LA School Report

If the editorial boards of Los Angeles area newspapers were charged with filling the vacant LA Unified school board seat left by the sudden death of Marguerite LaMotte, it would be easy: they are unanimous in that finding a successor should come through a special election, rather than an appointment. But politics is never easy,...

Happy New Year! 2014 is going to be an amazing year; I know it because I found LA Unified’s list of New Year’s Resolutions scribbled on a napkin at Philippe’s French Dip. Okay, I didn’t. But wouldn’t it be great if I did? I mean, if anyone needs to change, isn’t it LAUSD? Here’s what...

A new candidate has emerged for the LA Unified’s vacant District 1 seat, and it’s someone quite familiar with the job. Genethia Hayes, a former board member and president, told LA School Report yesterday that she would run if there’s an election and would serve if she were appointed. Hayes lost her seat in 2003...

EdWatch 2014: Top 12 education issues in the new year The new year is ushering in some big changes in public education, from a revamp of school funding to uncharted territory in student testing and new educational standards. Here’s a glance at issues to watch this year that will define California education in 2014. EdSource...

UTLA is making sure no deadbeats hold leadership positions in the teachers union. While it seems like common sense — if you want to run for a union office, make sure your dues are up-to-date — some candidates might not have gotten the message. The teachers union’s board of directors discovered in December that a...

The sides are digging in. With the holidays offering no break for the forces pushing to fill the vacant LA Unified school board’s District 1 seat, factions have firmly aligned behind US Representative Maxine Waters, for an appointment, and LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, for an election. Whatever the six board members decide at a...

L.A. Unified finally hiring teachers again After an extended period of layoffs and hiring freezes, the Los Angeles Unified School District has resumed bringing on new teachers, while also being more selective about their quality than in the past. The nation’s second-largest school system forecasts hiring 1,333 instructors for next year; it hired 718 for the...

With a holiday break approaching, LA School Report is taking a breather too. We will return on January 6, for full coverage of the intersection of politics and policy in public education here in Los Angeles.Thanks for checking in with us each day, and we look forward to resuming our coverage in the new year....