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JUST IN: Vergara ends — California Supreme Court refuses to take up teacher tenure case
*UPDATED In a split decision, the California Supreme Court on Monday declined to review an appellate court ruling that overturned Vergara v. California, a landmark case that challenged teacher tenure and declared some school employment laws unconstitutional. The court was split four to three, with two of the dissenting judges issuing lengthy and forceful statements...
By Sarah Favot | August 22, 2016
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Key excerpts from judges’ dissents in the Vergara ruling
The California Supreme Court today declined to review an appellate court ruling that overturned the landmark Vergara v. California teacher tenure case. Here are key excerpts from the dissenting opinions of State Supreme Court Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar and State Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu: The nine schoolchildren who brought this action, along with the millions of children whose educational...
By Craig Clough | August 22, 2016
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Commentary: The absurd logic behind a Vergara ruling that tells parents they have no recourse
This month, a California appeals court restored the state’s teacher tenure laws, which had been ruled unconstitutional by a lower court two years ago. But the ruling was hardly a ringing endorsement of California’s approach to tenure. Here’s what’s not in dispute in the case, Vergara v. California, even after the appeals court’s decision: Thousands...
By Daniel Weisberg | April 25, 2016
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Commentary: In the fine print of the Vergara ruling, 3 key arguments that might sway CA’s Supreme Court
On Thursday, a three-judge Court of Appeal overturned a trial court’s decision in the case of Vergara v. California, upholding the state’s existing education laws in a ruling of significance for millions of public school students in the state and across the country. (Read more about the sharply divided reactions after the ruling). The real implications of Thursday’s decision, however,...
By Dmitri Mehlhorn | April 19, 2016
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Vergara reactions pour in as appeal to state Supreme Court is planned
The day after the state Court of Appeal ruled that the job protections for teachers do not predominantly harm minority students, the key players in the case said they feel confident the California Supreme Court will take up the issue. The three-judge panel reversed a landmark 2014 ruling by Superior Judge Rolf Treu, who struck...
By Mike Szymanski | April 15, 2016
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Raw audio: 7 defining moments in the Vergara appeals arguments
Vergara v. California was reversed today. The landmark lawsuit sought to scuttle teacher tenure laws and “last in, first out” layoff policies, stating they disproportionately harm minority and low-income students. The plaintiffs – nine students in five California public school districts – argued that five laws governing teacher dismissal deprive them of their right to a quality...
By Mike Szymanski | April 14, 2016
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Commentary: Our complicity in a broken education system
By Evelyn Macias It should come as no surprise to any of us that nearly half of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) high school students are not on track to meet their A-G (required graduation and college prep) courses to graduate, as reported last week by LA School Report. News outlets reported this...
By Guest contributor | February 19, 2016
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5 things you need to know about Vergara as CA appeals court hears arguments Feb. 25
Nearly two years after the trial in Vergara v. California first began, the case is set to move forward as judges from a state appeals court hear arguments Feb. 25. The plaintiffs – nine students in five California public school districts – argue that five laws governing teacher dismissal, tenure, and “last in-first out” layoff...
By Carolyn Phenicie | February 17, 2016
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Vergara appeal moves forward, but final decision may be 1 year away
An appellate court ruling in the landmark Vergara v. California case moved closer to an end date today with the attorneys for the nine student plaintiffs filing their appeal brief. The brief is a response to the appeal arguments made by the defendants in the case, the State of California and its two largest teacher...
By Craig Clough | June 24, 2015
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Students Matter cheers committee stall on state ‘anti-Vergara’ bill
Last month, leaders from Students Matter held a conference call to rail against several bills in the California legislature that the group deemed “anti-Vergara.” Today the group is claiming a partial victory over Assembly Bill 753 after the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted to hold it in committee, essentially killing it for the current session. The bill would...
By LA School Report | May 28, 2015