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Thursday, January 17, 2013

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Fensterwald: It’s final - State Board shifts policy on eighth grade Algebra




Education Headlines

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Board nixes legal fees for schools boss

Not only did the San Ysidro school board reject a plan Tuesday night to pay criminal defense fees for Superintendent Manuel Paul, the board also placed him on administrative leave for 45 days.

Alliance of big city school districts aims for more healthful meals

The Los Angeles Unified School District and five others are striving to make wholesome food a national standard. They're working on biodegradable trays and utensils as well. Each district has been assigned a specific project.

LAUSD looks to save on cost of food, but not on taste

Los Angeles Unified is joining with other large U.S. school districts in a "historic" alliance designed to drive food costs down and quality up as part of a growing movement to provide youngsters with tasty and healthful cafeteria meals.

Suspected norovirus outbreak hits Lafayette school

A suspected norovirus outbreak at a Lafayette elementary school this past week -- one of 10 active cases in Contra Costa County -- has health officials reminding residents to take precautions to avoid the contagious bug in the final months of the flu season.

Which reserve to fund help for schools?

Funding for after-school and summer-school programs to help make sure about 1,900 San Francisco juniors can graduate in 2014 is stuck in a political tussle not over whether schools should get the money, but where it should come from.

Brentwood superintendent says 'legal limitations' kept abusive teacher in district

The Brentwood special education teacher convicted of throwing a 5-year-old special needs student onto a classroom floor and kicking him was transferred to another class and not fired because of "legal limitations" on teacher personnel decisions, the district superintendent said Wednesday.

Baron: President says mental health key to school safety

President Obama wants to add up to 1,000 more mental health counselors and safety officers in the nation’s schools to improve safety.

$950,000 to be paid in Brentwood case

The Brentwood Unified School District has agreed to pay $950,000 to a Concord family whose 5-year-old special-needs son was hurled to the floor and kicked by his elementary-school teacher.

Fensterwald: It’s final - State Board shifts policy on eighth grade Algebra

The State Board of Education ended a decade-long controversial policy of pushing eighth graders to take Algebra I when members voted unanimously Wednesday to strip California’s Algebra I standards from the state’s eighth grade math standards.

Skelton: Help school districts by letting them raise their own tax revenue

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to help inner-city schools at the expense of suburbanites. But there must be a better way to assist the disadvantaged than to trigger class warfare. And there is. It is to give school districts a better opportunity to raise their own tax revenue.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Sadness, solidarity on display as classes resume at Taft Union High School

Sadness, anxiety and even some hope were evident Tuesday as Taft Union High School resumed classes for the first time since Thursday's shooting left a student in critical condition and another facing attempted murder charges.

Lodi Unified administrator's 'out-of-the-box' promotion saves $175,000

The Lodi Unified School District has made another reorganization among its top administrators, eliminating an assistant superintendent position.

Campus safety on Stockton USD hearts and minds

Given Stockton crime rates and the horrific school shootings last month in Connecticut, it was no surprise that security at district campuses was a prime topic at the board's first meeting of 2013.