National teachers union head Randi Weingarten heaped praise on the tentative deal that LAUSD and UTLA announced last week. LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy touted it as historic (see: “This Has Never Been Done”). But elsewhere across the nation, the initial word about the deal hasn’t been so unanimously glowing. Today’s LA Times story about the deal highlights some of these concerns,...

LA School Report is increasingly being recognized for its coverage of critical Los Angeles education issues. The latest example is the site’s inclusion in the Students Matter newsletter for our story about SB 10, the resurrected version of SB 1530: Teacher Dismissal Bill, Redux.

The next few months aren’t just going to be about teacher evaluation, removal of sexual predators, and budget items. The charter application, review, and approval process will continue — including those that will be discussed at tomorrow’s Board meeting. At tomorrow’s Board meeting, items 16-20 are renewals or amendments to existing charters. But there are also new charters...

A group of Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union locals have endorsed incumbents Monica Garcia and Steve Zimmer, as well as Antonio Sanchez, in their races for school board. “These candidates demonstrate a real appreciation for the role that student services workers play in a child’s learning,” said Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of SEIU Local...

A controversial item on the LAUSD School Board agenda this week proposes drastically limiting Superintendent John Deasy’s ability to seek funding for the district by applying for public or private grants. The resolution, initiated by School Board Members Richard Vladovic, Bennett Kayser, and Marguerite LaMotte, aims to give the school board veto power over grant...

It’s not easy keeping track of terms used in LAUSD, including such basics as the geographic “districts” (regions) into which the sprawling district has been divided.  Let’s start with the three districts that are up for grabs in March: District 2 (Light blue) -Central Los Angeles from Larchmont to East LA (includes Koreatown, Downtown, Boyle...

Some of the most interesting items scheduled to be discussed and/or voted on at Tuesday’s monthly Board meeting are expedited removal of teachers accused of misconduct, the use of student achievement to evaluate teachers, and Board approval for large grant applications. Read below for more highlights.

“Districts collectively bargain with teachers, but the real power to manage the workplace resides in Sacramento, which is dominated by the money the teachers unions shower on legislators to maintain these provisions.” — DFER California head Gloria Romero

There’s a big kickoff event for Kate Anderson’s campaign next week on the Sony Studios Lot, hosted by Davis “Waiting For Superman” Guggenheim and LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, among others. Anderson is running against Steve Zimmer for District 4 (Hollywood to the Palisades). Her campaign website is here.

SB 10, a bill aimed at streamlining the dismissal process for teachers accused of sexual misconducted, was introduced earlier this week and is now out in a full-text version. A carbon copy of SB 1530 (the previous bill seeking to address this issue) SB 10 is among a handful of proposals sure to garner attention...