Wednesday, August 8, 2012

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Education Headlines

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Education roundup: Greenfield poised to borrow money to pay bills

The Greenfield Union School District board on Wednesday is expected to approve a resolution to borrow $15 million from the Kern County Board of Education to help make ends meet, and also review a new board policy that will have trustees pay 10 percent of their medical benefits.

Lodi Unified secures energy funds

Lodi Unified will take on a $1 million loan from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to pay for energy-saving upgrades at six north Stockton school sites, hoping the fixes will save the district $116,000 over a 10-year period.

Palo Alto education foundation announces $4.75M fundraising goal

In response to ongoing state budget cuts, Palo Alto Partners in Education announced Tuesday it aims to surpass last year's record donation to the Palo Alto Unified School District. The nonprofit education foundation's 2012-13 fundraising target is $4.75 million, or $250,000 more than what it gave this year.

School district, union reach settlement

With two days left before the beginning of school, the Jurupa Unified School District and the union representing teachers, counselors and nurses, announced on Monday, Aug. 6, that they had reached a tentative agreement for the 2012-13 school year.

Bond measure approved for ballot

Temecula school board members voted unanimously Tuesday morning to put a $165 million bond before voters in November.

Last-second preparations as school opens Wednesday

Major renovation took place this summer at most schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District — all thanks to proceeds from Measure P, the $110 million bond voters approved in 2010.

$260 million could go to much needed repairs at Valley schools

Come November, San Ramon Valley voters will be asked to approve a $260 million bond measure to cover school repairs, renovations and new construction.

Report: Ravenswood has nation's highest suspension rates for Asian/Pacific Islander students

The Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto has suspended nearly one in five Asian/Pacific Islander students, the highest suspension rate for that ethnic group in the nation, according to a study released Tuesday by UCLA's Center for Civil Rights Remedies.

Report pinpoints high-suspension districts

African American students are more than three times as likely to be handed out-of-school suspensions as are white children, according to an extensive study released Tuesday by education researchers affiliated with UCLA.

Policies proposed to boost boys of color

State leaders should revise school testing and funding, extend health care coverage for those aging out of foster care, and make it harder for schools to suspend and expel - all to improve the odds of success for boys and young men of color in California.

Distinct choice for ‘parent trigger’ families in Adelanto

Two nearby charter school operators have expressed interest in running a besieged elementary school in the Mojave Desert town of Adelanto, ending worries of organizers of the state’s first successful “parent trigger” that their invitation for applicants to take over their school might go unanswered.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Chaffey district placing $848M bond on November ballot

In an effort to put all of its schools on an even footing, the Chaffey Joint Union High School district will ask voters to approve a $848 million bond this November.

West Contra Costa school district gets OK to close Castro Elementary, relocate Portola Middle School

In the wake of a favorable ruling by a state appeals court, the West Contra Costa Unified School District is moving forward quickly with plans to demolish shuttered Castro Elementary School and start construction on a new Portola Middle School on the Donal Avenue site.

Summer ends early for LAUSD students, school starts Aug. 14

After just seven weeks of summer vacation, school will begin Aug. 14. That's three weeks earlier than LAUSD's traditional post-Labor Day start, although classes will also end two weeks early, finishing up on May 31.