3-21-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):

‘Union Power’ wins big but most UTLA members didn’t vote

UITLA’s election drew only 23 percent of the membership UTLA is headed in a new direction —  mostly veering to the left. Despite a low turnout, Union Power candidates claimed victory today, with wins in nearly every leadership position within UTLA, the nation’s second-largest teachers union. The progressive group — which plans to call for a strike if a new teacher contract can’t be negotiated soon

by Vanessa Romo / 3min 

Defense rests in Vergara after a battle over dismissal stats

Vivian Ekchian The defense closed its case today in Vergara v. California with an examination of an LA Unified administrator that was designed to show that the state laws under challenge did not impede the district’s effort to get rid of ineffective teachers. On Monday, court resumes with the plaintiffs’ opening a short rebuttal phase of the trial, leading to closing arguments next Thursday. Marce

by Michael Janofsky / 8min 

Morning Read: Public turned away from LAUSD iPad demo

Public denied access to LA school officials’ iPad software demonstration Members of the L.A. Unified school board and a committee investigating the iPad project were given the first demonstration of the tablet’s educational software Wednesday evening – but the public wasn’t invited and a KPCC reporter was not allowed in the room. KPCC California public schools to test students via computers Next

39min 

Caputo-Pearl, Fletcher moving on to runoff in UTLA election

Alex Caputo-Pearl All that criticism of Warren Fletcher as a weak UTLA president and of Alex Caputo-Pearl as a campaign rules scofflaw apparently didn’t make much difference. They emerged as the top two vote-getters for the president of United Teacher Los Angeles in the first round of voting in the union’s 2014 election campaign and are now headed to a runoff. The survivor wins a three-year term.

2min hide  //  save  

3-20-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: Delayed pension funds may cost taxpayersDelays would mean bigger costs for shoring up teacher pension fund The longer California’s leaders delay shoring up the cash-strapped teacher pension fund, the more money it will cost taxpayers in the long run, according to an analysis presented to law

by mike simpson / 22h 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, March 21, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

EdSource: School funding reforms spark push to get parent input

How is the Russian takeover of Crimea like the new SCUSD LCAP Parent Group power grab?

How is the Russian takeover of Crimea like the new SCUSD LCAP Parent Group power grab?If you didn't see the Board Meeting it will be available on Tuesday 3-25-14: SCUSD's Propaganda Chief  Gabe Ross declared elected parent representatives (DAC, DLAC, Site Councils) The "Usual Suspects" and appointed a "parent" group to fulfill the Corporate Education Reform Agenda. I am persona

by mike simpson / 17min 

Education Headlines

Friday, March 21, 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.

Bassett Unified hires Alex Rojas as deputy superintendent

La Puente Valley Regional Occupational Program’s superintendent will take over as second-in-command in the Bassett Unified School District starting April 1.

North Monterey teachers, district at impasse

Fed up over years without a pay raise and rising class sizes, teachers in the North Monterey County Unified School District are taking to the picket lines.

‘Many causes for concern’ found in audit of Rialto Unified’s spending

“Many causes for concern” in how the Rialto Unified School District spends its money were found in the audit report given to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office two weeks ago.

State schools leader promises drought relief for Valley districts

 California schools facing temporary closures, or increased numbers of absences due to the drought, can breathe a sigh of relief following an announcement Wednesday that the state won't punish districts when budget time comes around later this year.

Improprieties found in operation of Beverly Hills camp

A report commissioned by the Beverly Hills Unified School District has found a number of financial and ethical improprieties related to a summer sports camp that was run by the high school principal — including his failure to report more than $40,000 in earnings.

Santa Clara County School Board names interim superintendent

The Santa Clara County Board of Education early Thursday named Mary Ann Dewan as interim superintendent of the County Office of Education, effective Friday.

EdSource: School funding reforms spark push to get parent input

California’s new school funding law has sparked a major push to get input from parents, at least in most school districts being tracked by EdSource in diverse parts of the state.

Race to lead L.A. teachers union headed to runoff

The contest to head the nation's second-largest teachers union will go to a second round, pitting incumbent Warren Fletcher against challenger Alex Caputo-Pearl.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Desert Sands teachers set for raises

Negotiation teams in the Desert Sands Unified School District have agreed on a 2 percent raise for teachers, retroactive to Aug. 29. The deal includes an additional 1 percent raise effective from the beginning of May through the end of the school year, according to a joint news release issued by the district and the union.

Petition for charter school draws uproar

Representatives from local school districts barraged the San Joaquin County Board of Education with requests to deny a proposed charter school petition Wednesday in a public hearing that resulted in the Academy of Arts and Sciences withdrawing its request to open its World Language Academy as a countywide benefit.

Sweetwater board member pleads out

Sweetwater Union High School District board member Pearl Quiñones pleaded guilty in the South County political corruption case on Tuesday, in a deal that will remove her from office.

Trustee, interim leader stepping down

A longtime trustee of the beleaguered San Ysidro School District has resigned and the interim superintendent will step down from the role she has held for the past eight months. The announcements came at a special board meeting Wednesday night.

Bond measure could benefit each district school

If the Corona-Norco school board asks voters to approve a bond measure in November, almost every school – even the newest – would get upgrades to expand Internet capacity. A proposed $386 million bond would also build two new schools in Eastvale, improve buildings at 21 schools, modernize four more and replace portable classrooms with permanent buildings at 20 schools.

Tamalpais superintendent acknowledges misstep in reporting board vote

The superintendent of the Tamalpais Union High School District acknowledged Wednesday officials likely erred in not announcing a vote tally immediately after a closed-door session in which the board agreed to dismiss several teachers last week.

Kentfield School District loses key rulings in lawsuit over school for disabled

A property dispute between the Kentfield School District and the Marin County Board of Education swung in the county's favor Wednesday with a series of rulings by a Marin Superior Court judge.

Frey: Districts will get extra funding for foster students, but state has to find them first

Under the state’s new school finance law, districts for the first time will receive additional funds based on the number of foster students enrolled in their schools. The law also requires that, by July, districts set academic goals for those students. But just identifying them by then is a problem.

Student's alleged 'hit list' prompts armed guard at O.C. campus

A Santa Ana charter school said it would keep an armed guard on campus at least until spring break after a student allegedly created a "hit list" of schoolmates and threatened to carry out a campus attack.

U.S. Education secretary praises L.A. program

Tucked in the corner of a grimy East Hollywood strip mall is a shining hope of public education. Or so U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday in an event that showcased a comprehensive program to boost academic achievement by supporting students and their families with job training, health services, after-school tutoring and other help.

3-21-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Seattle Schools and Opting Out

I'll have to ask SPS just what happens if a student opts out of a school-wide test.  But here is what is happening in other parts of the country (and it's just wrong).From the Washington Post's The Answer Sheet, the policy of "sit and stare."  Districts and schools are allowing students to opt out but only if they sit still for the entire duration of the test.  No reading, no homework, n

by Melissa Westbrook / 2min 

Friday Open Thread

Seattle Education blog is having a Meetup.  It's An Opt-Out Workshop with Jesse Hagopian (currently running on the SEE slate- Social Equality Educators - for SEA president).It's Wednesday, March 26th at 6:30 p.m.  RSVP: seattled@icloud.com (you must RSVP to attend as it is being held at a private home.) What's on your mind?

1 by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

3-20-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scenes from Last Night's Board MeetingLast night's Board meeting saw the honoring of four (!) SPS basketball championship teams.  (My apologies to Garfield's boys basketball team - I managed to flub my photos of them.)Ballard High School Beavers -Special Olympics Unified Basketball TeamCleveland High School Lady Eagles- 3A State ChampsRainier Beach Vikings - 3A Sta

by mike simpson / 21h 

Closing the Generation Gap in Our Unions | InterACT

Closing the Generation Gap in Our Unions | InterACT:

Closing the Generation Gap in Our Unions

MARCH 21, 2014

tags: engagement, generation, union

by Lisa Alva Wood

Teachers are tribal people. We build a nice little fortress and stay inside as much as possible, defending the gates when necessary. This tribalism has saved us in an ever-shifting landscape, but it’s got its limitations and it may soon be the cause of our demise. The two big tribes now are Old Generation and Next Generation teachers, and the most obvious place of need is our local unions. The Next Gen teachers are attracted by the glamour of the reform groups and the promise of an amplified voice; the Old Gen prefers the lunchroom and the union hall. Over the last school year I’ve gotten the chance to hang out with 58 Next Gen teachers from 17 states, courtesy of the NEA. I’ve learned that we’re lined up on either side of a generation gap that is worlds apart, but that each side is a critical part of the equation. We need each other more than we will benefit from sticking with our tribe.

Because the origins of unions are rooted in staying alive in a hostile environment, the Old Generation totally gets the need for protection, collective bargaining and the need to jump up and down once in a while. The Old Gen safeguards everyone’s rights whether they like it or not – experience has taught them that careers are subject to the whim of the public, politicians, and now philanthropists. We once did believe that our good work would be our protection from harm or unfair practices; we never saw the need for pensions or fully-funded health benefits as youngsters. And then life taught us something – we’re treading faster for less money and less respect, and 

3-21-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

As CPS sends investigators into schools to interrogate opt out students.

CPS parent and teacher Michelle Gunderson labels her child before sending him to school.

13 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Klonsky, you’re no Svengali.

Fred, IEA leadership is as inbred as it can possibly be. You are just not part of the club, so you must be attacked and eliminated. In IEA land, leadership comments are constructive, while anyone else is “anti-union”. When questions are asked, or explanations requested, they become indignant. This is “Do as you are told!” land. How dare you question them or how they run a union that they consider

by Fred Klonsky / 51min 

IEA ex-President Haisman accuses.

- Bob Haisman, former IEA President. Klonsky posted his latest Anti-IEA blog this AM…. entitled ….”IEA President Cinda Klickna tolerates no dissent. Her language turns ugly.” ….WOW! All I can say is Klonsky must have grown up in a very Cloistered environment (No wonder he likes his Ivory Tower so much — where he can be detached from the real world.) If President Klickna’s words “tolerate no dissen

19 by Fred Klonsky / 1h hide  //  save

Ten minute drawing. Enhanced interrogation at Drummond.

8 by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

3-20-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: John Dillon. Good cops and bad: Rauner and Rimel.- John Dillon publishes Pension Vocabulary where this piece was first posted. My email from Rebecca Rimel couldn’t have come at a worse time. Bruce Rauner had just won the nomination to run as the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Illinois, and the

by mike simpson / 24min 

New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline begin in preschool 

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Are we treating all kids the same?

Previous Posts

• Governors and school superintendents: Are they bound to be foes in view of budget strains? 
  March 20, 2014
• Grady High coach says he didn’t hinder Atlanta Public Schools’ probe of football fraud
  March 19, 2014
• Georgia Board of Regents bans all tobacco products from its campuses and facilities
  March 19, 2014

By Maureen Downey

A consistent research finding – reinforced by a federal review released today -- is that minority students experience disproportionate school discipline starting in the preschool.

And a consistent rejoinder on this blog is that minority students are more likely to engage in behaviors that land them in trouble.

But the research challenges that assumption. Even when they commit the exact same offense as white students, black students suffer more severe consequences, according to research.

There is a growing concern among researchers over disparities in school discipline, especially suspensions which have been shown to increase the odds of students dropping out. And there is a lot of effort to make the public more aware of why schools need to rethink discpline approaches and policies.

Here is an example:

A group of 26 nationally recognized experts from the social science, education and legal fields - 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-20-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

PUBLIC DENIED ACCESS TO LA SCHOOL OFFICIALS’ iPAD SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATION + smf’s 2¢

by Annie Gilbertson, KPCC 89.3 FM  Pass/Fail | http://bit.ly/1iKxBrj Tom Pennington/Getty Images March 20th, 2014, 3:11pm  ::  Members of the L.A. Unified school board and a committee investigating the iPad project were given the first demonstration of the tablet's educational software Wednesday evening - but the public wasn't invited and a KPCC reporter was not allowed in the room. The

by smf / 6min  

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-19-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Learning To Think Is The GoalLetter to the Los Angeles Times | http://bit.ly/OksXFm Re “Common Core learning curve,” Editorial, March14 http://t.co/EHTNQkunD3 Not mentioned in the editorial is the astonishing amount of testing required by Common Core and the requirement that testing be done online. No Child Left Behind required tests “only” at the end o

by mike simpson / 21h 

“Social Welfare Agencies” Spending Millions to Push Privatization of Education | janresseger

“Social Welfare Agencies” Spending Millions to Push Privatization of Education | janresseger:

“Social Welfare Agencies” Spending Millions to Push Privatization of Education

Posted on March 21, 2014 by janresseger

While states continue to spend less money on public education than they did in 2007 prior to the Great Recession, lots of people are spending lavishly to promote what is frequently called the corporate school reform movement that features various forms of privatization. It is virtually impossible to follow and master all the details of what is happening.  Every once in awhile, however, this blog highlights some examples of the ways money is being spent to buy the policies that shape the education of our children.  This is one of those posts.

The recent and startlingly lavish publicity campaign against New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s effort to reign in the excesses of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s favored charter schools is a good place to start. Yesterday the New York Daily News reported that in the past three weeks a not-for-profit organization called Families for Excellent Schools has spent $3.6 million airing TV ads that attack Mayor de Blasio for denying Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy Charter Schools the right to co-locate three schools into public school facilities in New York City.  Mayor de Blasio had granted co-location rights to the majority of Moskowitz’s schools that applied for free space, but denied these three because they would endanger very young children by placing them with much older students in high schools or would infringe on the rights of students with disabilities by taking the rooms used for physical therapy and other special services.  To provide a little context, the Daily News reporter described the $3.6 million add buy: “the amount candidates typically spend in three weeks of a heated mayoral primary.”

So… what is Families for Excellent Schools and who are its financial supporters?  In March