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Morning Read: State threatening schools over vaccinations

LAUSD not concerned about state’s threat of penalties California wants more kids vaccinated and says it will financially penalize schools admitting a high percentage of kindergartners who were overdue for measles vaccine. KPCC, by Rebecca Plevin Moving control of schools could save state millions, lawmaker says One lawmaker thinks the best way to improve your...
By LA School Report | January 22, 2016
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Report sounds alarm on CA teacher shortage, offers solutions

California’s teacher shortage is only going to grow more problematic unless the state takes action, according to a new report from the Learning Policy Institute. The report, Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage: An Analysis of Sources and Solutions, analyzes the origins of the shortage and also offers policy recommendations on how to fix it. “Our analysis...
By Craig Clough | January 21, 2016
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LAUSD audit shows district debt outstrips assets by $4.2 billion

The latest independent audit of LA Unified shows that through the end of the last fiscal year, on June 30, the district had liabilities that surpassed assets by $4.2 billion. The previous year showed assets over liabilities by $1.7 billion, making for a 12-month swing of $5.9 billion, according to Melba W. Simpson, of Simpson &...
By Mike Szymanski | January 21, 2016
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LAUSD could recoup $139 million by curbing chronic absences

What’s the easiest way for LAUSD to save millions of dollars to help stave off a budget crisis? Keep students in school. More than 80,000 students are chronically absent at LA Unified, and that results in an annual loss of $139 million in revenue, Debra Duardo, executive director of Student Health and Human Services at...
By Mike Szymanski | January 21, 2016
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King one of few African American superintendents in California

By Louis Freedberg When Michelle King was appointed to head the Los Angeles Unified School District last week, she became the most prominent African-American school superintendent in the state and the nation. But her ascent to the top post is hardly typical of California districts. She is one of only a small number of African-American superintendents...
By LA School Report | January 21, 2016
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Morning Read: LAUSD has hundreds of open preschool seats

Amid preschool seats shortage, LAUSD has hundreds of openings There are 400 unfilled Early Transitional Kindergarten spots at district elementary schools. KPCC, by Deepa Fernandes New LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King to students: Dream Big Decades after she walked the halls of Century Park Elementary School, King toured the building and spent some time with the...
By LA School Report | January 21, 2016
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King says response to LAUSD financial issues underway for board

Los Angeles Unified’s new superintendent, Michelle King, said today the district is working on a response to a review panel‘s examination of district finances, and ideas would go before the school board next month. “It’s a huge concern of mine,” King said today, during a 2 1/2 minute interview with LA School Report. “I have work...
By Mike Szymanski | January 20, 2016
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Water, water everywhere, and LAUSD seeking ways to conserve it

Conserving water and investing in new water stations will save LA Unified money in the long run, according to a report released yesterday. The report, from chief facilities director Mark Hovatter, also said eliminating the flushing just to clear lead from drinking water would save 9,500 gallons of water a day or 2.5 million gallons a...
By Mike Szymanski | January 20, 2016
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LAUSD going all charter? No, says Ratliff, just looking for information

Declaring that she has no intention of turning LA Unified into an all-charter school district, board member Mónica Ratliff chaired a board committee meeting yesterday that examined just what it is that makes charters different from traditional schools. For one thing, as she learned from a presentation to the committee, charter school teachers don’t have...
By Mike Szymanski | January 20, 2016
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Vaccination rates increase for students in California

By Jane Meredith Adams Vaccination rates increased across the state for kindergartners in 2015-16 as schools reacted to the news that their daily attendance figures would be scrutinized if they had high numbers of students who were only partially vaccinated, according to a summary analysis by the California Department of Public Health, which released its school-by-school immunization data on...
By LA School Report | January 20, 2016