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Maria Brenes and Kelly Gonez lead in tight LA school board races
Community group leader Maria Brenes and school board president Kelly Gonez lead in a close race for two open spots on the Los Angeles Board of Education. Brenes, leading with a 50.80% voter approval, is against education researcher Rocío Rivas to represent school district 2 – in the Eastside neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Gonez, leading...
By Joshua Bay | November 9, 2022
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California voters overwhelmingly approve Prop 28 for arts and music education
California public schools will receive close to $1 billion for arts and music programs as voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 28, Tuesday’s Election Day results show. “This is a big step forward for public education,” former Los Angeles schools superintendent Austin Beutner said in a press release. “It’s the first guaranteed increase in funding for California...
By Joshua Bay | November 9, 2022
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Report: Internet gap snubs LA low-income residents & widens digital divide
To compensate for the painfully slow internet in their Pomona home, Yesenia Miranda Meza’s sons kept their cameras off during pandemic remote learning – causing tension with their teachers. Because Miranda Meza couldn’t afford a faster connection, the family was constantly at odds balancing the demands of online work and schooling. “I can’t be here...
By Joshua Bay | October 20, 2022
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LA parents sound off after cyberattack leaves students vulnerable
For Christie Pesicka, the Los Angeles Unified School District cyberattack hits home. During “The Interview” hack in 2014, Pesicka was one of thousands of Sony Pictures employees that had their private information exposed in the midst of aggressive attacks by a North Korean hacker group. Now, as a mom, Pesicka worries about protecting her son...
By Joshua Bay | October 6, 2022
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California poll finds parents leaving traditional public for charter schools
Scorned by the bureaucracy of Los Angeles Unified School District and the tumultuous politics of reopening schools in the spring of 2021, Carrie Kangro moved her oldest son to a charter school in the midst of the pandemic. Kangro, unsure if LAUSD would reopen schools, made the move despite having a particular love for the...
By Joshua Bay | September 19, 2022
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Back-to-school shopping inflation hits home for parents, teachers
Lavinia Aguião is feeling the pressure as a single mother and educator in Washington, D.C. as surging inflation cuts into her back-to-school shopping budget. “I feel like the most expensive thing is literally clothing, new backpacks and lunchboxes,” Aguião said of her search for supplies this month. Aguião is not alone in feeling the pinch....
By Joshua Bay | August 18, 2022