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LAUSD board should appoint successor to Marguerite LaMotte
Commentary: It is with a very heavy heart that I must assert that the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education should appoint an interim board member to fill the now vacant seat of Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, and do so swiftly. LA Daily News

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Vote delayed to January on L.A. Unified’s iPad program
L.A. Unified officials have delayed Tuesday’s scheduled vote on the next phase of a $1-billion effort to provide iPads to every student, teacher and school administrator. The vote had already been delayed a week with the cancellation of all meetings after the death Dec. 5 of board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte.  LA Times

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Dell unveils its first Chromebook, designed specifically for education
Dell has finally made its entry into the Chromebook market official, as it follows in the footsteps of many other PC OEMs who are looking around to shore up flagging Windows machine sales. Dell’s aims with Chromebooks and Chrome OS are pretty specifically targeted, however, as Dell is creating its Chromebook 11 specifically for schools and students. Tech Crunch

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Brown considers new restrictions on LCFF money
The Brown administration appears to be still struggling with how much flexibility to give schools with spending new state funds aimed at the educationally disadvantaged. Documents released Wednesday by consultants working on regulations governing the Local Control Funding Formula include language that would require districts to demonstrate the new money is going to increase or improve services to low-income students, English learners and foster youth. SI&A Cabinet Report

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California Democrats urge more education spending
Democrats who control California’s Assembly said on Wednesday their priorities for the next state budget include more spending on early childhood and higher education and leaving $2 billion in reserve at the end of the next fiscal year. Reuters

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California arts get more than $4 million in NEA grant funding
California organizations landed a large slice of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Wednesday – more than $4 million – with $392,000 of it going toward arts education. The agency awarded grants to 167 programs and organizations for fiscal year 2014, supporting everything from commissioned plays to creative writing to public murals. KPCC

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Head Start funding partially restored in federal budget deal
Head Start received a reprieve Tuesday under the new Congressional budget agreement that would restore some, if not most, of the funding cut from the national child care program last spring. Head Start lost about 57,000 slots for children, including more than 5,600 in California, because of cuts under federal sequestration, a program of automatically triggered, across-the-board spending cuts. EdSource 

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Fortresslike schools hope to protect after Sandy Hook
Visitors to Cerritos Elementary School have only one way to get in: a single main door. As they enter, they’re faced with a counter shielded with glass. If allowed to go farther, they’re buzzed in. If they don’t belong, any of the staff in the main office can hit a silent buzzer to alert police. Aljazeera America