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Tie Supreme Court vote upholds ‘fair share fee’ for unions in Friedrichs vs. CTA case
By David G. Savage The Supreme Court announced a tie vote today in what labor law experts had called a “life-or-death” case for public employee unions. The split decision preserves a long-standing rule that requires about half of the nation’s teachers, transit workers and other public employees to pay a “fair share fee” to support their union. The...
By LA School Report | March 29, 2016
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Morning Read: 10 local continuation schools declared model for California
Local continuation high schools declared a model for rest of state The state Department of Education on Monday named 37 model continuation high schools, including 10 campuses in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Los Angeles Daily News LA Unified declares 60 schools’ water fountains lead-safe in first phase of district-wide cleanup, KPCC East Los...
By LA School Report | March 29, 2016
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A recipe for teaching from LAUSD board member George McKenna, who’s been at it 55 years
George McKenna is going into his 55th year as an educator, and he has a lot to say about it. In fact, he declares: “Give me a school that’s supposedly poor-performing for three years and I guarantee you no charter school would be able to snatch any kids from that school, and no kids will...
By Mike Szymanski | March 28, 2016
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A view from inside LAUSD’s board: Teaching moments from George McKenna and his McKenna-isms
George McKenna is often considered one of the more curmudgeonly characters on the LA Unified school board (although he has some competition). As vice president of the board and the senior member of the seven elected members, McKenna is given a lot of leeway and respect when he has something to say at the board...
By Mike Szymanski | March 28, 2016
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Morning Read: UTLA criticizes former LAUSD administrator set to become Bakersfield schools chief
Who is ‘Doc’ Ervin, BCSD’s next superintendent? ‘Doc’ Ervin, a former assistant superintendent of instruction at Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, is in line to become superintendent of the Bakersfield City School District, but UTLA leaders are critical of his tenure in LA. The Bakersfield Californian How much money can LA Unified get from auctioning...
By LA School Report | March 28, 2016
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CHIME leader hopeful expansion plans in West Valley won’t be sidetracked like El Camino’s
Despite the LA Unified school board reversing itself and denying El Camino Real High School’s attempts to develop two long-closed elementary school campuses in the west San Fernando Valley, the leader of the CHIME Institute told LA School Report he is not concerned the board will shut down his school’s plan to develop another closed campus in the...
By Craig Clough | March 25, 2016
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Morning Read: California schools losing out on federal funds, report says
Federal funding formula hurts California schools, report says California schools are not getting their fair share of Title I federal funds because of “chronic underfunding” and “complex formulas that distort allocations,” according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. EdSource, by Susan Frey Marlborough School says abuse victim endangered other students by staying silent,...
By LA School Report | March 25, 2016
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$5 million in Porter Ranch temporary classrooms expected to be dismantled
The 46 new classrooms installed when two schools were temporarily relocated because of the Porter Ranch gas leak will be taken down once the students go back to their former locations. The district spent $5 million in building the temporary classrooms that are equipped with heat and air conditioning and required plumbing, wiring, utility poles, paving...
By Mike Szymanski | March 24, 2016
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Restorative Justice program drastically lowers days lost to suspensions in LAUSD
LA Unified posted a 92 percent decrease in the number of days lost to suspensions as a result of its Restorative Justice program and the district’s new approach to discipline. In the 2007-2008 school year, a total of 74,765 days were lost to suspensions, but that number plummeted to 6,221 in the 2014-2015 school year, according to a...
By Mike Szymanski | March 24, 2016
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LAUSD’s mental health director describes child trauma as a silent epidemic
By Jeremy Loudenback As director of the School Mental Health unit at the Los Angeles Unified School District, Pia Escudero supervises more than 300 psychiatric social workers, clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals. She has also worked to create trauma-informed systems and therapeutic approaches in schools. Escudero was part of a team that helped...
By Guest contributor | March 24, 2016