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Brown Urged to Veto Weakened Teacher Dismissal Bill*
Opposition to a teacher dismissal bill that was weakened through compromises in the California legislature is gathering steam as it awaits the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown. Today Gloria Romero, former state senator and head of California Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), is urging Brown to veto the bill. In an article published in the Orange...
By LA School Report | September 24, 2013
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Deasy’s D.C. Trip Yields ‘Less than Positive News’ on Federal Budget
Superintendent John Deasy and School Board members Steve Zimmer and Monica Ratliff flew to Washington D.C. last week, not for a relaxing getaway but to meet with lawmakers to discuss the impact of federal budget cuts is having on the district. Known as “sequestration,” the cuts are costing the district hundreds of millions of dollars...
By Hillel Aron | September 23, 2013
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LA Unified 5K ‘Move It!’ Run to Promote District Wellness Centers
LA Unified announced today that its 5K ‘Move It!’ Challenge and Health Festival will take place on Nov. 16 at Dodger Stadium. The District fundraiser is intended to raise awareness about the importance of physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle, while also raising funds for the District’s new Wellness Centers. There are currently a dozen...
By Chase Niesner | September 23, 2013
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In DC, Deasy, Ratliff and Zimmer Talk Budget Cut Impact
LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy and two board members spent a few days in Washington, where they met with officials and lawmakers about the impact of federal budget cuts on the district. Deasy and members Monica Ratliff and Steve Zimmer met with Rep. George Miller, a Democrat from Concord, Assistant Education Secretary Deb Delisle and...
By LA School Report | September 23, 2013
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Stanford Helping Teachers with Common Core Discussion
Stanford University is offering a free and online course this fall, focusing on classroom dialogue among students to improve their interactions, as required by the new Common Core standards. The course asks participants to analyze and share examples of student conversations from their own classrooms. As part of the Common Core standards, students evaluate and...
By Chase Niesner | September 23, 2013
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Ravitch and Rhee: Same Goals, But Very Different Approaches
You don’t find approaches more AM and FM to America’s public schools – their successes and failures – than in new books by two of the nation’s leading voices on the subject, “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools” by Diane Ravitch and “Radical: Fighting to Put...
By LA School Report | September 23, 2013
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Garcetti Names His Board of Library Commissioners
More appointments from Mayor Eric Garcetti. Today he announced his choices for the Board of Public Library Commissioners. The five members serve five-year staggered terms and are confirmed by the City Council. Gregory Bettinelli — a venture partner for Upfront Ventures, an Affiliated Executive for Freeman Spogli & Co., Co-Founder of MucklerLab, and venture advisor for Mucker...
By LA School Report | September 20, 2013
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A Think Tank Plan to Boost Pay for LA Unified Teachers*
Teachers in Los Angeles Unified schools could make an additional 7.15 percent a year in salary, with 60 percent of them achieving greater retirement security, if the district applied a cost neutral shift in their compensation package, according to a new report from the Manhattan Institute. “Better Pay, Fairer Pensions: Reforming Teacher Compensation” examines the...
By LA School Report | September 20, 2013
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LA Unified Dropped as Defendant in Vergara Lawsuit
Via LA Daily News After a settlement agreement with the plaintiff, Los Angeles Unified was dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit that claims students’ rights to equal educational opportunities are being violated by state laws governing teacher tenure, job security and seniority. The dismissal came Wednesday in a suit filed 16 months ago by...
By LA School Report | September 20, 2013
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LAUSD to Shift Money from Substitutes to Phys Ed Program*
Following a contentious discussion at the Sept. 10 board meeting, LA Unified announced today that it will fully fund the Physical Education Teacher Incentive Program by siphoning off $1.6 million from the budget that now pays for substitute teachers. The shift in money satisfies a resolution offered by Bennett Kayser and Steve Zimmer that passed...
By LA School Report | September 19, 2013