LA School Report

* UPDATED Could a deal between LA Unified and its teachers union, UTLA, be close at hand? The answer is a definite maybe, judging by the accelerated schedule of meetings with the mediator trying to bring the sides together. Two more sessions are scheduled — today and tomorrow.  If that’s a sign of progress leading...

Nearly two-thirds of California voters support legislation requiring schools to integrate breakfast into the school day, according to the latest statewide Field Poll. Four questions on breakfast in the classroom were included in the poll on behalf of California Food Policy Advocates, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the health and well-being of low-income Californians by...

By Howard Blume | The Los Angeles Times An advocacy group has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop teachers unions in California from using member dues for political purposes unless individual instructors provide their permission. The effort, if successful, could weaken the influence of these unions by limiting their spending. The lawsuit was filed Friday...

Panel approves $1b allocation for Common Core A proposal adding $1 billion for state schools transitioning to Common Core won easy passage Wednesday from a key legislative committee. SI&A Cabinet Report Chicago is waiting to see if runoff battle has humbled Rahm Emanuel Public school teachers, who were leading the charge against Emanuel and who went...

* UPDATED The LA teachers union, UTLA, has filed a complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board, accusing Alliance College-Ready Public Schools of interfering with the union’s right to organize teachers in the 26 Alliance schools. The complaint was filed last night, UTLA said in a press release that outlined a series of steps that the...

By Chris Megerian | The Los Angeles Times California could face a strange budget problem in coming months — one resulting from too much revenue rather than too little. In a worst-case scenario outlined by legislative analysts on Tuesday, there could be a $1.3 billion budget gap as higher-than-expected revenue collides with California’s formula for...

Senators announce agreement to update education law Two key senators have announced a bipartisan agreement on rewriting the No Child Left Behind education law. The Huffington Post Kindergarteners’ parents scramble for spots in annual rite of spring The line started forming at Mar Vista during the holiday weekend with parents camping out like Best Buy...

*UPDATED A second round of protests is scheduled at LA Unified schools today as the district and its teachers union, UTLA, continue to lock horns over teacher pay raises, among other issues. “We had full participation at several hundred schools for the first one, and we expect the same today,” UTLA spokeswoman Suzanne Spurgeon told...

*UPDATED Having two Republicans in the runoffs for LA Unified school board seats — Scott Schmerelson in District 3 and Lydia Gutierrez in District 7 — would seem to be a flag-waving event for the California GOP in a Democrat-stronghold city like Los Angeles. Not necessarily. Bowing to the nonpartisan nature of local school board elections, party officials are...