LA School Report

It was intriguing to see UTLA president Warren Fletcher sitting at the table with Jordan Henry, co-founder of NewTLA, at last night’s Los Angeles Education Partnership roundtable event titled “Do Unions Drive or Restrain Student Success?” A caucus of teachers frequently at odds with UTLA leadership, NewTLA is currently encouraging members to nominate themselves for union leadership positions at their schools....

When the United States Department of Education announced yesterday that the deadline for Race to the Top applications was being been pushed back due to Hurricane Sandy, a Washington, DC trade publication called Education Week wondered whether the delay might give LAUSD more time to negotiate with UTLA for a chance at as much as $40 million. But, when...

LAUSD, Other Districts Miss Out on Race to the Top Grants as Unions Won’t Sign Applications The two sides resumed informal discussions on Monday after the deadline was extended because of Hurricane Sandy, but still couldn’t reach an agreement.  Daily News See also the LA Times Gov. Jerry Brown Has Yet to Pick a Central...

A new plan to install solar power systems in 26 LAUSD schools will help schools create less pollution – and it should save the district $775,000 within a year of installation, according to a SolarCity press release. The 7.4-megawatt clean energy project, which will be installed by SolarCity, is expected to save LAUSD $25 million...

The administrators’ association has been repeatedly complaining to the school district about administrators’ workload (see: Principals: Too Many Plans). But the AALA hasn’t been getting much time or attention from LAUSD Superintendent Deasy who, according to the October 22  newsletter, says he’s too focused on Props 30 and 38 to meet with them. “Finding resources to help and committing them...

This analysis published in the Daily News points out that the $6 billion in cuts that the Governor has threatened if Prop. 30 doesn’t pass are only “cuts” because they were pre-built into the budget by over-optimistic politicians and could be addressed through other means than solely cutting 15-20 days of school as has been...

Teachers Union Refuses to Sign Off on LAUSD Plan for Race to the Top Grant The Los Angeles teachers union has refused to sign off on Los Angeles Unified’s bid for a prestigious Race to the Top grant, costing the district a shot at winning $40 million in federal money, sources said Saturday. Daily News...

LAUSD Board Member Nury Martinez is hosting a town hall meeting in the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, October 27 to educate parents and community members about how propositions on the upcoming election ballot will affect LA schools. Martinez will speak along with LAUSD’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Megan Reillyhas, about the drastic budget cuts...

A new article in The American Prospect magazine traces Teach For America’s efforts to support its former teachers who want to run for public office (and who generally adhere to a common set of education priorities including charter schools, teacher effectiveness, test-based school accountability. The article includes a link to LA School Report’s recent interview with LAUSD board...

There are two likely opponents running against Steve Zimmer – Jeneen Robinson and Kate Anderson, a handful of candidates who have already filed official papers to run against Monica Garcia, and rumors but no names yet for the spot being vacated by the departing Nury Martinez. But these incumbents and their opponents won’t be doing all the campaign planning, strategy, and media...