LA School Report

Two charter schools under federal investigation were denied their last chance to appeal their charter petition by the California State Board of Education on Thursday, meaning they will close after the current school year. The unanimous vote against the two schools marks the end of a frustrating battle that escalated when the school petitions were initially rejected...

It’s tough to make predictions of voter turnout in Los Angeles city elections — not even the city clerk does it, but a surefire bet is that despite the most money ever spent on a school board election in U.S. history, there will still be a poor turnout. Past LA Unified elections show that interest...

Kelly Gonez and Imelda Padilla are two political newcomers who are running for the east San Fernando Valley seat on the LA Unified school board. Both are young Latinas who grew up in the district. LA School Report sat down separately with each of them to ask what differentiates them. In many ways, the District...

Always with an appetite for dishing up something new for school meals, LA Unified’s school board unanimously approved a pilot program to test vegan options on their school menus. At least one school in each of the seven regional districts will get their first taste of a non-animal-based school lunch, and the program is being prepared...

By Evelyn Aleman Macias As a Los Angeles Unified School District parent, school volunteer, and a member of the district’s Parent Advisory Council for the Local Control Funding Formula, I’m often dismayed by the ongoing rift between charter and non-charter school advocates. The issue seems to become even more of a focal point during elections,...

Los Angeles is days away from the finish line in the most expensive school board race in U.S. history. So it’s all about money. But what money, exactly? The $11.4 million in campaign spending? The $1.6 billion projected deficit for LA Unified? The nearly $1 billion in state funding that has left the district, as...

A sweeping technology plan for LA Unified that included an expanded unified enrollment system was postponed Tuesday night as school board members await more information and staff adds up the total costs. The school board was being asked to set aside money for a unified enrollment system even as one has launched on the district’s website this week...

Greg Martayan, the fourth-place finisher in the primary election who received a crucial number of votes that could sway the outcome in the runoff, has endorsed Steve Zimmer, he told LA School Report on Wednesday. Martayan joins a number of other high-profile endorsements in the most expensive school board race in U.S. history. U.S. Senator...

LA Unified reinforced its position Tuesday as the strongest school district to stand against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies by passing a resolution that specifically forbids employees from cooperating with federal authorities over immigration inquiries. The resolution was another addition to a series of sweeping propositions passed by the second-largest school district in the nation since...

They both agree the other’s a good guy. What they don’t agree on is whether LA Unified is a success. On Monday night, LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer faced Nick Melvoin in their last debate before the May 16 runoff. The audience of about 75 at Palisades Charter High School was the most...