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Complaints detail alleged harassment by LAUSD board President Vladovic
Los Angeles Unified released two redacted complaints late Monday against school board President Richard Vladovic that triggered a three-month investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation against two of his former staff members. One, a six-page complaint filed by a female staff member, details eight incidents in which she said Vladovic made sexually inappropriate remarks, told offensive jokes and made derogatory comments about a gay coworker. LA Daily News

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 L.A. schools’ iPad effort has a two-pronged image problem
It was a forum for Los Angeles Unified officials to promote the school district’s ambitious plan to equip every student with an iPad. But the first question on the televised call-in program last week had nothing to do with tablet computers. Why doesn’t the district train students in career skills, like machine shop, anymore, the caller wanted to know. LA Times

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Report: Californians make more, but pay less toward education 
California has made some historic strides in it efforts to boost school funding and provide additional resources to the neediest students, but a new report finds that spending on each student still falls below nearly every other state, in part because Californians pay less in taxes to support schools. EdSource

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Billionaire couple donates $10 million to keep Head Start programs open 
A billionaire couple from Texas has stepped in with a $10 million interest-free loan to cover the cost of keeping Head Start programs open this month for more than 7,000 children in six states, where programs were closed by the government shutdown. For now, California children won’t have to rely on the largesse of private benefactors. No state programs receive their federal Head Start grants in October. EdSource

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Parents Press for Attention to Programs for Gifted Students
From court cases and legislative lobbying to their own fundraising campaigns, parents are putting pressure on states and school districts to boost services for gifted children, whose needs and abilities, they say, often aren’t met inside a traditional classroom. While parents of the gifted have long faced challenges in proving the worth in providing “extras” for highly capable students, the fight has become even harder now in many districts where dollars are tight and other needs are deemed more pressing. EdWeek

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Union member courts California Republicans
It was as if he were announcing his presence at a support group. “I’m Todd Hancock,” the man in a red shirt said. “I’m a member of CTA.” Hancock was introducing himself at a committee meeting Saturday at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim. The CTA, of course, is the California Teachers Association, a major benefactor of Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic causes. Sacramento Bee

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Education Talk of the Nation
Although Education Secretary Arne Duncan couldn’t attend MSNBC’s Education Nation event in person due to the shutdown, he was on hand via satellite to deliver tried-and-true talking points about the flaws of No Child Left Behind and the merits of college- and career-ready standards. NCLB’s “laser-like focus on a single test score led to all kinds of perverse incentives,” Duncan said.  Politico