramount Unified are two of 176 school districts to receive qualified certifications, meaning the school districts are in