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LAUSD board meeting to discuss gas leak, new superintendent
The LA Unified school board is drawing closer to the end of the search for a new with another closed door meeting scheduled for tomorrow, just after a special open session to discuss the on-going gas leak affecting two nearby schools in the Valley. The board is considering a move to declare emergency conditions at Porter Ranch Community...
By Mike Szymanski | December 16, 2015
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LAUSD board meets on superintendent as probe continues
It wasn’t by accident that all seven LA Unified school board members happened to be at this morning’s press conference with the mayor, the sheriff, the police chief and superintendent as they announced closing the schools today. The school board had already plan to continue closed-door deliberations to select a superintendent to succeed Ramon Cortines....
By Mike Szymanski | December 15, 2015
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LAUSD board drawing closer to picking new superintendent
As the year winds down, the the seven elected LAUSD school board members have pushed almost everything off their calendars except for picking the next district superintendent. The selection process continued for eight hours yesterday, ending at 5:30 pm with plans to resume the deliberations at 8:30 am tomorrow. While the board is winnowing its...
By Mike Szymanski | December 14, 2015
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The long good-bye: Cortines bids farewell (again) to LA Unified
This is the final week of school before winter break for the LA Unified school district, and it’s the remaining few days in office for Superintendent Ramon Cortines as he completes his final farewell tour. His last full workday was last Friday, and it included an emergency meeting with the Southern California Gas Company to...
By Mike Szymanski | December 14, 2015
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Zimmer criticizes LA Times speculation over possible finalists
In a highly unusual move, LAUSD school board president Steve Zimmer issued a statement late last night, criticizing the Los Angeles Times for speculating who might become the district’s next superintendent. “We hope that the speculation on the part of the LA Times in an article published this evening does not cause harm or controversy...
By Mike Szymanski | December 11, 2015
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In a final (?) conversation, Cortines chides Broad, critiques the district
* UPDATED In what may be his last public appearance as superintendent of LA Unified, Ramon Cortines last night spoke to about 300 people in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on many of the hot-button issues now confronting the district. Sitting alongside Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who served as moderator, Cortines said Eli Broad’s...
By Mike Szymanski | December 10, 2015
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1 minute later, LAUSD board resumes private talks on superintendent
* UPDATED The LA Unified school board continued its search for a new superintendent early this morning, moving into another closed session after a one minute open meeting that might have been the shortest in district history. Joining the seven board members in the private session were Hank Gmitro and Darline Robles of the search...
By Mike Szymanski | December 8, 2015
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Community groups continue to weigh in on new LAUSD leader
It’s a week since the school board set criteria for the next LAUSD superintendent, but that didn’t stop about 100 parents, students and community advocates from weighing in on what kind of person they think the candidate should be. A group from South Los Angeles and the Eastside gathered at district headquarters yesterday to campaign...
By Mike Szymanski | December 4, 2015
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LA Unified board schedules start of interviews for next superintendent
The LA Unified school board said today it will begin the first round of interviews of candidates for superintendent at 8:30 Sunday morning. It’s the start of the endgame for the seven board members, who are seeking to find a successor to Ramon Cortines before he steps down at the end of the year. In...
By Mike Szymanski | December 2, 2015
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Surprise tribute to Cortines interrupts school board session
Outgoing LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines got a series of big surprises this afternoon with a long-planned tribute that included a group of students singing for him and old friends stopping by district headquarters to honor his legacy. The school board auditorium was packed for the event, which Cortines knew nothing about. The seven school...
By Mike Szymanski | December 1, 2015