L.A. Times - Education

L.A. Unified and the price of school money

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Before school district officials put a parcel tax on the ballot, they must show they'll change their ways.

Our sympathies are with the children. As schools bend to the task of cutting teachers and programs, we wince at the thought of students lost academically in a class of 35 to 40, or unable to sign up for a summer school course, or making do with a shabby, outdated textbook. At the same time, few of us are in the financial position these days to shell out extra cash, and if we do, we want assurances that we're getting value for our money.

Chino school district loses its gamble

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 20:28:00 -0700

School board forged ahead with a summer makeup session for inadvertent short days during the regular year, hoping the state would approve the scheme. It didn't.

State officials Thursday denied a school district's novel plan to make up for lost instructional time -- and avoid a $5-million penalty -- by providing a last-minute summer session.

Teachers union attacks Schwarzenegger's proposed suspension of Proposition 98

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The California Teachers Assn. launches a television ad blasting the governor for suggesting a $3-billion cut to the funding guarantees for schools.

The California Teachers Assn. unveiled a television ad Thursday attacking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his proposal to suspend Proposition 98, the law that sets funding guarantees for schools.

Dalai Lama contributes to students' message of hope for hospitalized children

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Their book is filled with colorful artwork and includes a foreword by the spiritual leader. It is part of the peace program at 186th Street Elementary School.

One of the best-loved murals on the campus of 186th Street Elementary School in Gardena depicts some of the world's most inspirational figures -- Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez -- underlined by a question, "Are you a peacemaker?"

Moorpark High School's Academic Decathlon coach steps down

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Larry Jones led the school's team to four national championships and inspired countless numbers of students to strive.

Larry Jones built Moorpark High School's Academic Decathlon team into a powerhouse, led the squad to four national championships, met presidents in the Oval Office and had a profound effect on the lives of countless students. After nearly two decades, he is stepping down as coach of the team he created, prompted by fatigue and a desire to spend more time with his family.

Education secretary treads where teachers unions don't want to go

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Arne Duncan, in a speech at the NEA's annual meeting in San Diego, says teacher merit pay and student test scores should be on the table when discussing education reform.

The country's top education official challenged teachers unions Thursday to embrace historically controversial ways of promoting teacher effectiveness, including offering merit pay and evaluating instructors based on student test scores.

L.A. school board lets Birmingham High go charter

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

It was the first action by the newly constituted board, but the members weren't particularly enthusiastic about the move, on which they had little choice.

A newly constituted Los Angeles school board took its first action Wednesday by giving up control of its largest campus, allowing Birmingham High to convert itself into a charter.

School levy failure highlights challenges for big districts

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Rowland Unified gained a majority of votes but couldn't get the required two-thirds support. Experts say larger districts like L.A or Long Beach could have trouble reaching that level as well.

Many wealthy communities across Southern California have recently passed parcel taxes to help their beleaguered schools. But the defeat this week of a similar levy in a less affluent, larger school district in the San Gabriel Valley offers a look at the challenges that could face parcel tax proposals in big-city school systems in Los Angeles and Long Beach.

CALIFORNIA BRIEFING

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:05:00 -0700

Reports from Los Angeles, Hawthorne and Orange

STATEWIDE

Birmingham High's charter-conversion struggles show difficulty of reform

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:58:00 -0700

The Board of Education votes today on whether the Van Nuys campus should secede from L.A. Unified. Pro- and anti-charter forces have been locked in an acrimonious debate for months.

Few chapters in recent Los Angeles public school history have been uglier than the one that is expected to culminate today with a Board of Education vote on whether to allow Birmingham High School to effectively secede and become a charter school. For months, the San Fernando Valley campus has been torn between pro- and anti-charter forces who have accused each other of, among other things, bullying, vandalism, burglary, racism and fraud.