LA School Report

After issuing strong objections on Friday, the teachers union is now taking a wait-and-see attitude to LAUSD’s new guidelines saying principals should prepare to evaluate teachers with as much 30% of the evaluation based on student achievement. “We have to see how this rolls out,” UTLA President Warren Fletcher told LA School Report. “There’s a right way...

A new section of LA School Report launches today, devoted to the three hotly contested Los Angeles School Board races. Election 2013, features in-depth information about each of the ten candidates, including questionnaires, biographies, endorsements, and the latest news on campaign contributions and spending. The enhanced coverage provides readers with easy access to information as the March...

The latest independent expenditure (IE) committee numbers posted on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission website show an eye-popping $2.2 million in spending by outside groups thus far. That number is sure to grow in the next two weeks before the March 5 primary election date. The messaging has already gone negative in the more contentious...

Don’t forget: Today, February 19, is the last day to register to vote in the March elections. Other folks have registered and voted by mail since February 5th. Go here to register to vote online. Some other dates to remember: February 26, 2013 (Tuesday): The last day to apply by mail for a vote-by-mail ballot in the March primary...

Union Fights Mayor Bloomberg in LA Mayor Bloomberg and teachers union boss Randi Weingarten are going head-to-head again — this time in a high-stakes, bitter national fight over school reform in Los Angeles. NY Post The Mayoral Endorsement That Isn’t Los Angeles Unified School District board member Tamar Galatzan has spent the last few weeks...

On Friday, LAUSD issued a new guidance telling principals to make student achievement 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation starting next year. Almost immediately, UTLA President Warren Fletcher objected, arguing that the 30 percent figure was too high and a district-wide process was overly prescriptive. Since then, the LA TImes has reported that District 4 School Board...

On Friday, the LA Weekly first reported that all of the mayoral candidates but one — Eric Garcetti — had indicated support for the parent trigger. Then, in a 5:00 pm update, the alternative weekly reported that Garcetti was supporting the parents at 24th Street Elementary who have initiated a trigger process — “but he...

An education-related event dubbed March As One took place over the weekend, and numerous political candidates were there:”Garcetti, Greuel, James, Perry, and Pleitez shared their platforms for education,” writes organizer Catherine Aguilar, “as well as the School Board candidates: Garcia, Montanez, Zimmer [pictured], Anderson [pictured], Cano, and Ratliff.” The crowd marched three miles and gathered at...

Reactions so far to the LA Times editorial page endorsements have been mixed. Nearly everyone agrees that newspaper endorsements aren’t likely to make or break a close School Board race.  Opinions differ on whether the LA Times editorial page is pro-union or pro-reform. Indeed, the Friday endorsements were a mixed bag and doled out criticism of both UTLA...

Deasy Wants 30% of Teacher Evaluations Based on Test Scores L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy announced Friday that as much as 30% of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on student test scores, setting off more contention in the nation’s second-largest school system in the weeks before a critical Board of Education election. LA Times...