The Morning Read
Your Daily Roundup of LAUSD news from across the web | 10.05.21
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California Expands Lunch Program That Pairs Schools With Farms

In school lunchrooms around Lake Tahoe, students line up for a red, hairy fruit called a rambutan. On pozole day, they shout, “We want more!” And when the salad bar runs dry, they ask the staff to refill it – over and over. This brings joy to the cafeteria crew, but Gage Gautheier recently bestowed...
By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters | August 13, 2026
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Thousands of LAUSD Workers Face Layoffs That Didn’t Have to Happen

On the brink of looming insolvency, Los Angeles Unified could have prevented its financial crisis by leaving vacated positions empty, making thousands of district employee layoffs unavoidable to address a $3.6 billion deficit, a top state fiscal watchdog said. “They’re overstaffed significantly,” said Michel Fine, CEO of California’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team of...
By Kate Rix | August 12, 2026
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Amid the Emerging AI Economy, We Need a Skilled Trades Pipeline in High School

Across the economy, Americans are watching an artificial intelligence investment boom reshape the job market. Some of the same companies spending hundreds of billions to build the AI future are also announcing sweeping job cuts, adding to an already daunting employment landscape for college graduates. In other sectors, opportunity is booming. Homes, roads, bridges, vehicles,...
By Danny Corwin and Jennifer Dewees | August 11, 2026
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Nearly 1,900 U.S. Public Schools Within a Mile of a Data Center

NEWNAN, Ga. — Arnco-Sargent Elementary sits in a wooded area on a two-lane road about 50 miles south of Atlanta. Across the street is a child care center. A Baptist church is less than a mile away. But if developers get their way, the school’s newest neighbor could be a sprawling data center campus housing...
By Linda Jacobson | August 6, 2026
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Outdoor Ed Programs Canceled for Tens of Thousands of Students After Federal Cuts

Nazma Begum spoke very little English and had never been on a hike in the woods when she moved to Detroit from Bangladesh at the age of 13. But when she saw an announcement at her high school for a camping trip in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she was intrigued. “I couldn’t help but wonder why...
By Kate Rix | August 5, 2026
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LAUSD Could Face Layoffs, Furloughs, Closures Amid Projected $231M Shortfall

This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter. Los Angeles Unified School District leaders say they are confident they can persuade county officials that the district can avoid a projected cash shortfall and remain under local control, and are preparing for budget cuts, possible furloughs and school consolidation. A July...
By Mallika Seshadri | August 4, 2026
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Threat of Deportation, Program Cuts Disrupt Student Learning

Once upon a time, a knight in shining armor rode his gallant steed into a village where he was met with cheers and celebration. I like to believe that these heroes still exist — I know one named Fluviano. He’s a student in my English language development class. He does not ride atop a gallant...
By Jennie Park | July 30, 2026
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How One California County Is Building a Childcare System From the Ground Up

In 2020, voters in California’s Alameda County made a remarkable decision. Rather than accept generations of underinvestment in young children, they chose to build something families had never truly had: an early childhood system designed to work. Parents, early educators, childcare providers, labor leaders, business leaders, advocates and community organizations came together around a shared...
By Kristin Spanos | July 29, 2026
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52 Million U.S. Kids Eligible for New Scholarships, but California Hasn’t Opted In

Nearly 6 million children in California would be eligible for a scholarship under the new federal tax credit for education, more than in any other state, new data shows. But unlike other states with millions of eligible students, like Texas, Florida and New York, California hasn’t opted into the new Treasury Department program, and so...
By Linda Jacobson | July 28, 2026
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California Literacy Investments Are Mostly Working

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. It’s not quite the “Mississippi Miracle,” but California’s reading scores have been inching upwards since the state poured billions into changing the way students learn to read. A shortage of literacy coaches, however, may be preventing students from improving even more. In 2013,...
By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters | July 23, 2026
