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Morning Read: Lawsuit challenges CTA’s power over dues

Lawsuit challenges teachers’ compulsory dues A lawsuit working its way through the courts is striking at the core of the CTA’s power: its authority to automatically deduct hundreds of millions of dollars a year in dues from the paychecks of both members and non-members. Edsource LAUSD police to give up some weaponry obtained in federal...
By LA School Report | September 17, 2014
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Google flash funds LAUSD teacher projects with $1 million

LA Unified has received a generous surprise gift from Google, as the tech company announced it has funded all classroom teacher projects in the district on the crowdfunding site DonorsChoose.org. The nearly $1 million donation will go to 769 teachers, who submitted proposals for projects and materials. The donation included pencils, books, laptops, musical instruments...
By Craig Clough | September 16, 2014
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Garfield High teacher selected for Yale Educator Award

A veteran teacher at Garfield Senior High School has been selected for a prestigious award from Yale University thanks to one of his former students. The Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions has honored Kevin Murchie, an English teacher at Garfield, as a recipient of the 2014 Yale Educator Award. Murchie was nominated by former Garfield student, Janet Juarez,...
By Craig Clough | September 16, 2014
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Teachers union changes tactics, urges board to ‘evaluate’ Deasy*

*Correction In an earlier version of this post we mistakenly reported that UTLA is “urging the school board to fire” superintendent John Deasy. This is incorrect. We try our hardest to write with accuracy, but on this one, we missed the mark – and we regret the error. What follows is UTLA’s letter to us...
By Vanessa Romo | September 16, 2014
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LA Unified cancels all outdoor activities due to heat wave

As a result of the massive heat wave striking the Los Angeles area, LA Unified officials on Tuesday decided to cancel all outdoor activities or move them indoors until Wednesday. Triple-digit temperatures are hitting parts of Los Angeles with unusually high temps expected to last several days. Los Angeles County Health officials extended a heat...
By Craig Clough | September 16, 2014
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Editorial: LA Unified schools won’t get better if leaders fight

Via LA Times | Editorial Board This would be a difficult period for Supt. John Deasy and the Los Angeles Unified School District even if he and the school board were intent on working together for the benefit of students. But these aren’t the most cooperative of times, to put it mildly. The questions surrounding the...
By LA School Report | September 16, 2014
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New deal could mean millions for LA Unified’s TV station

After suffering years of harsh budget cuts, LA Unified-owned public TV station KLCS could see a financial windfall next year should its recently announced plan to auction off bandwidth to the FCC go forward. The potential value of the deal has been estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. The money would likely...
By Craig Clough | September 15, 2014
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Compare: LAUSD teacher salary competitive with other CA cities

The Los Angeles Unified school district offers competitive teacher salaries compared to other large districts in the state of California. That’s according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a nonprofit which complies data from across the country. Despite a recent press report indicating LAUSD was below the average, it turns out on many...
By LA School Report | September 15, 2014
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‘Email delete’ policy is misunderstood according to LAUSD

A policy intended to delete unnecessary emails on LA Unified district computers has caused a media storm and much confusion, but ultimately is misunderstood, according to officials who spoke to LA School Report. “It could be this is much ado about nothing” said school board member, Steve Zimmer. The bottom line: the ‘delete’ program does not...
By Vanessa Romo | September 15, 2014
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Next election season opens for 2015 primary

With more than a month left before November’s election, the Los Angeles City Clerk is already looking toward the next election season. It announced today that candidates intending to run for office in the primary, slated for March 2015, must live in their respective districts by October 3. According to the City Charter, failure to...
By LA School Report | September 12, 2014