Via Huffington Post | by Christina Wilkie In the spring of 2012, Spenser Johnson, a junior at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas, was unpacking his acoustic bass before orchestra practice when a sign caught his eye. “Do you want to make money?” it asked. The poster encouraged the predominantly poor students at Highland Park...

California’s biggest teacher union contributed $20,000 to an organization that is a major supporter of the LA Unified school board District 1 candidate that UTLA is trying to defeat. According to the California Secretary of State, which tracks political contributions, the California Teachers Association (CTA) gave the money to the African American Voter Registration and Education Project...

A budget increase of $4 million  is enabling the LASPD, the police force that serves LA Unified, to build on the safety practices the department began implementing last year. The additional funding came as a result of a growing number of school shootings across the country, including the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut,...

Monica Ratliff, who was elected to the LA Unified school board last year, became the first member of the board to take sides in the District 1 school board race, endorsing George McKenna over Alex Johnson, McKenna’s campaign announced late in the day. No other board member has expressed public support for either of the contenders in the...

For those living in Los Angeles it’s not uncommon to brush up against some aspects of the entertainment industry. Now LAUSD students have the chance to meet and get life advice from Hollywood leaders.  The district is partnering with The Creative Coalition, a non-profit arts advocacy group, to create “Show Biz Gives Back,” a mentoring program...

*CORRECTION The political action committee for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor has recommended to its members that they endorse Alex Johnson, in his bid for the open LA Unified school board seat. It’s the first step in the group’s process for endorsing a candidate. The decision by the Committee on Political Education (COPE) now...

With less than a month before the runoff election for LAUSD’s district 1 board seat, the race between candidates George McKenna and Alex Johnson is heating up as both both candidates are re-launching their campaigns. Over the weekend, McKenna, 74, a career school administrator, and Johnson, 33, an education aide to LA County Supervisor Mark...

Starting today, residents of LA Unfied’s District 1, which covers much of south LA, stretching north to Hollywood, can apply for a Vote by Mail ballot for the Aug. 12 special election runoff for LA Unified’s open school board seat. (For an application, click here). The election, between George McKenna, a retired school administrator and Alex Johnson, education...

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