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City Year Los Angeles Hosting City Hall Kick-Off Event
City Year Los Angeles, an education-focused nonprofit, is hosting its annual kick-off event tomorrow morning at City Hall, with the guest list expected to include Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy. The event celebrates the dedication of 282 young City Year leaders who will provide individual support and attention to students across...
By Chase Niesner | September 10, 2013
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School Board Meeting Wrap Up: More Discussion Than Votes*
What began as a breezy LA Unified School Board meeting on Tuesday turned, not surprisingly, into a long, tedious, sometimes rancorous session, with a host of issues discussed but rarely resolved. A number of key votes were postponed, and Superintendent John Deasy’s highly anticipated budget presentation was postponed until the Sept. 10 board meeting so it could...
By Hillel Aron | August 20, 2013
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Melendez to Be Hired Under Unusual Salary Arrangement
Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana will be hired as Mayor Eric Garcetti’s director of education and workforce development, pending confirmation by the LA Unified School Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday. “First and foremost, Mayor Garcetti wants to make LA students more career and college ready,” said Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb. “That will require...
By Hillel Aron | August 19, 2013
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Garcetti Expands After-School Program
Mayor Eric Garcetti used the first day of classes at LA Unified School District to announce the expansion of LA’s Best After School Program to five additional sites. “Of course this is good news for the five new schools who are adding an award-winning after school program,” Garcetti said in a press release. “But we also...
By Hillel Aron | August 13, 2013
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Deasy to LAUSD Administrators: I’m Staying on the Job
John Deasy isn’t leaving. In his annual address to LA Unified administrators, the LASUSD Superintendent addressed head-on recent reports that his rocky relationship with the school board may lead to his resignation or removal. “A lot of chatter this summer, if you read blogs or read newspapers,” he said, “So let’s clear that up really quickly:...
By Hillel Aron | August 8, 2013
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The Buzz: Thelma Melendez Likely to Run Garcetti’s Education Team
As Mayor Eric Garcetti considers his top education appointment, one name is generating more buzz than any other — Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana. Melendez, 55, recently ended a short, two-year tenure as Superintendent of Santa Ana Unified School District, the sixth largest in the state, with 58,000 students and a $483 million budget. She...
By Hillel Aron | August 2, 2013
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Another Shocker in the East Valley: Here’s How it Happened
Local politicos are still recovering from last night’s shock result in the City Council District 6 special election, where former LAUSD Board member Nury Martinez stunned former State Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, winning by fewer than 900 votes. Because of the exceedingly low voter turnout in the East Valley district, the margin was enough to give...
By Hillel Aron | July 24, 2013
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Garcetti Makes First Education Appointment (updated)
Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed Abigail Marquez as “the associate director of education and workforce,” his first education-related appointment. Marquez, an enthusiastic supporter and fundraiser for Garcetti during his recent election, formerly served as East Area director (a sort of community liaison) for Garcetti’s predecessor, Antonio Villaraigosa. She is also on the board of Legacy...
By Hillel Aron | July 23, 2013
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Update: Garcetti Might Change City Hall Education Job
We’re less than one week away from Eric Garcetti’s inauguration as the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles, and yet very little is known about the shape his administration might take, or indeed about the names of people it might employee. Garcetti aides have said the transition team is considering a major restructuring of the organizational...
By Hillel Aron | June 25, 2013
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Mayor-Elect Responds to Online Education Question
Last night, Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti went online for an hour-long “AMA” on Reddit. Reddit is popular website and its “Ask Me Anything” sessions have become popular for politicians, entrepreneurs, and celebrities. Garcetti had already done one AMA as a mayoral candidate. Last night — wedged in between a plethora of questions about public transportation and...
By Hillel Aron | June 14, 2013