-
Vladovic Accuser Speaks Out With Details of Harassment

Via Los Angeles Daily News | By Barbara Jones A veteran Los Angeles Unified secretary who filed harassment allegations against school board President Richard Vladovic has identified herself publicly in an exclusive interview with the Daily News, saying she’s speaking out in an effort to end bullying by the district’s powerful officials. Lily Nuñez is...
By LA School Report | October 16, 2013
-
Deasy Slows iPad Rollout

Superintendent John Deasy is proposing a nearly half year-long extension in completing LA Unified’s much-ballyhooed iPad rollout, pushing back completion of the program to the end of 2015. As originally planned, all LA Unified students were to have iPads by the spring of 2015* over three phases of distribution. If his proposal is approved by the...
By LA School Report | October 15, 2013
-
Gov. Brown Needs to Lead on Teacher Dismissal Bill

Via Los Angeles Times | Editorial Board Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill to streamline the process for firing teachers, saying that he agreed with its goal but calling it an “imperfect solution.” Now he should follow up, taking the lead on this important but contentious issue much as he did when he...
By LA School Report | October 15, 2013
-
How Much Money Should Your School Get?

How should LA Unified spend the new influx of money flowing in from the state? As part of Prop 30, school districts are required to improve transparency in school spending decisions. Thus, LAUSD is sponsoring the final two town hall-style meetings this week to get feedback from the community about budget priorities: tomorrow night at...
By LA School Report | October 14, 2013
-
Union To Ask LA Unified Board for a Stay On Dismissals*

The Los Angeles teachers union will ask the LA Unified Board of Education to temporarily suspend the two most recent rounds of teacher dismissals, which the board approved in closed sessions this month and last month. “Teachers want to make sure that if there are any bad guys in the classroom, that they stop being...
By Hillel Aron | October 14, 2013
-
LA Unified Suspension Rate Accelerating Down, to 1.5 Percent

The suspension rate in LA Unified has fallen to 1.5 percent — an impressive drop from the 8.1 percent of the 2007-08 school year. The rate of decrease has been even more pronounced since John Deasy was appointed Superintendent in 2011. In his first full school year in charge, the suspension rate fell to 3.7...
By Hillel Aron | October 14, 2013
-
More Districts are Flipping for ‘Flipped’ Schools

Via The New York Times | By Tina Rosenberg Three years ago, Clintondale High School, just north of Detroit, became a “flipped school” — one where students watch teachers’ lectures at home and do what we’d otherwise call “homework” in class. Teachers record video lessons, which students watch on their smartphones, home computers or at...
By LA School Report | October 14, 2013
-
Gov. Brown’s Veto Leaves Teacher Dismissal in Limbo*

Governor Jerry Brown’s veto of AB 375, a bill that would have amended California’s teacher dismissal process, doesn’t mean the effort is dead. “The governor still wants to do something,” LA Unified’s chief lobbyist, Edgar Zazueta, told LA School Report. “I do see there will be one, if not several, efforts to do this next year. Hopefully we’re...
By Hillel Aron | October 11, 2013
-
You Name It, LA Unified Community Wants it Funded
What would you do with a giant pile of new money? That’s the question Superintendent John Deasy’s staff is asking parents, educators and union members in a series of town hall meetings this month. And last night at an LA Unified facility in east Los Angeles, their suggestions ran the gamut. More teachers. Extra support...
By Vanessa Romo | October 11, 2013
-
Kayser is New LA Unified Board Budget Committee Chair

Bennett Kayser has taken over as chairman of the LA Unified School Board budget committee, replacing Tamar Galatzan, who stepped down after two years. Galatzan said that she saw no reason for the budget committee — formally, the Facilities, Audit and Budget Committee — to meet at the moment, now that the district is conducting a a...
By Hillel Aron | October 11, 2013