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Gov. Brown’s Veto Leaves Teacher Dismissal in Limbo*
Governor Jerry Brown’s veto of AB 375, a bill that would have amended California’s teacher dismissal process, doesn’t mean the effort is dead. “The governor still wants to do something,” LA Unified’s chief lobbyist, Edgar Zazueta, told LA School Report. “I do see there will be one, if not several, efforts to do this next year. Hopefully we’re...
By Hillel Aron | October 11, 2013
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Unions Ask Court to Dismiss ‘Bad Teacher’ Suit
The state of California and its two biggest teachers unions are asking a state Superior Court to throw out a case about getting rid of “ineffective teachers,” saying passage of a bill now before Gov. Jerry Brown would make the lawsuit unnecessary. Lawyers for the plaintiffs responded by calling the request a “sham,” arguing that the...
By LA School Report | September 30, 2013
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LA Unified Dropped as Defendant in Vergara Lawsuit
Via LA Daily News After a settlement agreement with the plaintiff, Los Angeles Unified was dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit that claims students’ rights to equal educational opportunities are being violated by state laws governing teacher tenure, job security and seniority. The dismissal came Wednesday in a suit filed 16 months ago by...
By LA School Report | September 20, 2013
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10 Questions That Could Define the New LA Unified School Year
As the summer break winds to a close and schools open on Tuesday, the LA Unified School District finds itself in the usual swirl of change and challenge. Here are 10 questions to think about as the year unfolds. Consider it the first exam of 2013-2014: 1) Will Superintendent John Deasy really stay? He said...
By Hillel Aron | August 9, 2013
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Union Intervention Could Delay Tenure Lawsuit
Last week, the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit Vergara v. State of California, which seeks to overturn five education laws in California (seniority-based layoffs, teacher tenure, and three dismissal statutes that make firing a teacher so onerous). “This lawsuit is baseless and...
By Hillel Aron | April 5, 2013
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Morning Read: Teachers Unions Team Up Against Tenure Lawsuit
California’s Two Largest Teachers Unions File to Become Defendants on Vergara v. California Lawyers for California’s two largest teachers unions filed a motion in L.A. County Superior Court on Wednesday to intervene as defendants in a lawsuit that would radically alter tenure for public school teachers. KPCC Report: Cheating on Standardized Tests in 75 Percent...
By Samantha Oltman | March 29, 2013
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Landmark Teacher Dismissal Case Gets a Court Date
A lawsuit that challenges teacher tenure and other job protection laws written into the California State code has a court date. But it’s still a year down the road, slated for January 27, 2014. Filed on behalf of nine students by the non-profit Student Matters, Vergara v. California is taking on the state constitution. It...
By Samantha Oltman | February 22, 2013
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Landmark Suit Inches Forward
On Friday, the first hearing was held in Vergara v. California, a case that seeks to strike down five laws that could — for better or worse — end up being the most revolutionary education lawsuit in the history of California. “What plaintiffs are asking for is far beyond scope of what the courts have...
By Hillel Aron | November 12, 2012
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First Hearing for Massive Lawsuit
On Friday, the first hearing will be held in the Vergara v. California, the lawsuit that, in terms of its massive size and scope, one union lawyer described “Doe v. Deasy on steroids.” Brought about by an organization called Students Matter, which is funded by wealthy tech entrepreneur David Welch, the suit takes aim at five laws in...
By Hillel Aron | November 6, 2012
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School Reform In The Courts
While the legal status of the Reed v. California settlement was thrown into limbo with Friday’s court ruling, we thought this might be a good time to look at the three recent court cases which, taken together, represent a new front in the education reform battles of California. Frustrated by the State Legislature’s inability to enact...
By Hillel Aron | August 13, 2012