According to yesterday’s state audit (above), LAUSD has been required to pay $3 million in salaries to 20 teachers who have been ‘housed’ (removed from site) the longest while being investigated for misconduct — including one who’s been housed for 4.5 years.

Superintendent John Deasy said this morning that he expects a tentative agreement with UTLA over a new system of teacher evaluations, as mandated by the court in Doe v. Deasy, at some point in the next four days — just before the deadline set by the judge. “I’m not a betting or predictive kind of guy,...

The deadline set by Judge Chalfant for LAUSD and UTLA to agree on a teacher evaluation system that satisfies the requirements of the Stull Act is December 4 — less than a week away. Neither side is saying how the negotiations are going – other than, well, “they’re going.” That sounds good, but the district and...

Remember a few weeks ago when UTLA refused to sign onto LAUSD’s Race to the Top application, and Superintendent John Deasy sent it in anyway (along with a press release)? Well it took the US Department of Education about five minutes to reject LAUSD’s application, and — thanks to 300 peer reviewers — it took...

Some have said that the LA Times education coverage is overly teacher- and union-friendly. Indeed,  today’s news roundup alone contains a news story about the rollout of the new teacher observation system and another about the challenges of co-locating charter and district schools on the same campus. But a comparison of the images accompanying the latest editorial on Board member...

“Good for the committee that … put the brakes on this poorly planned effort Wednesday.” LA Times: A Tablet in Every Backpack?    

Today, members from the Bond Oversight Committee blocked Phase I of Superintendent John Deasy’s plan to provide tablet computers for all students and faculty by the end of 2013. The first phase of Deasy’s plan called for spending $17.4 million on tablets for 14 secondary schools. The Bond Oversight Committee voted 7-3 to approve the...

Inside the meeting room at Tuesday’s LAUSD school board meeting, four television camera crews were present to watch the board vote unanimously to rescind 10 furlough days (five of which are instructional), thanks to the passage of Proposition 30. The board also voted to adopt a “Good Food Purchasing Policy.” But the healthy food vote and...

Also on the Board agenda for Tuesday, November 13 will be LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy’s proposal to restore the district’s full 180-day academic calendar and repeal all scheduled staff furlough days. Deasy’s just-announced proposal is motivated by the November 6 passage of Prop. 30, whose approval means that LAUSD doesn’t have to cut $255 million...

LAUSD Looks to Restore Some Staff, Programs With Prop. 30 Revenue The passage of Prop. 30 means the district may be able to cancel some of the 10 unpaid furlough days facing teachers and other district employees, he said. Moving forward, some of the thousands of lost jobs may be restored. Daily News L.A. Teachers Union...