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Friday, June 1, 2012

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Sutter's Mill in Coloma, CA

On January 24, 1848, an event occurred in Coloma that would radically impact the history of California and the Nation. James W. Marshall was building a sawmill for Captain John Sutter, using water from the South Fork of the American River. He noticed several flakes of metal in the tailrace water and recognized them to be gold. Though he tried to keep it a secret, the word spread quickly, and triggered the California Gold Rush of 1849.

Education Headlines

Friday, June 1, 2012

Tax initiative to have 'profound' effect on schools

This November will bring the "most profound election for public education in decades," local school officials heard at a budget summit of sorts in Bakersfield Thursday.

A day of energy savings will dawn soon at Pacifica High

Pacifica High School's electric bill is about to shrink. The school's solar panel project, located on the roof of the gym and in the parking lot, is expected to go on line in the middle of the month.

$1 million claim filed in teacher's alleged abuse

The mother of a 5-year-old boy allegedly kicked and deprived of food by a special education teacher at a Redwood City elementary school has filed a legal claim seeking more than $1 million in damages.

New schools CFO to be paid more

Amid a budget crisis, San Diego schools’ top financial administrator left this spring after being denied an $11,000 raise. Looks like taxpayers might fund an increase anyway.

Board candidate's education history adds to Twin Rivers' turmoil

Days before Tuesday's pivotal school board election, new allegations continue to besiege the embattled Twin Rivers Unified School District.

Farewell party Saturday for Alameda's Washington Elementary

Parents, teachers and students will gather Saturday at Washington Elementary School to mark the closing of the campus and its transformation into the Alameda Unified School District's newest magnet school.

Test results show improvement for Monterey County English language learners

Students who are English learners in Monterey County made strides toward becoming proficient in English, although they still lag behind their peers in California.

Modesto City Schools layoffs called a 'mess'

Modesto City Schools state preschool and Head Start teachers can start signing up for unemployment benefits today. The district laid them all off, with plans to call most of them back.

Financial struggles continue for Rodeo-based school district

The tiny John Swett Unified School District is still struggling to get its financial house in order after several years of fiscal difficulty, according to the adviser overseeing the situation for the county Office of Education.

Survey finds support for reforming teacher layoff policies

Three of four likely voters in California support ending the seniority-based, teacher-layoff policy, a new survey released Thursday showed.

Two L.A. education groups back test scores as part of teacher reviews

Pressure to improve teacher evaluations deepened Thursday, when two separate Los Angeles education groups endorsed the use of student test scores as one measure to review instructors — a controversial element that many unions have fought.

LAO calls for cuts to Prop 98, says Brown’s debt repayment unworkable

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst called into question Thursday Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan for paying back next year some of the billions owed schools as the result of previous cuts made to the Proposition 98 funding guarantee.
Thursday, May 31, 2012

Charter Oak Unified seeking voter approval for $47 million bond measure

Hoping to raise $47 million to further improve school buildings and buy new computers for classrooms, Charter Oak Unified School District will ask voters next week to continue paying higher property taxes.

Union leader won't 'sit in the corner, purse my lips and not talk to the district.'

The real action at Tuesday's San Diego school board meeting occurred outside the district's auditorium when teachers union chief Bill Freeman held an impromptu forum with staff and parents from Fay Elementary School in City Heights, where 26 of 27 teachers will be laid off effective June 30.

Other districts don’t offer East Coast trips

After San Diego Unified decided this month that it would pull the plug on its traditional 8th grade field trips to the East Coast, The Watchdog decided to check around and see what other districts were doing about the legal issues.

San Bernardino school district set to choose new superintendent

The School Board has finished interviewing candidates for superintendent and will vote to accept one of three finalists at its next meeting Tuesday,