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State school bond faces critical vote today
With a key committee vote set for today on legislation that would place a $9 billion, statewide school facilities bond on the November ballot, one group backing the proposal is already nearly a third of the way toward reaching its campaign finance goal of $1.6 million. The fate of AB 2235 is far from certain inside the Legislature. It also would need approval from Gov. Jerry Brown before it could go on the ballot. S&I Cabinet Report

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CalSTRS gets $5 billion increase over seven years
Full funding of the troubled California State Teachers Retirement System was approved by the Legislature last weekend, with most of the additional $5 billion coming from school districts that get no offsetting money from the state. With only one “no“ vote, lawmakers approved Gov. Brown’s plan to phase in a massive rate increase over seven years. Calpensions.com

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Evaluation shows number of students not taking SAT, ACT or AP exams
No students are taking SAT, ACT or Advanced Placement exams in 14 percent of California’s high schools, a surprising statistic for the committee considering whether to incorporate those measures into the Academic Performance Index for schools. Among alternative high schools serving at-risk populations, the number of students forgoing the tests is even higher. EdSource

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Report: “Student-centered schools” close opportunity gap
Personalized instruction, high expectations, and hands-on and group learning experiences are helping to close the achievement gap in four Northern California schools, according to a report released today by the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE). Such “student-centered” practices improved the outcomes for African-American and Latino students at two district schools and two district-approved independent charter schools. EdSource

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LAUSD reappoints member of bond oversight panel after uproar
An effort to silence a critic of the Los Angeles school district’s $1-billion technology program backfired Tuesday, when the Board of Education quietly returned him Tuesday to an oversight panel. The move by the school board to reappoint architect Stuart Magruder to the Bond Oversight Committee was hailed as a victory by his colleagues and supporters. LA Times