Former majority leader of the California State Senate and current head of the California chapter of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), Romero was the first prominent Democrat to endorse Prop. 32, which would set new limits on union fundraising. See my previous post, How Prop. 32 Could Affect LAUSD, for more on the measure and Romero’s...

• State schools suspend students at higher rates than rest of nation: A new report from UCLA says states and districts differ greatly in how frequently they suspend students.  LAUSD ranks 63rd out of nation’s biggest school districts. San Bernardino ranked 15th. LAT • Do Anti-Bullying Laws Help? California lawmakers will ask for a state audit on...

• Summer Ends Early For LAUSD Students: School starts in exactly one week! That’s three weeks earlier than it used to start for LAUSD. That’s because the district just moved to an “early-start” calendar, with the first semester ending at winter break, giving kids three weeks off around Christmas. Daily News • Cal State Cuts Transfers: California State...

Campaign disclosure statements for the first half of 2012 are now online, providing information on contributions for the two LAUSD board members next up for re-election.  Steve Zimmer‘s fundraising appears not to have really begun in earnest (he’s raised less than $10,000. However, Board President Monica Garcia (pictured) has raised a hefty $100,000, about half of which comes...

• LAUSD to Begin Phasing In Common Core Curriculum Standards: The standards, the first ever national standards for public school curriculum, have been adopted by all but five states. Lots of changes are coming, including: basic algebra and geometry starting in kindergarden (!), less literature and more informational reading, and more integration of math and english....

Federal Money For Low-Income Students’ AP Tests:  California will receive $7.6 million from the federal government to pay for Advanced Placement tests for low income students. LA Times PTA Endorses Munger, Not Brown: The California Parent Teacher Association has endorsed Proposition 38, Molly Munger’s ballot measure to raise taxes to pay for education, which it helped write....

• John Myers tweets that Molly Munger has sunk another $5 million into her Proposition 38 campaign, which would raise taxes to boost education funding in California. She has now given a total of $13.7 million. The Democratic Party and the teachers unions are backing Jerry Brown’s more moderate proposal, Proposition 30. • Local blogger...

A shocking (and graphic) Courthouse News Service story from last week details many of the allegations made by Scot Graham against former LAUSD superintendent Ramon Cortines, including, perhaps most damning to the district, that his claims were never investigated “due to the district’s “culture of sexual abuse, stealth and secrecy.” Graham also claims that Cortines “had targeted other...

There was a time when Green Dot Public Schools founder Steve Barr — the man responsible for the 2008 hostile takeover of Locke High School and a frequent critic of the teachers union and the Board — was seen by many as the barbarian at the gate. Now, Barr has a daughter in 2nd grade at Ivanhoe...

• The Marine Corps is reaching out to Los Angeles educators in an effort to improve the Corps’ access to students on high school campuses. LA Times • Villaraigosa says he might want to run for Governor when his term is up — a good reminder that there’s going to be a new Mayor next year. LA Times...