FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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Fensterwald: Legislative Analyst suggests 3 ways to fix school busing formula -

Education Headlines

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Parents drop Clovis Unified sex education suit

Backers of a lawsuit contending Clovis Unified's ninth-grade sex education curriculum violated state law have dropped the case and declared victory, arguing the district's standards have changed significantly since the suit was filed in 2012.

Fresno Unified leader Michael Hanson unveils first budget proposals

 Fresno Unified's superintendent hopes to spend an extra $3.5 million on school safety measures next year under an early budget plan unveiled Tuesday. The proposal would also add cash to schools' discretionary funds and reduce class sizes to 24 students in certain grades.

Roseville City School District extends kindergarten day

 Roseville City School District plans to roll out extended-day kindergarten across all 14 of its elementary campuses next school year, the result of a successful pilot program and changing curriculum standards.

Transgender law's foes won't concede defeat

Opponents of a new state law on the rights of transgender students aren't accepting defeat in their attempt to put the issue before the voters, and instead are preparing a long-shot effort to challenge the invalidation of thousands of petition signatures by county registrars.

Oakland school officials reviewing violence prevention, security at elementary school

Oakland school officials visited Fruitvale Elementary School Tuesday to review violence and safety plans and staffing levels after student cell phone videos surfaced of kids fighting on campus.

Pleasanton schools' public records now online

Want to view Pleasanton school district employee salaries, a report on complaints about a principal, or other information disclosed in response to public record requests? All that is now available on the school district's website.

Antioch's Dozier Libbey teachers file petition to form charter school

Teachers at Dozier Libbey Medical High School filed a petition this week with the Antioch Unified School District to convert the health care-themed public school to a charter.

West Contra Costa school board may seek $270 million bond

The West Contra Costa school board expects to vote Wednesday on a proposal to place a $270 million construction bond measure on the June ballot.

County trustees may move forward on appointed superintendent ballot measure

The Contra Costa County Board of Education expects to vote Wednesday on a proposal to place a measure on the June or November ballot asking voters to convert the superintendent from an elected to an appointed position.

Fensterwald: Legislative Analyst suggests 3 ways to fix school busing formula -

Bowing to pleas mainly from rural school districts, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature left state subsidies for busing students to school alone when they created the Local Control Funding Formula last year, while acknowledging the $491 million program needed to be reformed.  On Tuesday, the Legislative Analyst’s Office to make the system more equitable and rational.

Frey: San Francisco Unified eliminates ‘willful defiance’ as a reason to expel or suspend students

Administrators in San Francisco Unified will no longer be able to use “willful defiance” as a reason to suspend or expel a student, beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Stockton USD request for substitute pay rankles Visalia board

Pacific Law Academy Spanish teacher Charles Ulmschneider will leave work two periods early this afternoon, then travel 167 miles to Visalia, where he serves as an elected member of the Visalia Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Trustee conduct tops Alisal agenda

The Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees is preparing to muzzle itself — at least partially — at its meeting Wednesday.

EdSource: New funding law puts focus on translation for non-English speakers

School districts with high concentrations of English-learner students are facing a new challenge in ensuring that parents who need language translation are informed of their role under the funding formula for schools.

Tackling how to spend additional school funding

The additional funds are modest at first. But over the next six years, the money coming to local school districts is going up by 80 percent in some cases. And officials need to involve parents, teachers and other community members to discuss how that money — often thousands of dollars per student — can be spent to improve education.

Galt elementary teachers expected to get 5 percent pay raise under tentative agreement

Galt Joint Union Elementary School District teachers are expected to receive a 5 percent pay raise under a tentative agreement approved by the union on Friday afternoon. The action ends stalled contract negotiations.

Embattled Centinela Valley high school district schedules emergency meeting for Tuesday

The Centinela Valley Union High School District has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, providing the first opportunity for the public to address the board since a series of Daily Breeze articles detailed the big-money politics in the tiny district serving Lawndale and Hawthorne.