The Morning Read
Your Daily Roundup of LAUSD news from across the web | 10.05.21
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LAUSD’s plan to stave off financial ruin and a potential county takeover: Cut 15 percent of central office staff and save $86 million
Updated Dec. 11 L.A. Unified is facing a new deadline to prove to its county overseers that it will be able to stay afloat. By Monday, Dec. 17, the district must submit a revised plan to show how it will address its structural deficit that could render L.A. Unified insolvent within three years, meaning it...
By Laura Greanias | December 10, 2018
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Commentary: Our schools need more funding — but we also need to be able to make sure the money is spent on the children it’s meant to help
Steve Lopez’s series in the Los Angeles Times shines a light on two important issues that are far too easy for the public to ignore: The reality of poverty that too many California children experience and the absolute imperative that schools, teachers and principals have the resources they need to fully support children growing up...
By Seth Litt | December 10, 2018
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LAUSD parents stuck ‘in the middle’ as Los Angeles braces for a likely teacher strike
*Updated Dec. 10 As L.A. Unified and its teachers union ratchet up preparations for what is increasingly looking like the first teacher strike in 30 years, district parents are torn — and frustrated that the two sides can’t negotiate a solution. While parents love and appreciate their teachers, they also don’t want their children’s education...
By Taylor Swaak | December 9, 2018
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10 candidates will be on the ballot in March to fill LAUSD’s vacant school board seat
*Updated Dec. 13 Ten of the 17 individuals who filed their intention to run for the upcoming special election for LA Unified’s vacant school board seat have officially qualified to be on the March 5 ballot in Board District 5. The winner will fill out the term of Ref Rodríguez, serving only a year and a...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | December 5, 2018
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New poll finds teachers are unlikely to recommend their profession and are disillusioned with parents and school boards
American teachers are less enthused about their jobs than are local politicians or active-duty military personnel, according to the 2018 EdChoice Schooling in America Survey. After a year that saw educators revolt over low pay, and teachers unions seriously weakened by a landmark Supreme Court decision, the survey also found the profession disillusioned with parents...
By Kevin Mahnken | December 4, 2018
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Antonucci: California Teachers Association places 10 members on school boards
Mike Antonucci’s Union Report appears weekly at LA School Report. Over the last few weeks, we have scrutinized how the California Teachers Association has funded the campaigns of school board candidates throughout the state, and how those campaigns did on Election Day. But candidates for public office are still one step removed from the union. Once elected,...
By Mike Antonucci | December 4, 2018
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LA parent voice: What I learned in 25 years of being a Latino parent engagement advocate – ‘Knowing the school system can really transform everything’
In this series, Los Angeles parents talk about their students, their schools and the questions or suggestions they have for their school district. (See our previous interviews.) María Elena Meraz has spent 25 years, as both a mother and an advocate, learning and sharing about how public schools in California can better serve the needs of Latino...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | December 3, 2018
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New help for LAUSD’s English learners: Individualized plans seek to boost graduation and reclassification rates
As English learners in LA Unified continue to post little to no growth on state tests, the district this year has a new strategy to help students become proficient in English. Struggling English learners have started getting individualized reclassification plans, similar to the plans known as IEP’s that outline the needs and supports for each student...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | December 3, 2018
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‘Just handing out diplomas’? New study shows California students are enrolling in ‘credit recovery’ programs at a rate 60 percent above the national average
California high schoolers who have failed classes take makeup courses in larger numbers, and at higher rates, than most of their peers nationwide, a new study finds. About 12.9 percent of the state’s high schoolers attending schools with so-called “credit recovery” programs are enrolled in them. That’s 60 percent higher than the national average of...
By Taylor Swaak | November 29, 2018
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Telfair Elementary: The heart of LAUSD’s homeless crisis could become ground zero for change
*Updated Nov. 28 If LA Unified’s growing student homeless crisis had an epicenter, Telfair Elementary in the northeast San Fernando Valley would be it. Last year the school had the highest percentage of homeless students; so far this year, it’s tied for first place. And as the district explores expanding support for its estimated 16,000...
By Taylor Swaak | November 27, 2018