Educational Headlines
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Clements school donated back to town
A dozen members of the Clements community let out a cheer Tuesday night, celebrating the Lodi Unified Board of Trustees' decision to donate the shuttered Clements Elementary School back to the town's people to use as a community center.
Board approves teacher layoffs
Temecula school trustees voted Tuesday night to eliminate 120 teaching positions next year, as the district faces a potential $24 million budget shortfall.
Charter school asks to expand
Leaders at Vista's Guajome Park Academy have asked Vista Unified School District trustees to allow the school to expand later this year to serve as many as 150 younger students.
Long Beach school board votes to lay off 300 employees
In the first phase of proposed budget cuts, the Long Beach Unified Board of Education on Tuesday approved the layoff of more than 300 employees, including the entire teaching staff of the Head Start preschool program.
Transportation bill saves Arcohe Union School District money
The Arcohe Union School District will save about $51,000 next school year thanks to a bill recently signed by the governor to restore $248 million statewide in mid-year budget cuts.
County schools trustee seeks another look at replacing superintendent
The recent decision to appoint a replacement for the elected position of Superintendent of Schools will be revisited Friday in a special meeting of the Butte County Board of Education.
District to charge higher fees for new developments
The Coachella Valley Unified School District on Tuesday voted 7 to 0 to increase the facilities fees charged for new construction within the district boundaries.
Courses for laid-off or new teachers emphasize math, science
A new partnership between California State University, Sacramento, and the Sacramento City Unified School District aims to put out-of-work teachers back in classrooms by helping them earn credentials in the hard-to-fill areas of mathematics and science.
School layoffs in Carlsbad
At least 116 Carlsbad Unified employees are set to be served with layoff notices by the middle of next month, according to a report released late last week.
Campaign for Adelanto charter school falls short
School officials in the High Desert community of Adelanto say there weren't enough signatures under the parent trigger law to mandate a charter conversion.
Teacher seniority rights remain intact in Oakland's public schools
Seniority rules and teacher transfer rights will remain intact in Oakland Unified this year, despite the superintendent's call for a change.
Vargo: Opportune time to rethink accountability and factor in improvement
California is apparently passing up the opportunity to request a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law, setting up another round of schools and districts to be labeled as failing. Interestingly, state leaders say they are opting to keep in place a set of requirements that no one seems to support as a protest against the imposition of a new set of requirements, even though states are being invited to help craft the new requirements.
Fensterwald: Districts’ funding under weighted formula
In its broadest terms, the weighted student formula system gives extra dollars to districts with large numbers of English-learning students and those from families with low incomes – out of recognition that these children require extra resources to compensate for their disadvantages, and perhaps to attract and retain good teachers.
New LAUSD plan would limit homework to 20% of grade
Following an uproar last year over a policy that limited homework to 10 percent of a student's grade, Los Angeles Unified officials are recommending a cap of 20 percent, along with guidelines on how much time should be spent on outside assignments.
LAUSD substitute thrice accused of abuse moved to another district
The substitute teacher quit after the third inquiry and started working in Inglewood schools. Police later found video of him molesting a girl in that district; he was charged, but he fled and is at large.
Lodi Unified eases teachers' fret
For the first time in four years, Sutherland Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Denise Woods is spending a winter in her classroom free from the stress of worrying whether she will have a job come fall.
School gets new cosmetology building
Sonora Union High School DistrictÂ’s new cosmetology building is on track to be finished by spring, according to district Superintendent Mike McCoy.
Local educators weigh in on No Child Left Behind Act waivers
Local administrators said they hope for a system that actually recognizes improvement instead of punishing schools that don't meet rigid targets.
Proposed legislation aims to keep food trucks away from schools
A bill aimed at restricting mobile food vendors access to schools is catching some heat from vendors and food truck lovers in California.
Ross Valley School District's parcel tax could reflect concerns about state
A recent legal notice suggests the district — like many other school districts throughout California — may be considering a worst-case scenario, in which a series of tax measures proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown are rejected by voters next November, and schools would have to scramble to make up for a loss of state monies using local funds.
Long Beach school board may lay off 300 employees
The Long Beach Unified Board of Education on Tuesday will consider laying off more than 300 full-time employees, mostly teachers, in an effort to offset further cuts in state funding.
Galt high school district expects $1.9 million shortfall
Among the issues facing the district in 2012-13 are automatic pay increases already approved in union contracts and paying for positions funded this year by one-time federal money.
SD Unified moves massive bond plan forward
The San Diego Unified School District is moving forward with plans to float a $2.5 to $2.8 billion bond measure on the November ballot to generate revenue to repair and upgrade schools — and free up money in its strapped general fund.
Heavy competition for school tax measures
Unless someone blinks, voters could face three competing measures on the November ballot that will ask them to raise taxes in the name of schools. The individual merits of each have been largely overshadowed by growing warnings that the powerful sponsors — Gov. Jerry Brown, teacher unions and the PTA, among them — must either coalesce behind a single initiative or risk having voters turn down all three.
105 Chino Valley teachers, other employees to receive preliminary layoff notices
The list includes 25 counselors, 19 school nurses, nine elementary music teachers, three high school assistant principals, a high school home economic teacher, biology teacher among others.
