Thursday, January 9, 2014

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, January 9, 2014

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Fensterwald: Gates Foundation considers major Common Core grant program in California






Education Headlines

Thursday, January 9, 2014
FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Mariposa superintendent is Denair Unified’s pick for new schools leader

Mariposa County Unified School District Superintendent Aaron Rosander is Denair’s choice for its new schools chief. A former science teacher, Rosander, 57, is the elected head of the Mariposa County Office of Education and its countywide unified school district. He is expected to take the reins at Denair Unified on Feb. 8, assuming the board confirms the selection at its meeting tonight.

New school discipline guidelines aim to improve school climates

Guidelines released jointly on Wednesday by the U.S. departments of Education and Justice could help districts such as West Contra Costa find a reasonable balance between coming down hard on misbehavior and letting students get away with transgressions with few repercussions.

Fresno Unified set to buy almost 15,000 tablets

Fresno Unified students could get their hands on almost 15,000 tablets this year, following a ramp-up in technology at schools across the state as California districts prepare for new state computerized tests.

Fensterwald: Gates Foundation considers major Common Core grant program in California

Having largely steered clear of making education grants in California over the last half-decade, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is weighing whether to invest substantially in helping California’s teachers successfully put the Common Core standards into practice.

State leaders demand heat repairs at Twin Rivers

State leaders are calling on Twin Rivers Unified School District officials to ensure that all of their students have heat in their classrooms.

Transgender rights could be overturned

A referendum drive to block a new law giving transgender students more choice in the restrooms and locker rooms they use cleared a key hurdle Wednesday but there is no guarantee that it will qualify for the November ballot.

EdSource: Brown projects big increase in school spending in next state budget

With state revenues surging, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to raise K-12 spending in next year’s state budget a healthy $725 per student – 8.5 percent on average – and to use additional new dollars to wipe the last $6 billion of late payment to schools, known as deferrals, off the books.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Kern High School District superintendent to retire

Kern High School District Superintendent Don Carter has announced that he will retire at the end of the school year. Carter has been with the district for 38 years, serving as superintendent for the last 10.

District paid $900,000 to settle whistleblower lawsuits

The Kern High School District has agreed to pay two former employees a total of $900,000 to settle wrongful termination lawsuits. John Fox and Clemon Williams Jr., former assistant directors in the district's maintenance and operations department, sued in September 2011, saying they were fired after calling attention to problems in the way maintenance contracts were awarded.

Norwalk-La Mirada school board takes first step toward $375 million bond

The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Board of Education Monday took the first step toward placing a $375 million bond issue on the ballot in November.

Anti-AB1266 referendum's fate hinges on LA County signatures

Unless signature-gatherers in Los Angeles County got a higher rate of valid signatures than their counterparts in 52 other counties, an effort to halt a new law giving additional legal protections to transgender public school students looks doomed.

California Democrats propose universal preschool for 4-year-olds

In a move that would broadly expand public education, California Democrats on Tuesday proposed creating universal preschool for 4-year-olds, to try to enroll more children from immigrant and low-income families.

LA Unified staff received free iPad before contract

Los Angeles Unified School District employees received free iPads from the global curriculum company Pearson as part of a 2012 conference sales pitch - and one of them later served on a district team that selected Pearson and Apple for a contract to provide every student and teacher with a tablet, according to testimony Tuesday.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014

District withholds details on whistleblower lawsuit settlement terms

The Kern High School District has finally reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by two former employees who alleged they were wrongfully terminated more than two years ago for calling attention to the way maintenance contracts were awarded.

Smooth day at Stockton USD

If you're part of Stockton Unified's vast after-school program - 4,000 children at 39 elementary schools - staying late has its advantages.

Arcohe Union School District seeks principal

Arcohe Union School District is looking for a new principal to head its sole school, the first time in several years there has been a division between that position and the superintendent's.

Transgender student rights law goes into effect

As classes resumed in many Southern California districts on Monday, a new law is in effect that gives new legal rights to transgender public school students.

Anaheim High School violated AP exam rules