Saturday, June 14, 2008

The news that didn't fit from June 15th

This Just In: UTLA DUES RESTRUCTURING AND ACCOUNTABILITY AMENDMENT DEFEATED 2 to 1

The results of the UTLA membership election on the Constitutional Amendment to raise dues by 39% are now on the UTLA website here. There are vote counts listed by the eight UTLA areas.
TOTAL
Yes  33.36%
No   66.64%
The UTLA Board of Directors had recommended a "Yes" vote by 35 to 1.
The UTLA House of Representatives had recommended a "Yes" vote by about 67% to 33%.

EDUCATION COALITION UPDATE

Education Coalition Hosts Budget Briefing

Today experts representing the Education Coalition provided a detailed analysis of the Governor’s May Revision budget proposal, showing how it would cut $4.3 billion from schools and students, and undermine critical programs that help student achievement, like class size reduction.

The panel also reviewed a series of charts, including one that showed how cuts would impact summer school, home-to-school transportation,  art and music, school counseling, child nutrition and other critical programs.

Survey: PASADENA UNIFIED VOTERS PREFER BOND MEASURE TO PARCEL TAX

06/11/2008 PASADENA - Voters in the Pasadena Unified School District slightly prefer a bond over a parcel tax to pay for campus improvements, according to recent surveys.

TWO CAPTAINS AND ONE SHIP EQUALS A SHIPWRECK

from the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles weekly update -week of June 9, 2008:  The Beaudry Ship (some might say ark) is commanded presently by two captains.

One steers the ship from the 24th Floor while the other one guides from the 11thFloor.

South Africa at a Crossroads: APARTHEID INEQUALIITIES LINGER IN SOUTH AFRICA SCHOOLS

...the story, smf observes, sounds eerily familiar

THE TEACHERS UNION AND STUDENTS

Tim Schlosser, an English teacher at Southeast Middle School in South Gate, writes the Times Homeroom Blog

JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL RALLIES AROUND DISMISSED TEACHER DEEMED TOO 'AFRO-CENTRIC.'

June 12, 2008 - Students and fellow educators are rallying behind a fired Jordan High School teacher they say was sacked for encouraging political activism among her students.

The Rooney Case - LAUSD ADMINISTRATOR ACCUSED OF WITHHOLDING EVIDENCE IN SEX CASE: Hubbard, 49, Will Be Arraigned Friday, Officials Say

June 12, 2008 - LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles Unified School District administrator was in custody Thursday to face charges that he withheld evidence against another a colleague charged with sex-related crimes involving three girls.

MUCH NEEDED LAUSD HIGH SCHOOL BREAKS GROUND: Glassell Park area high school will relieve Eagle Rock, Franklin, and Marshall High Schools when it opens in 2011.

Tractors descended on the old Taylor Yard property this Wednesday as construction began on a brand new high school for Glassell Park.

Letters to the editor | LA Times | re: Teachers Budget Protest

June 12, 2008 - Re "Thousands of teachers leave classrooms for budget protest" June 7

LA ARTS HIGH SCHOOL BRINGS PRESTIGE, BUT HIGH COST

10 June, 2008 - LOS ANGELES (AP) — A steel tower wrapped in a spiraling ribbon is one of the most striking features of a new arts high school set to open next year.

Its $230 million price tag is another.

A UNIFORM LAUSD POLICY FOR UNIFORMS?

06/10/2008 - Wading into what has become a politically sensitive issue across the country, a Los Angeles school board member will join with the City Attorney's Office today to explore whether students should be required to wear uniforms.

PROP. 13 PROPERTY TAXES IN THE VOTERS' HANDS: As good a short history as any.

Friday, June 6, 2008-- Thirty years ago today, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 13 as a way to keep seniors from losing their homes to skyrocketing property taxes. But the 1978 vote also ignited a revolution that dramatically changed the way people across America look at government and taxes.

IF IT'S A "PARTNERSHIP", HOW COME ONLY ONE PARTY GETS BILLING?

...isn't it  the understanding that the Mayor's Partnership for Los Angeles Schools is an independent 501 (c)(3) non profit corporation ...not an entity of city government?

L.A. UNIFIED TO CUT 500 JOBS

June 10, 2008, 8:39 PM PDT -  The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to slash about $400 million from the state's largest school system by cutting 507 administrative staff and clerical workers and requiring that all employees take a four-day unpaid leave.

BUDGET DUEL INEVITABLY HITS SCHOOLS

By Dan Walters - Sacramento Bee columnist

June 10, 2008 - Sooner or later, every battle over the state budget boils down to how much money to spend on schools, and this year is no exception.

PROP 13 | CLAMPING THE JUMPER CABLES ON THE THIRD RAIL: A reader writes to 4LAKids, many write to The Times about Prop 13 @ 30

The debate over a face lift or haircut for Proposition 13 continues. 4LAKids reader and Westchester parent/blogger David Coffin suggests changing the formula for multi-unit housing (condos and apartments). LA Times reader-letter writers are all over the place.

BUDGET KILLS LAUSD DREAMS

06/08/2008 - Facing massive proposed state budget cuts, Los Angeles Unified schools chief David Brewer III is weighing a mandatory, unpaid furlough program for all district workers - including teachers.

SCHOOL FUNDING'S TRAGIC FLAW: Report shows poor states, communities, and children persistently get the short end of the stick in school funding.

"At every level of government, policymakers give more resources to students who have more resources, and less to those who have less."

THIRTY YEARS AFTER PROP 13, CALIFORNIA VOTERS SUPPORTED TAX INCREASES IN TUESDAY’S ELECTION

June 5 - Voting just three days before the 30th anniversary of the passage of Proposition 13, the landmark Jarvis-Gann initiative that cut property taxes and triggered a tax revolt across the country, voters in the primary election approved dozens of tax increases in local communities around the state.

LAUSD BOARD APPROVES SCHOOL COMMUNITY PARKS RESOLUTION

June 8 - The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution that would open school playgrounds to community use in the afternoons, on weekends, and during school vacations.

LAUSD POLITELY DENIES CITY COUNCIL REQUEST FOR SEX ABUSE CASE BRIEFING

It would be “inappropriate” for school district officials to brief members of the City Council on the case of an assistant principal charged with molesting students, the school board president said in a letter responding to the panel’s request, which was officially made yesterday.

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