Morning Read: LAUSD Board to address lack of library staff
LA School Report | February 12, 2014
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LA school board launches new library task force
The Los Angeles Unified school board approved a task force Tuesday to address the hundreds of school libraries that have closed due to a lack of specialized staff. There are only 98 librarians in a district with 768 school libraries. Many elementary schools opt for library aides instead – a lower-pay, part-time position. But even with aides, 332 school libraries do not have staff. KPCC
LAUSD food effort makes local farms healthier too
Down a dusty road surrounded by orange trees and the rolling hills of Redlands, the farmer in a battered straw hat and worn jeans worked his land, just as his father and grandfather and great-grandfather did before him. Bob Knight remembers pulling weeds from the soil almost before he could read. LA Times
Encino elementary school latest victim of copper theft
Copper thieves hit Encino Charter Elementary School over the weekend, a crime that’s gotten quite expensive for the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District, officials say. The tab for the latest copper caper has not been calculated, but these thefts cost the district more than $300,000 last year, said Robert Laughton, LAUSD deputy director of maintenance and operations. LA Daily News
Centinela district teachers livid at $633,000 superintendent pay
Teachers in the 7,000-student Centinela Valley Union High School District are angered by a Daily Breeze report that Superintendent Jose Fernandez received a pay package last year worth a reported $633,000. Jack Foreman, president of the Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Association, told KPCC: “We’re just appalled that he would take this excess compensation.” KPCC
Will California continue to lead in funding for vulnerable kids?
Commentary: Despite a steady stream of very pessimistic reports about California’s most vulnerable children, there’s some good news: reducing child poverty is a much higher priority for voters than reducing taxes. According to a survey commissioned by GRACE and the California Endowment, sixty-one percent (61%) of California voters say that reducing the number of children living in poverty should be a top legislative priority. Huffington Post