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Dip in enrollment could cost LAUSD hundreds of millions

The Los Angeles Unified School District is losing an average of 2.6 percent of students attending traditional public schools — that’s about 56,000 kids — and it’s costing the district hundreds of millions dollars each year. By the current formula, which calculates how much money goes to districts based on student attendance, about $292.4 million will...
By Vanessa Romo | March 18, 2014
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LA Unified kicks off digital learning, digital citizenship

Not only are students at Western Elementary School in south Los Angeles learning the basic math, reading and writing skills, but they’re also learning how to be good digital citizens. LA Unified, its Common Core Technology Project (CCTP) team, the Common Sense Media team along with students, parents, staff, and elected officials kicked off the...
By Yana Gracile | March 18, 2014
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Here’s an idea: Break LA Unified into ‘6 or 7’ districts

Marc Litchman has an idea. As far as his campaign for Congress, challenging Representative Brad Sherman, a Sherman Oaks Democrat, it’s his only idea. He wants to break up LA Unified. But not into two districts, one on either side of the hill, as others have advocated. “We need six or seven,” Litchman said in...
By Michael Janofsky | March 18, 2014
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Commentary: With an API delay, a step toward real accountability

California has just suspended the calculation of API scores until 2016—and that’s cause for celebration by those of us who believe in meaningful accountability. I know, many people are freaking out because they believe this suspension of scores will leave schools in low-income communities free to go down the toilet for two full years while...
By Ellie Herman | March 18, 2014
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LA Unified board talking lawsuits, budget, Melendez

The LA Unified Board meets this morning, with much of their business scheduled for a closed door session. In private, the six members will discuss various legal cases involving the district as well as updates on labor contracts and student discipline matters. At some point, in open session, they will consider an interim financial report...
By LA School Report | March 18, 2014
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Keep seniority for layoffs, Vergara witness tells court

A 30-year veteran of teaching in California school districts testified for the defense today in Vergara v. California, saying state laws protecting teacher employment are critical to maintaining teacher effectiveness in the classroom. Linda Tolladay, an eighth grade science teacher in the Madera Unified School District outside Fresno, told the court that replacing seniority with...
By Mark Harris | March 17, 2014
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Analysis: Hudley-Hayes resume raises more than red flags

Rather than jump to conclusions in the case of allegations first reported here earlier this month, that a LA Unified School Board candidate, Genethia Hudley-Hayes, has numerous inaccuracies in her resume, we at LA School Report embarked on our own due-diligence. What we found were a series of repeated conflicts and inconsistencies over a number of years,...
By Jamie Alter Lynton | March 17, 2014
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It’s settled: McKenna gets top spot on District 1 ballot

While it’s not clear that ballot order has a significant impact, in a crowded field of 7, it can’t hurt to be first. But it takes some doing to figure it out. So LA School Report has un-scrambled the randomized alphabet drawing procedure the California Secretary of State used to determined the ballot order in the...
By Aaron Stella | March 17, 2014
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Garcia, UTLA candidate for president, fired as LAUSD sub

The field of candidates for UTLA president may be reduced by one. David Garcia, one of nine men challenging the incumbent, Warren Fletcher, has been dismissed as an LA Unified teacher, putting his candidacy in limbo. Garcia confirmed his firing in an email circulated on Friday and blamed it on his challenging the district on...
By LA School Report | March 17, 2014
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Stanford report shows advantages for LAUSD charter students*

In its first analysis of LA Unified schools, Stanford University found that the typical student in a charter school made greater academic gains than a counterpart in a traditional school. “Charter School Performance in Los Angeles,” a report from Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO), found that a student in an urban LA charter...
By LA School Report | March 15, 2014