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Community meetings ahead on CA school spending plan

A series of meetings are scheduled to help LA Unified parents and other community members learn about the new Local Control Funding Formula, the state’s new funding stream. A coalition of advocacy groups known as CLASS, as well as LAUSD board members are holding community meetings to help the public understand the changes. Below is...
By Chase Niesner | February 18, 2014
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Ridley-Thomas aide, Alex Johnson, files for open board seat
LA School Report has learned that Alex Johnson, a top aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, has filed papers with the City Clerk’s office, making official what has long been assumed by insiders, that he is running for LA Unified school board in the special election set for June 3. While Johnson has spoken privately with numerous...
By LA School Report | February 18, 2014
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Commentary: When our students are living in a book desert

He was beefy and laconic, rumored to be gang-affiliated. Kids whispered that he stood outside of school in the early mornings selling weed, though we could never catch him at it. He was also brilliant. If you define “intellectual” as a person who takes delight in the process of abstract thinking, Xavier was one of...
By Ellie Herman | February 18, 2014
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‘Apprentice’ contestant Omarosa bidding for LAUSD board seat

Bringing unusual visibility to the upcoming LA Unified school board special election, Omarosa Manigault, a TV personality best known for contentious her role on The Apprentice, has told LA School Report she is entering the race. She filed papers with the City Clerk on Friday to run for the vacant seat in District 1. The...
By LA School Report | February 18, 2014
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Happy Presidents’ Day!

By LA School Report | February 17, 2014
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Defense tries hard to undermine an expert in Vergara trial

Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a group that works for high academic achievement, returned to the witness stand today for more questions by the defense, aimed at undermining his credibility, research and right to be considered an expert. As one of the plaintiffs’ key experts in the landmark trial, Vergara vs. California,...
By Mark Harris | February 14, 2014
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LAUSD leads charter school growth in California, and nation

California launched the largest number of charter schools in the nation last year, according to a report released this week by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS). The state saw the start of 104 charter schools, bringing its total to 1,130. Almost 520,000 California students of more than 6 million now attend charters in...
By Doris D Quintanilla | February 14, 2014
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LA Unified’s education policy is upheld in US district court
Via Park LaBrea News-Beverly Press | By Aaron Blevins U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lew has ruled against two parent groups that sought to challenge the Los Angeles Unified School District’s increased efforts to integrate special education students with their general education peers. According to the district, one element of the Chanda Smith Modified Consent...
By LA School Report | February 14, 2014
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Experts in Vergara trial endure bumpy rides on the witness stand

As plaintiffs come down the home stretch in the landmark trial Vergara vs. California, attorneys for the nine-student litigants are attempting to underscore key points in their case by calling more expert witnesses. For two of them, at least, defense lawyers made it as challenging for them as they could today, peppering testimony with objections...
By Mark Harris | February 13, 2014
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A series of meetings planned to explain state’s new funding
In the next few months the LA Unified school board is set to make a number of critical decisions regarding the spending of new education dollars coming into the district. To prepare, both LAUSD officials and local advocacy groups are ramping up community engagement efforts to get public input on spending priorities. Communities for Los Angeles...
By Chase Niesner | February 13, 2014