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LA Unified in final preparations for approaching El Niño

And now for the weather forecast: More than $17 million in roof repairs still need to be completed at LAUSD schools before El Niño arrives in January. The district also needs to replace aging equipment at the Emergency Operations Center at a cost of $225,000 a year, and it will cost about $5 per student...
By Mike Szymanski | November 20, 2015
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Report: With cost of living, CA ranks 42nd in per-pupil spending

A new report from the California Budget & Policy Center found that when adjustments are made for cost of living, California ranked 42nd in the nation in per-pupil spending for the 2014-15 school year. The low ranking comes even after a surge in education spending in the state has brought billions more into the K-12...
By Craig Clough | November 20, 2015
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City Year seeking help to halt proposed cuts to AmeriCorps

* UPDATED A week ago, the U.S. Senate proposed cutting 20,000 AmeriCorps positions that provide help to schools in unprivileged communities. Now, City Year, which has 309 AmeriCorps members in Los Angeles, is calling on the public to help stop the proposed cuts before decisions are made in the next week. The measure could result in...
By Mike Szymanski | November 20, 2015
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LAUSD adult ed school caught in the middle of charter wars

By Erin Aubry Kaplan The long-running battle between charter schools and traditional public schools has heated up nearly to a boiling point, with business magnate Eli Broad recently unveiling a campaign to charter-ize public ed in L.A. once and for all. The drama is happening mostly at the top between the Broad camp and public school...
By LA School Report | November 20, 2015
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Morning Read: Looks like another good year for K-12 funding

Analyst predicts another good year for school funding The Legislative Analyst’s Office is projecting another healthy year for K-12 schools, with an average increase of about $530 per student in 2016-17. EdSource, by John Fensterwald Negotiators come to agreement on revising No Child Left Behind law A conference committee of members from the House and...
By LA School Report | November 20, 2015
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Court monitor attacks LAUSD’s efforts to comply with ADA

A court-appointed monitor of LA Unified’s special education has harshly criticized the district for a failure to bring its facilities into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). In the latest annual report, Independent Monitor David Rostetter accused LA Unified and its Facilities Services Division of mismanagement, a lack of clear direction, inaction, failing to act...
By Craig Clough | November 19, 2015
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Report praises LAUSD’s special ed integration, MiSiS progress

The latest annual report from a court-appointed monitor of LA Unified’s special education programs had praise for much of the district’s progress over the last year integrating its disabled students into general education classes. It also gave high marks for Superintendent Ramon Cortines‘ efforts to stabilize the troubled $133 million MiSiS computer system. However, the report...
By Craig Clough | November 19, 2015
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Charter group expanding mission to include support for LAUSD schools

In what would appear to be a strategic shift, the organization leading an effort to open more charter schools in LA Unified now intends to expand its mission to support traditional public schools that serve low-income children. The organization, incorporated as Great Public Schools Now, is an outgrowth of a plan by the Broad and...
By Michael Janofsky | November 19, 2015
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Morning Read: Alliance parents divided over unionization

A growing split among parents over unionization efforts at Alliance charters The fight to unionize the largest provider of charter schools in Los Angeles is beginning to divide parents. Los Angeles Times, by Joy Resmovits Prop. 98 guarantee could reach $80B by 2020 The minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools and community colleges is expected...
By LA School Report | November 19, 2015
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LA Unified prearing to sell first bonds from $7 billion Measure Q

Seven years after city voters approved Measure Q, giving LA Unified the go-ahead to borrow $7 billion, the first bond sales from the measure will begin within a month or so, district officials said today. As the largest local school bond measure in California history, Measure Q was requested to upgrade older school buildings and reconfigure...
By Mike Szymanski | November 18, 2015