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Morning Read: LAUSD to Pay Millions Over Abuse Lawsuits
LAUSD to Pay Nearly $30M to Settle Miramonte Sex Abuse Lawsuits Los Angeles Unified will pay nearly $30 million to settle claims by 58 children who say they were victims of former Miramonte Elementary teacher Mark Berndt, the veteran educator charged with committing bizarre acts of sex abuse against students, attorneys said Tuesday. LA Daily...
By Samantha Oltman | March 13, 2013
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Morning Read: CA Charter Law Ranked 7th
Report Ranks California’s Charter School Laws 7th Strongest in Nation The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked California 7th for its charter school laws among the 42 states and the District of Columbia that have passed laws allowing charter schools. EdSource L.A. Schools Supt. Deasy, 4 Predecessors Named in Miramonte Lawsuit The lawsuit alleges...
By Samantha Oltman | January 30, 2013
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Morning Read: UTLA Approves Teacher Evaluation
Los Angeles Teachers Union Approves Use of Testing Data in Evaluations A landmark agreement to use student test scores for the first time to evaluate Los Angeles Unified instructors was approved by the teachers union Saturday. LA Times See also: LA Daily News, KPCC, LA School Report ‘Parent Trigger’ Organizers Find Willing Partner in Los...
By Samantha Oltman | January 22, 2013
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Morning Read: Looming Vote On Teacher Evaluations
Teacher Vote on Whether to Use Student Test Scores in Performance Evaluations Teachers in Los Angeles Unified will vote Jan. 14-18 on a tentative agreement that would allow the use of student test data in performance evaluations. LA Daily News Calif. Teachers Fund Reviewing Firearm Holdings The nation’s largest teachers’ pension fund announced Tuesday that...
By Samantha Oltman | December 19, 2012
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Morning Read: Miramonte Lawsuits Proceed
Miramonte Lewd Conduct Lawsuits Can Proceed An L.A. County Superior Court judge on Thursday lifted a stay on lawsuits arising from alleged lewd conduct at Miramonte Elementary School. LA Times Ex-Miramonte Teacher Mark Berndt Hires Defense Attorney Mark Berndt, the former Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of lewd conduct against his students, has hired as...
By Samantha Oltman | December 14, 2012
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Morning Read: LAUSD Wins Battle With Charters
LAUSD Wins Key Legal Battle With Charter Schools A California appellate court panel strikes down a ruling that could have opened up many classrooms for charters and created potential hardships for traditional campuses. LA Times LA Teachers Union Endorses Multiple Candidates for the Same Seats In an unusual move, the United Teachers Los Angeles on...
By Samantha Oltman | December 7, 2012
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One Thing: LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”
From LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron, writing for the LA Weekly: “On the outskirts of LAUSD’s sprawling, mazelike Educational Service Center in Reseda sit seven long, shabby, peach-colored bungalows with barred windows and rotting wood, which all but scream Southern California public education. “In one of them is a roughly 35-square-foot room where 25 or...
By LA School Report | December 6, 2012
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Morning Read: LAUSD Approves Teacher Grading Deal
L.A. Unified Says Deal on Evaluations Meets Court Order The Los Angeles Unified School District filed court papers Tuesday asserting that a new tentative agreement with the teachers union has satisfied judicial orders to use state standardized test scores in instructor evaluations. LA Times LAUSD Board OKs Deal With Teachers Union on Performance Evaluations The...
By Samantha Oltman | December 5, 2012
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Morning Read: Teacher Dismissal Revived
Bill to Speed up Teacher Dismissals Is Revived Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) acted in the wake of a state audit concluding that current laws added excessive cost and time to the firing process. LA Times See Also: LA Daily News Billboards Promote Law That Lets Students Leave Low Performing Schools The Open Enrollment Act became...
By Samantha Oltman | December 4, 2012
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Commentary: Union dishes out blame on sex abuse
Lots of blame was dished out last week after a state audit found weak dismissal and reporting practices at LAUSD regarding teachers accused of sexual misconduct. Especially vocal was UTLA president Warren Fletcher, who has consistently lobbed criticism at LAUSD for how it has managed the scandal. Now I am a Prop-30-supporting-dyed-in-the-wool union Democrat, but...
By Jamie Alter Lynton | December 3, 2012