The California Teachers Association is the 6th most powerful state teachers union in the nation, according to a new report from a pair of East Coast nonprofits. California teachers are #1 in terms of scope of bargaining and perceived influence, according to the state profile (PDF here), and #18 and #20 in its level of political...

It was intriguing to see UTLA president Warren Fletcher sitting at the table with Jordan Henry, co-founder of NewTLA, at last night’s Los Angeles Education Partnership roundtable event titled “Do Unions Drive or Restrain Student Success?” A caucus of teachers frequently at odds with UTLA leadership, NewTLA is currently encouraging members to nominate themselves for union leadership positions at their schools....

When the United States Department of Education announced yesterday that the deadline for Race to the Top applications was being been pushed back due to Hurricane Sandy, a Washington, DC trade publication called Education Week wondered whether the delay might give LAUSD more time to negotiate with UTLA for a chance at as much as $40 million. But, when...

LAUSD, Other Districts Miss Out on Race to the Top Grants as Unions Won’t Sign Applications The two sides resumed informal discussions on Monday after the deadline was extended because of Hurricane Sandy, but still couldn’t reach an agreement.  Daily News See also the LA Times Gov. Jerry Brown Has Yet to Pick a Central...

This analysis published in the Daily News points out that the $6 billion in cuts that the Governor has threatened if Prop. 30 doesn’t pass are only “cuts” because they were pre-built into the budget by over-optimistic politicians and could be addressed through other means than solely cutting 15-20 days of school as has been...

Teachers Union Refuses to Sign Off on LAUSD Plan for Race to the Top Grant The Los Angeles teachers union has refused to sign off on Los Angeles Unified’s bid for a prestigious Race to the Top grant, costing the district a shot at winning $40 million in federal money, sources said Saturday. Daily News...

The deadline for the fourth round of school proposals for Public School Choice (PSC) is due next week, on October 31. LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy has identified 13 low-performing schools to participate in what is called PSC 4.0.  This is a decrease from the previous year, when 33 schools were part of the process. Only...

Support Plunges for Prop. 30, Gov. Jerry Brown’s Tax Initiative Only 46% of registered voters now support Prop. 30, a drop of 9 percentage points over the last month, and 42% oppose it. LA Times See also Ed Source Molly Munger’s Prop. 38 Is Spoiling Jerry Brown’s Prop. 30. She’s Not Sorry. Both proposals could...

Mediator Don Raska has been appointed to try to help resolve the teacher evaluation negotiations between LAUSD and the teachers union (UTLA), according to a UTLA newsletter. The October 19th issue of the United Teacher states that, “the union continues to push back against LAUSD’s proposal to link a percentage of a teacher’s evaluation to...

On Friday, LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer told LA School Report that his charter school oversight proposal would be revised and reintroduced yet again at the next Board meeting on November 13 in a version that is “a better representation of what my overall purpose is.”  As described, the latest version is nonbinding and asks charter...