LA School Report

A controversial item on the LAUSD School Board agenda this week proposes drastically limiting Superintendent John Deasy’s ability to seek funding for the district by applying for public or private grants. The resolution, initiated by School Board Members Richard Vladovic, Bennett Kayser, and Marguerite LaMotte, aims to give the school board veto power over grant...

It’s not easy keeping track of terms used in LAUSD, including such basics as the geographic “districts” (regions) into which the sprawling district has been divided.  Let’s start with the three districts that are up for grabs in March: District 2 (Light blue) -Central Los Angeles from Larchmont to East LA (includes Koreatown, Downtown, Boyle...

Some of the most interesting items scheduled to be discussed and/or voted on at Tuesday’s monthly Board meeting are expedited removal of teachers accused of misconduct, the use of student achievement to evaluate teachers, and Board approval for large grant applications. Read below for more highlights.

“Districts collectively bargain with teachers, but the real power to manage the workplace resides in Sacramento, which is dominated by the money the teachers unions shower on legislators to maintain these provisions.” — DFER California head Gloria Romero

There’s a big kickoff event for Kate Anderson’s campaign next week on the Sony Studios Lot, hosted by Davis “Waiting For Superman” Guggenheim and LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, among others. Anderson is running against Steve Zimmer for District 4 (Hollywood to the Palisades). Her campaign website is here.

LAUSD Wins Key Legal Battle With Charter Schools A California appellate court panel strikes down a ruling that could have opened up many classrooms for charters and created potential hardships for traditional campuses. LA Times LA Teachers Union Endorses Multiple Candidates for the Same Seats In an unusual move, the United Teachers Los Angeles on...

SB 10, a bill aimed at streamlining the dismissal process for teachers accused of sexual misconducted, was introduced earlier this week and is now out in a full-text version. A carbon copy of SB 1530 (the previous bill seeking to address this issue) SB 10 is among a handful of proposals sure to garner attention...

The Los Angeles City Clerk’s Office may not announce the final roster of LAUSD Board candidates until as late as December 15, but here are the candidates who are qualified and/or awaiting final approval to run for school board: LA School Report will post the final lineup of LAUSD Board candidates once the City Clerk’s Office...

On Wednesday, the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced $25 million in grants to seven cities where charter schools and districts are working together in new and potentially effective ways.  Though LAUSD was one of the first districts to sign up for the Gates “compact” in December 2010, the district and its charter schools were...

From LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron, writing for the LA Weekly: “On the outskirts of LAUSD’s sprawling, mazelike Educational Service Center in Reseda sit seven long, shabby, peach-colored bungalows with barred windows and rotting wood, which all but scream Southern California public education. “In one of them is a roughly 35-square-foot room where 25 or...