LA School Report

Costs for LAUSD special ed services climb as parents feel the pinch Changing demographics, advances in care and stronger advocacy by families are all combining to drive up the expense of special ed. KPCC Inglewood Unified: Filth, exposed wires, roaches still at some schools An LA County inspector found 23 “extreme deficiencies” at Inglewood High...

John Deasy was often described by critics as an autocrat in how he ran the district. Nine senior aides reported to him directly. That was nothing. In the two months since taking over, his replacement, Ramon Cortines, has doubled the number of LA Unified officials under his direct supervision. He has 18 aides reporting to him...

Five LA Unified teachers have been selected to receive a Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary teacher scholarship for 2014-2015. The scholarships will help the educators implement Engineering is Elementary STEM curriculum from the Boston Museum of Science in their classrooms. The award covers tuition and travel to attend a professional development workshop in Boston and has a value of...

The Strategy Center’s Fight for the Soul of the Cities and Community Rights Campaign is holding a rally and press conference outside LAUSD headquarters at 4 p.m. to protest the Los Angeles School Police Department’s possession of military-grade weapons. Earlier this fall, media around the country began to focus on the Pentagon’s 1033 Program in the...

The year 2014 was not a banner one in the history of the Los Angeles Unified School District. While there was positive news – in particular continued improvement in student achievement – the district often found itself the subject of increasingly negative headlines. Here, in no particular order, are the top stories about LA Unified...

State to fight lawsuit by impoverished students State officials granted the California Department of Education $3.4 million to fight a lawsuit that demands the state fix disruptive conditions in some schools. Ed Source California schools step up efforts to help ‘long-term’ English learners A new law requires the state to define and identify a “long-term...

LA Unified art teacher Stuart Lutz had a celebratory homecoming today as he returned to the classroom after nearly eight months in so-called “teacher jail.” Lutz was pulled from South Gate Middle School on April 21 while the district investigated allegations of mishandling fundraising money for an annual field trip to Disneyland Art Studio. Throughout...

*UPDATED Hamilton High School in West LA was put on lockdown for over an hour this morning after three men were shot in streets near the school, which is located on S. Robertson Blvd. near the 10 Freeway. The three victims were shot at different locations — with one victim being found on the 3100...

Representatives for the teachers union, UTLA, lowered their salary demand yesterday, asking LA Unified for a one-year 9 percent pay increase for the current academic year, with future increases tied to that. Vivian Ekchian, the district’s chief negotiator, said the proposal “is under review and we will ascertain the cost to the District.” While the...

Report on LCAPs finds mixed success An advocacy organization analyzed dozens of school districts’ inaugural improvement plans and found mixed results. Ed Source Students’ active engagement in music leads to brain gains, study finds Brain researchers are finding increasing evidence that music is a powerful learning tool. KPCC An alternative to suspension and expulsion: ‘Circle...