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Internal document shows LA Unified disputes some findings of UTLA-funded study on charter schools
Six weeks ago LA teachers union officials told the LA Unified school board that independent charter schools were costing the district about $500 million each year. School board member Monica Ratliff called on Superintendent Michelle King to provide the board an analysis of the union-funded study on independent charter schools from which the figure was...
By Sarah Favot | June 21, 2016
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Parents fear for dual-language Mandarin program if charter joins campus
Angelica Lopez Moyes is amazed that her 1st-grade son can speak Mandarin. But she is concerned that his dual-language immersion program at Castelar Street Elementary School could be jeopardized if a charter is co-located on the campus. Castelar, founded in 1882 and the second-oldest school in Los Angeles, has 570 students and is at about 75 percent...
By Mike Szymanski | April 8, 2016
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LAUSD examining why 24 charters operate split campuses
The LA Unified school district is analyzing why certain charter schools operate on split campuses. In a report being presented to the school board at a meeting today, the staff found 24 charters using shared facilities on two traditional school sites, and one-third of them are divided among three sites. Representatives of LA Unified charters...
By Mike Szymanski | January 12, 2016
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Charter schools accuse LA Unified of ‘unlawful’ use of bond money
Charter schools are asking for input into getting their fair share of LA Unified’s bond program funding. The dispute is particularly about the reallocation of $339 million after the planned Mandarin Foreign Language Immersion Program Elementary School project was cancelled. The district board voted last week to use the money for upgrades to school facilities to...
By Mike Szymanski | November 16, 2015
Investigation: Nearly 1,000 Native Children Died in Federal Boarding Schools
Podcast: What a Mentorship Mindset Can Do for Student Motivation
Black and Hispanic Voters Say Democrats Aren’t Focused Enough on K-12 Education
Teen Activist Rhea Maniar on the Power of Abortion to Turn Out Young Voters
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For the LA Unified board, a long day of discussions, disputes and votes
The LA Unified School Board convened at 10 a.m. and didn’t adjourn until more than 12 hours later yesterday, in a series of meetings that ran the gamut from moving forward on finding a new superintendent, to confronting ugly budget realities to diving into the minutiae of charter school applications. For background information, each member...
By Mike Szymanski | November 11, 2015
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UTLA plans protest against Broad at his new downtown museum
A few days after the posh parties with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Orlando Bloom, Ed Ruscha and Frank Gehry to celebrate the opening of the new Broad Museum, the LA Unified teachers union, UTLA, is planning a protest at the museum on Sunday, aimed at its namesake: Eli Broad, one of LA’s leading philanthropists. More specifically,...
By Mike Szymanski | September 18, 2015
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CA charter schools association to LAUSD: ‘We’re not the problem’
After contentious LAUSD school board elections in which the California Charter Schools Association was widely criticized for negative campaigning and accused of draining money from traditional district schools, the association pushed back today asserting that its opponents have mischaracterized the group as detrimental to district. In a conference call with reporters, the association presented data that...
By Mike Szymanski | July 28, 2015
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Report from charter group suggests English learners do better at charters
English learner students are performing better in charter schools than in traditional schools, according to a new report released by the California Charter Schools Association. The report, “Success for English Learners in Charter Schools,” found that throughout the state, independent charter schools are serving nearly 2 percent more English learner (EL) students than traditional schools....
By Mike Szymanski | July 7, 2015
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CCSA says report on charter school fraud ‘simply inaccurate’
The California Charter School Association (CCSA) is calling “simply inaccurate” a report released yesterday that said state charter schools require more financial oversight. The report from the Center for Popular Democracy, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and Public Advocates estimated the state would lose $100 million this year from fraud, waste and mismanagement at charter schools and called for...
By LA School Report | March 25, 2015
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Charter group says Kayser policies ‘by no means race-neutral’
After days of silence, the California Charter Schools Association is defending a controversial campaign flyer targeting Bennett Kayser, who is running for reelection for the LA Unified District 5 board seat. Kayser, too, is speaking out about the flyer for the first time, calling its portrayal of him “a pack of vile misrepresentations.” Paid for...
By Michael Janofsky | February 3, 2015