LA School Report

L.A. Unified Misspent Millions Marked for School Lunches At least eight California school districts have misappropriated millions of dollars in funding intended to pay for meals for low-income students — the biggest culprit being the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to a state Senate watchdog group. LA Times See also: KPCC, LA Daily News...

A Washington, DC-based think tank called Education Sector has a new report out touting the strengths and challenges of the blended learning program at Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High School.  (See The Right Mix: How One Los Angeles School is Blending a Curriculum for Personalized Learning.  Watch some video here: A Look Inside Tennenbaum.) Blended learning combines...

Earlier today, in a show of support for a group of Seattle teachers who are refusing to administer a standardized computer test to students, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) urged its members to wear red and participate in what was called a “national day of action.” Watch a video of the teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High: The...

Conflicting priorities over how to spend an influx of $6 billion in statewide Prop. 30 funds are causing tensions between LAUSD and the teachers union, UTLA. As a recent UTLA newletter reveals, concerns about how the money will be spent are one of the reasons that the union is so focused on the outcome of...

With the March 5 election day now less than a month away, the Coalition for School Reform, the LA County Federation of Labor, and the Local 99 branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have each kicked their LAUSD School Board spending up a notch, but UTLA-PACE — a major player in past elections...

Brown Details How to Hold Districts Accountable Under Funding Reform Responding to criticism that he is offering flexibility without accountability, Gov. Jerry Brown has offered up specifics on how he would hold school districts responsible for extra money he is proposing to give them for high-needs children under his proposed sweeping reforms of how California...

LA School Report has learned that the Coalition for School Reform will begin airing television advertisements for each of its slate of three candidates starting later this week. Here is the first ad, for Antonio Sanchez: Producing TV spots and buying airtime is very expensive.  That’s one reason there hasn’t been a substantial TV campaign...

As KPCC reported on Friday, United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) has endorsed Eric Garcetti for Mayor but has no plans to spend any money to campaign for him. “We’re focusing our money on the School Board races,” UTLA secondary Vice President Gregg Solkovits explained to LA School Report. But UTLA won’t be focusing equally on...

Today’s KPCC notes that a handful of big-name Hollywood types have begun donating campaign funds to the LAUSD School Board race for the first time — most of it in support of School Board President Monica Garcia. If recent history is any guide, they won’t be the only relative newcomers who write checks (or make endorsements) in the...

While campaign donations, policy positions, mailed flyers, debates, and endorsements all make up a big part of a school board race, the candidates for the three LAUSD School Board races also rely on a lot of phone calls, door knocking, and other kinds of “retail’ politics – some of which are coordinated out of storefront...