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Morning Read: Fewer than 3% LAUSD teachers ineffective

LA School Report | January 30, 2014



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Few L.A. teachers get bad ratings, trial documents show
More instructors than ever are being evaluated in detail in the Los Angeles Unified School District and only a small percentage are being rated as substandard, according to testimony Wednesday in litigation aimed at reducing teacher job protections. LA Times


LA school officials say they’re in the dark over computer inventories
Los Angeles Unified School District officials said they don’t have a complete accounting of computers at schools because they stopped counting during budget cuts – and a new survey meant to get an accurate accounting is incomplete, according to records, statements at public meetings and interviews. KPCC 


L.A. school district reviewing quake-prone buildings
If seeing dozens of L.A. public school buildings on UC Berkeley’s list of possibly quake-prone buildings in the area shocked you, don’t be too alarmed yet. The L.A. Unified School District has known about most, if not all, of these structures since at least 2003 – and it’s been working on replacing or retrofitting them for years, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. LA Weekly


Assembly Democrats push to shore up teachers’ retirement fund
With California facing a massive teacher pension shortfall, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, D-Los Angeles, unveiled an effort Wednesday he hopes would fully fund the system. An influx of revenue has allowed California to emerge from years of yawning deficits and protracted budget fights, and the pressure is mounting for the state to do something about an avalanche of liabilities that runs into the hundreds of billions. Sacramento Bee


Miramonte sex abuse scandal whistle-blower speaks out
A risk manager who worked on the Miramonte Elementary School sex scandal alleges that the LAUSD wasted taxpayer money by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who were not victims of abuse allegedly by a former teacher. As the former LAUSD chief risk manager, Gregg Breed said he was in charge of a plan to settle 63 cases with Miramonte victims. NBC Los Angeles


Pre-K, the Great Debate
Commentary: Against all odds, prekindergarten is gaining ground. President Obama called again in his State of the Union address for Congress to support high-quality preschool for all, noting that 30 states are already moving ahead on this front (including New York). “Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education,” Obama said. New York Times

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