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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

UPDATE: FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

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Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure



Education Headlines

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Schools watching governor's education funding proposal closely

Local school districts are cautiously optimistic about a new funding formula Gov. Jerry Brown announced last week that will distribute state funds based in part on the degree to which districts serve poor students and English learners.

Transitional kindergarten hailed as success

This is transitional kindergarten in the Lodi Unified School District, and by all accounts, the course that is one-notch-above-preschool-but-not-quite-kindergarten is a booming success after the first half of its inaugural year.

A look at school security in SLO County after Sandy Hook

In the wake of the Connecticut attack, the topic is the subject of much discussion throughout the county as districts evaluate their campuses and consider changes.

Rosenblatt: Let’s bring the Brown Act into the 21st century

We can preserve the essence of the Brown Act to ensure transparency and openness but also update it to recognize that school boards (and other elected bodies) have the opportunity to leverage multiple communications tools, including social media, in a very powerful way that would actually increase community involvement and transparency

Oasis teachers ask for late start on smoky days

Oasis Elementary School teachers are circulating a petition to begin classes at 10 a.m. whenever nearby farmers set fires to protect their crops from freezing temperatures.

Clovis Unified turns to solar project for energy savings

California school districts -- beset by state funding cuts -- are looking for any way under the sun to slash costs. Literally. Clovis Unified School District figures its districtwide solar projects will lower its $7 million annual electric bills by $2.3 million, freeing up money for instructional programs.

Ramona officials vie with school needs

Ramona is the only unified school district in the county to have never passed a school bond. The small, rural district has sought to pass a bond measure for decades to finance desperately needed infrastructure improvements and maintenance. Its fifth and most recent attempt was in November, when the $66 million Proposition R garnered 50.61 percent of the vote, short of the required 55 percent.

Parents pull students from school over cell tower fears

A group of parents have pulled their children from a charter school in Encinitas because of concerns about potential health threats from cellphone antennas near a classroom.

Schools help students grapple with grief

Inland school districts send in grief counseling teams when tragedy hits a whole school. But the private grief of students who have lost a close relative is far more common than the tragedies that make news.

Santa Clara County School Board used wrong map, illegally seated member, DA says

The Santa Clara County Board of Education used the wrong boundary map when it chose its newest trustee, Darcie Green, and should hold an election to fill the seat, the county district attorney has said.

Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure

It boasts some of the highest test scores in the state, but Oakland's American Indian Model Schools organization has failed to safeguard its schools from corrupt fiscal practices and should be shut down, Oakland school district administration has concluded.

Study: High school graduate rate highest since 1976

The nation's high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976, but more than a fifth of students are still failing to get their diploma in four years, the Education Department said in a study released Tuesday.

San Leandro pulls back program cuts after passage of Prop. 30

Some $2.65 million in personnel and program cuts are off the table in the San Leandro Unified School District after the November passage of Gov. Jerry Brown's statewide Proposition 30 tax initiative.

California retreats on class-size reduction

Several years ago, classes at the kindergarten through third-grade level in California commonly had only 20 students. But in the face of deep state budget cuts, school districts across the state have laid off teachers, combined classes and all but abandoned the 20-student target.

Los Angeles teachers union approves use of testing data in evaluations

A landmark agreement to use student test scores for the first time to evaluate Los Angeles Unified instructors was approved by the teachers union Saturday.

Frey: Advocates worry foster youth will be left behind under Brown’s budget

Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal is perplexing advocates of foster youth, who are worrying that these children could be left behind in the governor’s push to overhaul the state’s school finance system.
Friday, January 18, 2013

Schools wage battle against bullying

Two major conferences are coming to town to address bullying on school campuses, and Compton Jr. High School is looking to partner with other schools to bring in singer Keenan West next month.

Paso Robles school district's budget situation improving, official says

Once on the brink of a state takeover due to its financial difficulties, the Paso Robles school district is now on a path to fiscal stability, the county schools superintendent said Thursday, though he added that the situation is still “very fragile.”

Charter schools see largest boom since their inception 20 years ago

Charter schools across the United States are proliferating and expanding at a record pace, with the trend particularly pronounced in California and Los Angeles County.