Tuesday, April 30, 2013

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, April 30, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

California and other states in white haven't submitted a waiver application responding to federal requirements. The 34 states in blue have waivers; the states in green have applications under review.

Fensterwald: Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts





Education Headlines

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

New middle school to open in Carmel Valley in 2015

In about two years, San Dieguito Union High School District officials plan to have a new middle school in Carmel Valley that will help reduce the number of students at another nearly campus.

Employees thank Monterey school board

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District trustees will take at least another week to decide how to proceed in the search for a new superintendent.

Johnson: Oakland charter school a cautionary tale

The pending closure of three Oakland charter schools that operate as part of American Indian Model Schools is a bona fide disaster for the institution's 1,200 students but a necessary evil for Oakland school board members who voted 4-3 last month to shut them down because of fiscal mismanagement.

TEMECULA: Claim filed against school district in drug bust

The parents of a student with autism who was accused of selling marijuana last year to an undercover deputy at a Temecula high school say they have filed a claim for damages against the school district.

Mt. Diablo school board narrows applicant pool for interim superintendent

The Mt. Diablo school board began whittling down applicants for interim superintendent Sunday, three days after severing ties with Superintendent Steven Lawrence and General Counsel Greg Rolen.

Freedberg: Washington and Sacramento must end cold war on education

Some high level diplomacy is called for to end the Cold War between Sacramento and Washington that has frozen out the state from benefiting from the major education initiatives of President Obama’s education reform agenda.

L.A. Unified board will back classroom breakfast program

A majority of L.A. Unified School Board members said they will vote to continue a classroom breakfast program that feeds nearly 200,000 children but was in danger of being axed after sharp criticism by the teachers union.

Fensterwald: Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts

Seven advocacy and civil rights organizations, led by Washington-based The Education Trust, have called on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to deny nine California districts a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law, saying any deviation from a statewide waiver “would be the wrong path forward.”

Brown's "principle of subsidiarity" draws support - with an asterisk

There's a paradox in many of the reactions to Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to give California schools more flexibility on how they spend their state tax dollars. There's general support around the Capitol for breaking down the funding walls surrounding several dozen programs. But everyone seems to have a favorite program they want to protect.

Adams: Positive school climate boosts test scores, study says

It’s the million-dollar question or, given the size of the California education budget, the $50-billion-dollar question: What makes extraordinarily successful schools different from other schools? The answer: school climate, according to a new study from WestEd, a San Francisco-based research agency.

High-stakes test time for state's schools

At Beaumont Elementary and K-12 schools across California, state-mandated standardized testing is a high-stakes affair reflected in all manner of preparations by teachers and administrators.
Monday, April 29, 2013

CHRISTINE FRAZIER: A new funding model for next generation of students

This year, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a complete overhaul of education funding that I believe will provide greater equity in funding to California's school districts based on the differential costs of educating California's students.

Skelton: Gov. Brown as Robin Hood

His plan to shift money from suburban to urban districts might help disadvantaged students but it could hurt other kids.

Linden schools simmer with unhappiness

Tensions remain high in the Linden Unified School District, where parents have expressed frustration and distrust in Superintendent Michael Gonzales.