Thursday, March 13, 2014

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Fresno teachers pack district board meeting in protest over waiver


Education Headlines

Thursday, March 13, 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.

Kern HSD to revamp administrative structure, add job

The Kern High School District school board Wednesday voted to create a new assistant superintendent position that will blend instructional and business responsibilities.

Oxnard Union teachers say time now for pay hike

With increased state funding for schools expected in the next academic year, teachers and other employees in the Oxnard Union High School District think it’s time for a raise.

Trustees stay the course in pursuing Pacific View auction

Hundreds of emails and the personal pleas of more than a dozen speakers Tuesday night wasn’t enough to sway trustees in the Encinitas Union School District to delay the auction of the Pacific View School site.

Rialto school board appoints interim superintendent

Five days after the announced retirement of Superintendent Harold Cebrun, the school board appointed an interim replacement. Associate Superintendent of Business Services Mohammad Z. Islam has served as the 26,485-student district’s acting superintendent since Cebrun was placed on administrative leave in September.

Salinas schools switch on energy saving plans

In 1954, the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education struck a blow against racial discrimination in public schools. Also that year, the New York Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in four games to win the World Series. And in Salinas, most of the windows at Roosevelt Elementary School were installed.

Woodland schools saw dramatic growth under retiring superintendent

Debra LaVoi read a student essay on the solar system, asked questions about “Cat in the Hat” and watched fifth-graders take a math test at the Science and Technology Academy in Knights Landing last week. It was the third school the Woodland Joint Unified superintendent had visited before lunch.

Schools’ financial health improving

In a coincidence, the state Department of Education mentioned Yucaipa-Calimesa Unified on a list of school districts in financial jeopardy at the same time district trustees signed off on an updated report that suggests its financial health is improving.

Monterey Peninsula USD makes offer to interim superintendent candidate

Trustees with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District have offered the position of interim superintendent to William Brand. Brand would replace departing Interim Superintendent Leslie Codianne, who is scheduled to retire at the end of the month.

Palm Springs Unified eliminates reduced lunch prices

The Palm Springs Unified School District will eliminate reduced-price lunches next school year, expanding its free lunch program to serve no-cost meals to students who live on the edge of poverty.

Students speak up on controversy over Centinela Valley superintendent pay

The controversy roiling the Centinela Valley high school district over the extraordinary compensation package of the superintendent has energized teachers, taxpayers, politicians and school officials for weeks, but this week’s school board meeting added a new group of stakeholders to the fray: students.

Upland Unified board predicts balanced budgets for the next two years

In a span of months, the Upland Unified School District went from facing mounting debts and insolvency to cutting its deficit by two-thirds, balancing its budget and being able to meet its financial obligations for the next two school years.

Report: Fresno County Sikh students say they're bullied at school

Sikh students living in Fresno County say they are regularly bullied at school, and many of them say educators do nothing about it when such aggression is reported, according to a national survey being released Thursday.

Fresno teachers pack district board meeting in protest over waiver

Nearly 500 Fresno Teachers Association members dressed in black packed into the Fresno Unified School District board meeting in protest Wednesday night and returned hundreds of copies of the CORE waiver that will let the district set accountability measures for itself.

L.A. school board approves amended contract for Supt. John Deasy

Los Angeles Unified schools Supt. John Deasy has a newly modified contract that includes an annual buyout of unused vacation days and new performance measures that require him to bring in revenue and enroll more students.

Change teachers' tenure? California State Board of Education says 'not now' to San Jose request

Signaling the sensitivity of making even modest changes in how California runs public schools, the State Board of Education on Wednesday delayed action on an unusual request from San Jose Unified School District and its teachers union to change the length of probation for new teachers.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Deal would give Kern HSD teachers 5 percent raise

Teachers in the Kern High School District would -- under a tentative agreement put in writing Tuesday -- receive a 4 percent salary raise next school year and a 1 percent raise this year, the first ongoing salary increase in seven years.

Stockton USD trustees reject search for admin. building

Stockton Unified trustees Tuesday night rejected a request by school district officials to begin researching sites for a new administrative building to replace the aging offices at 701 N. Madison St. and paying for it through bond Measure E.

Lodi Unified School District ratifies teacher agreement

Members of the Lodi Unified School District board voted to approve the tentative agreement reached with the Lodi Education Association on Tuesday night at a special board meeting.

Upland schools in better financial shape

After months of concern over Upland’s dire financial picture, the district on Tuesday was singing another tune: it can pay its bills now.

Embattled Centinela Valley school district Superintendent Jose Fernandez gives himself pay cut at stormy meeting

Kicking off a wild school board meeting that drew some 300 furious residents, Centinela Valley high school district Superintendent Jose Fernandez — who has come under intense scrutiny for a compensation package that amounted to $663,000 last year — announced he would voluntarily cut many of the perks embedded in his contract, bringing his salary to $295,000.