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Teachers union ups pressure on Deasy over technology, contract
* UPDATED With a new contract on the line, the LA Unified teachers union, UTLA, is stepping up its attack on Superintendent John Deasy, blaming him for problems large and small and the opening line the district has taken for a new contract with teachers. Union president Alex Caputo-Pearl ratcheted up the tension at the...
By Vanessa Romo | September 9, 2014
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Progress (or lack of it) with teachers comes to LAUSD board
The LA Unified School Board returns tomorrow with a full agenda although a lot of the juicy stuff will be discussed in closed session. In addition to the usual topics — personnel issues and ongoing litigation — the board will review labor negotiations, which at this point is down to the on-going talks with the...
By Vanessa Romo | September 8, 2014
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Not everyone is rejoicing over halt to LAUSD’s iPad program
Principal Steven Martinez of John Burroughs Middle School in Hancock Park figured the worst that could happen is that his school’s new iPads wouldn’t connect to the Apple TVs that staff bought to enhance lesson plans. He figured wrong. On Friday, he learned that his school is not getting iPads at all. “I don’t understand what’s...
By Vanessa Romo | September 8, 2014
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Teachers union submits initial contract demands to LA Unified
After months of bargaining talks with LA Unified, the teachers union, UTLA, today submitted its first contract demand within the course of current negotiations. In a document submitted to the board this morning, the union called for discussions of various subjects, including salaries, teacher evaluations and discipline at its next bargaining sessions, according to a...
By Vanessa Romo | September 4, 2014
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Deasy on his critics: Constant attacks are ‘politically motivated’
Under withering criticism over the iPad program, a new student-tracking computer system and discordant relations with the teachers union, LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy said today that the attacks feel politically motivated at the expense of his agenda to improve the lives of district students. “I serve at the pleasure of the board,” he said...
By Michael Janofsky | September 3, 2014
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Deasy puts Apple deal on hold, starts new bidding process
*UPDATED LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy told members of the school board yesterday that he is halting the district’s contract with Apple, Inc., effectively ending his grand plan to put an iPad in the hands of every district student. Following the disclosure of emails that suggest he and aides had tailored the bid process to...
By Michael Janofsky | August 26, 2014
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iPad report shared only with LAUSD officials in secrecy
A draft report on LA Unified’s handling of the controversial iPad contract that was leaked to media outlets last week was made available to board members and district administrators only if they agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement, barring them from sharing the report with anyone. While some signed, others, including Superintendent John Deasy, did...
By Vanessa Romo | August 25, 2014
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After Ferguson, LAUSD giving schools tools to discuss conflict
With tensions from Ferguson, Mo. stirring yet another national debate on race relations, LA Unified is distributing an informational packet, “Engaging Students in Peaceful Dialogues about Conflict and Bias,” with a goal of helping solicit questions or concerns from students in “a neutral, safe and respectful space for constructive dialogue.” The packet includes suggested activities for students...
By LA School Report | August 21, 2014
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Deasy planning to hire his own liaison for MiSiS project
As LA Unified teachers continue their complaints about the district’s new student data management program, MiSiS, Superintendent John Deasy said today he plans to hire an independent liaison to keep him informed of corrective actions. “This is not my area of expertise so I have to be sure, when I think something is not optimal,...
By Vanessa Romo | August 21, 2014
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LA Unified names Ruth Perez as successor to Aquino
Eight months after Jaime Aquino’s departure as LA Unified’s Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, the district has a candidate to fill the seat. Superintendent John Deasy announced today he would recommend Ruth Pérez, former superintendent of the Norwalk-La Mirada school district, whose hiring is scheduled to come before the board for approval at its next meeting,...
By LA School Report | August 21, 2014