United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) has reported that its campaign spending for the 2013 School Board race jumped from $72,000 to $1.7 million in the past month.  But multiple independent expenditure (IE) accounts and unmatched transfers between the union’s two committees make it difficult to verify the accuracy or completeness of those figures.

In a recent conversation with LA School Report, Dr. Judith Perez, President of the Administrators Union, weighed in on LAUSD’s controversial new teacher evaluation guideline: “It feels rushed to us,” she said. “We understand the judge’s requirement that this be implemented this year. But what happens then is an attitude of, ‘just get it done.'” Perez’s comments,...

In a Mayoral election dominated by the economy and the budget, education has been barely a blip on the leading candidates’ radar screens. For a moment, at least, all that will change on Wednesday, February 27, when the five Mayoral candidates take part in a debate at the United Way’s education summit. The question is...

Just a reminder: Tuesday, February 26, is the last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot for the March 5 primary election with a simple click of the mouse. You have until midnight to make the request. Click here. At stake are several important political positions in Los Angeles, including the mayor’s office and three...

An energetic crowd gathered early on a Saturday morning to listen to a pep talk from District 4 incumbent Steve Zimmer before hitting the pavement to walk the precinct. Standing on a chair to address the crowd, Zimmer spoke of his appreciation for their efforts and pride in the commitment of those who showed up,...

Here’s what the LA Daily News has to say in its new LAUSD School Board endorsements —  the same three candidates who were endorsed earlier this month by the LA Times editorial page, albeit not entirely for the same reasons: District 2: Monica Garcia: “She has been a consistent, if sometimes lukewarm, supporter of reform.” District 4:...

A lawsuit that challenges teacher tenure and other job protection laws written into the California State code has a court date. But it’s still a year down the road, slated for January 27, 2014. Filed on behalf of nine students by the non-profit Student Matters, Vergara v. California is taking on the state constitution. It...

District 6, which covers the East San Fernando Valley, is the one School Board race where the big special interest groups — the Coalition for School Reform, SEIU and UTLA — have all endorsed the same candidate: Antonio Sanchez. But that hasn’t stopped the Coalition from going negative with a new, double-sided glossy mailer attacking Sanchez’s opponents, Maria Cano and Monica...

School Board candidates have stepped up their game in direct fundraising in the past month — even as their campaign coffers continue to be eclipsed by the skyrocketing unlimited independent expenditure (IE) contributions. According to new figures posted to the LA City Ethics Commission, some candidates are far outpacing others – and candidates who support reform...

The Coalition for School Reform has been running TV ads and hitting voters with a blizzard of glossy flyers.  But — having closely lost 2011’s big-money campaign between Bennett Kayser and Luis Sanchez — the reform-oriented campaign committee is also taking its field organization very seriously. Field organizing — also sometimes called a campaign “ground game”...