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New online course helps parents brush up on education policy

Via Edsource | By John Fensterwald A joke around Sacramento is that it takes a Ph.D. in Proposition 98 to understand how California schools are funded and governed. The truth is that agood short course is probably all that’s needed for the basics of California’s complex education policies. And now there is one – Ed100.org. Created by...
By LA School Report | June 13, 2014
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Westside charter school finally finds a new home, or two

The long, bitter saga of a westside charter’s move to a new home after an unpleasant year at Stoner Elementary School has finally ended. Officials representing Citizens of the World Mar Vista said yesterday they have accepted an offer from LA Unified to relocate on the campuses of two Westchester elementary schools about 1.4 miles...
By Vanessa Romo | June 13, 2014
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Commentary: Taking on Teacher Tenure Backfires

Via The New York Times | By Jesse Rothstein BERKELEY, Calif. — In his decision on Tuesday to strike down California’s teacher-tenure system, Judge Rolf M. Treu of Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that laws protecting teachers from dismissal violated the state’s constitutional commitment to provide “a basically equal opportunity to achieve a quality education”...
By LA School Report | June 13, 2014
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How LAUSD plans to spend $4.6 billion on district schools

Ever wonder how much money your local LAUSD school gets? Here’s a way to find out. Click here, and what you see is LA Unified’s $4.58 billion school-by-school spending plan for the 2014-2015 academic year. Each line item reflects a category and shows whether its funding is restricted, which means the money can only be...
By LA School Report | June 12, 2014
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New flexibility for LA Unified’s breakfast in the classroom

A successful program aimed at providing free classroom breakfast to low-income students in Los Angeles Unified has quietly made a change: it will now allow schools with more affluent populations to use alternative approaches to feeding kids in the morning. Part of a national school breakfast program, LAUSD’s “Breakfast in the Classroom” (BIC) is funded...
By Yana Gracile | June 12, 2014
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Citing Vergara, union watchdog group urges parents to sue

Just in case parents around the country missed the decision in Vergara v. California, a union-watch group in Washington is spreading the word. The Center for Union Facts, a nonprofit, ran an ad in today’s USA Today that urges parents and school reform advocates to to follow Vergara’s lead and sue when teacher unions block reform efforts. Judge Rolf...
By LA School Report | June 12, 2014
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A change in communications for LAUSD’s Tom Waldman

Tom Waldman is moving on, although he’s not going far. The Director of Communications for LA Unified is stepping into a new role with the district: the newly created post as Executive Director of Board Communications. Taking on the role, which was Superintendent John Deasy’s idea, means Waldman will work with the school board, exclusively....
By Vanessa Romo | June 12, 2014
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UTLA votes to endorse McKenna in District 1 board race

*UPDATED The LA teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to endorse George McKenna for LA Unified’s District 1 board seat in the August runoff election. McKenna, a retired administrator, had no direct ties to the union and in his winning primary campaign struck a note of independence in assessing various issues. But in the end, said Marco...
By Michael Janofsky | June 12, 2014
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Hendy-Newbill endorses McKenna in the District 1 runoff

Sherlett Hendy-Newbill, the Dorsey High teacher who finished third in the District 1 school board race, is throwing her support behind George McKenna in the August runoff. McKenna, a former administrator, was the top vote getter in the June 3 primary, with 43.7 percent of the vote. He will face the runner-up, Alex Johnson, an...
By LA School Report | June 11, 2014
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Vergara ruling gets mixed reaction from school board

Predictably, the historic superior court decision yesterday in the Vergara case elicited mixed reactions from members of the LA Unified school board. The ruling, which found California laws dictating teacher tenure, seniority rights and dismissal practices unconstitutional, is seen as huge blow to teacher unions and a boost to education reformers. Here is what a...
By LA School Report | June 11, 2014