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Deasy Deputy Jaime Aquino Resigns (Updated)
Jaime Aquino, LA Unified’s Superintendent of Instruction has resigned, according to Superintendent John Deasy and School Board President Richard Vladovic. “Dr. Aquino served the students of LAUSD admirably for the past few years, Vladovic said today in an email. “He made a decision to leave the District and pursue other endeavors. I wholeheartedly thank him for...
By Hillel Aron | September 13, 2013
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Monica Garcia Takes a Job, Becomes Part-Timer on Board
In an under-the-radar move, Monica Garcia has taken a job in LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina‘s office, which means she’s now a part-time member of the LA Unified school board. “For seven years, I did the LAUSD Board member job full time,” Garcia told LA School Report. “While I appreciated that intense focus on education,...
By Hillel Aron | September 12, 2013
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Vladovic Leadership Style Suggests Slower Pace is Best
When Richard Vladovic was elected by his colleagues as President of the LA Unified school board in July, observers predicted a much slower moving agenda. Judging by Tuesday’s board meeting, that’s exactly what’s happened. The meeting lasted about 8 hours and wrapped up a bit after 9 pm. That’s not an unheard of duration; some...
By Hillel Aron | September 12, 2013
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Common Core Budget Approval Put Off for Another Week
The LA Unified school board voted, again, to delay its final decision on crafting and approving the $113 million Common Core budget for at least another week. The money comes from the state and is intended to help school districts transition over the next two years to the new curriculum. It appeared to be a...
By Hillel Aron | September 10, 2013
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Deasy, Board Plunging Back into Turbulent Budget Waters
Meeting tomorrow for the second time in the new school year, the LA Unified school board will plunge back into a thorny debate over how to spend millions of new dollars flowing into the district from the state. It might not be pretty. Superintendent John Deasy is expected to respond to the board’s June directive to...
By Hillel Aron | September 9, 2013
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Board Members Seeking to Ease Requirements for Volunteers
Three LA Unified board members are directing Superintendent John Deasy to develop a plan that makes it easier and less expensive for volunteers to work in district schools. In a resolution on the board’s agenda for its meeting Tuesday, the members – Tamar Galatzan, Steve Zimmer and Monica Garcia – expressed concern that recent budget...
By Chase Niesner | September 6, 2013
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Deasy’s Community Meetings Take $2 Billion Funding Fight Public
The fight over the $2 billion LA Unified is getting under a new state funding program moves onto a public stage at 5:30 tonight when Superintendent John Deasy meets with a community group at Inner City Struggle in Boyle Heights. As the first of three scheduled meetings this month sponsored by CLASS, a coalition of community...
By Chase Niesner | August 29, 2013
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School Board Meeting Wrap Up: More Discussion Than Votes*
What began as a breezy LA Unified School Board meeting on Tuesday turned, not surprisingly, into a long, tedious, sometimes rancorous session, with a host of issues discussed but rarely resolved. A number of key votes were postponed, and Superintendent John Deasy’s highly anticipated budget presentation was postponed until the Sept. 10 board meeting so it could...
By Hillel Aron | August 20, 2013
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Is Monica Garcia Running For State Assembly?
The hot rumor going around that School Board member Monica Garcia is running State Assembly in 2014 gained a bit of credence when Garcia appeared as a “probable candidate” on the popular California politics website Around the Capitol. Scott Lay, who maintains Around the Capitol, said in an email that his information about Garcia was “based on...
By Hillel Aron | July 9, 2013
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Vladovic Defeats Galatzan for Board President
In one of the more dramatic meetings in recent memory, the newly installed 2013-2014 LAUSD School Board selected Dr. Richard Vladovic (standing, left) as its next President by a vote of 5 to 2. Newly sworn-in Board member Monica Ratliff joined Steve Zimmer, Marguerite LaMotte, Bennett Kayser and Vladovic himself in the majority. Outgoing Board...
By Hillel Aron | July 2, 2013