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Groups pour $20 million into TV, print ads for CA primary
As the June 3 primary election draws near, business interests, labor groups, environmentalists and wealthy individuals have poured more than $20 million into television and radio commercials, mail ads and other campaign aid for their preferred candidates in campaigns for state offices. The vast sums are partly a reflection of California’s primary system, in which the top-two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the November ballot. LA Times

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First lady decries plan to lower school lunch nutrition standards
After steering clear of most messy legislative battles, First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday publicly took on lawmakers, food companies and lunch ladies who say the school lunch law she championed nearly four years ago is leading kids to brown bag it. She criticized lawmakers for playing “politics with our kids’ health” and suggested they were trying to “roll back everything we have worked for.” LA Times

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Some hope California’s new funding formula could ease school segregation
California’s new school funding formula may hold promise for education and civil rights advocates seeking to reverse the increasing segregation of the state’s schools and students. Patricia Gándara, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, said the school funding law could spur action around school desegregation, which has had few vocal champions in recent years. School districts now have the funds and the flexibility needed to help combat racial isolation in their communities, she said. EdSource

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7 things California public schools can’t charge you for — and a few they can
A year after California passed a law meant to curb public schools from illegally charging students fees to take part in educational activities, state officials say they’ve received about 150 appeals from parents claiming their schools were violating it. There’s no way to know how many gave up after complaining to schools directly – the state doesn’t collect those numbers. And each district has their own forms and process which parents must follow before getting the state involved. KPCC

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Marin after-school program supports students’ emotional, academic growth
Located on the bottom floor of a housing project in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, a small after-school program is helping low-income students flourish. Without activities, such as sports or the arts, that typically attract students to after-school programs, Bridge the Gap College Prep draws them in by offering one-on-one academic and emotional support. EdSource