In This Issue:
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5-HOUR MEETING ENDS WITHOUT A DECISION ON AN L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF |
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CALIFORNIA
STATE PTA RESPONDS TO THE GOVERNOR'S 2016-2017 BUDGET PROPOSAL:
Insights on Behalf of the State’s Largest Child-Advocacy Association |
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Charters+Magnets+Traditional
Schools, Oh My! THE FALSE CHOICE THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS PROVIDE + Follow
the Numbers: MAGNET SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CHARTERS |
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PULLING (HEART)STRINGS TO MAKE THE DREAM OF AN ORCHESTRA A REALITY + smf's 2¢ |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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I am consciously putting this issue of 4LAKids out
early: I don't want any facts getting in the way of the rumors!
NEXT WEEK the Board of Ed meets in super-duper-secret closed session
twice in two days (on Monday+Tuesday) to discuss and negotiate and
possibly even disclose who The Next Superintendent of the Los Angeles
Unified School District will be.
NEXT WEEK the National Football League owners meet in super-duper-secret
closed session discuss and negotiate and possibly even disclose who the
next Los Angeles pro football team(s) will be and where the games will
be played.
All three candidate football teams once had the name “Los Angeles”
appended to their team names; one or maybe two of the prodigals will
return again …not unlike Ray Cortines to LAUSD. (Unlike Ray, all three
had undistinguished records last season.) I was once an L.A. Rams and
L.A. Raiders season ticket holder and I attended the first L.A.
Chargers pre-season game back in 1960. That history alone - and a
zillion dollars - will get me fifty-yard-line season tickets next year!
THE QUESTION BECOMES whether the citizenry of the City of Our Lady Queen
of the Angels will know the identity of Our New Team(s) or Our New Supe
first.
THE BOARD OF ED HAS BEEN AMAZINGLY SUCCESSFUL at their secrecy in the
process over the past month; rumors have been profuse but none have
panned out or borne scrutiny – which of course only engenders further
speculation.
Last week had San Francisco’s Richard Carranza as the done-deal/sure
thing …until he announced that he was not interested, had never been
interviewed and was withdrawing from consideration. Was he ever a
candidate? Did the L.A. Times speculation scare him off? You choose.
Almost immediately St Louis’ Kelvin Adams was the shoo-in o’ th’ moment [http://bit.ly/1VU8Mv8] …or maybe not.
LA School Report put out a “Sure Bet” list of Ten Reasons Why the Board Has to Decide on a New Supe Next Monday [http://bit.ly/1ZcRl9g]. 4LAKids favorite of the 10 is “#6) David Tokofsky has exhausted his supply of theories as to who it will be”.
LASR also breathlessly notes that the agenda of the Tuesday
super-duper-secret closed session meeting features a curious item:
‘Recommends approval of an employment agreement for the Los Angeles
Unified School District Superintendent of Schools’.” | http://bit.ly/1JBIfkw.
This could be a wishful-thinking/just-in-case place holder, evidence
of white smoke, or a bit of misdirection. Or it could be a holdover
from the Dec 19th Closed Session agenda …of which this meeting is a
continuation!
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING a number of 4LAKids’ normally reliable
sources shared the newest secret news/current rumors, unknown to each
other. A superintendent and deputy superintendent have been agreed to –
the addition of the deputy adds dubious credibility to the rumor.
My sources named the same pair …but any number of independent sources do
not confirm a rumor – they only spread it! We will see if consensus
among the gossips+rumormongers (no matter how well-intentioned)
indicates consensus of the Board of Ed.
Stay tuned. 5pm Monday evening. “We interrupt the 2016 College Football
Playoff National Championship Game to tell you the next superintendent
of the Los Angeles Unified School District will be….”
What could possibly go wrong?
GOVERNOR BROWN PUT OUT HIS PROPOSED 2016-2017 BUDGET to little fanfare
or surprise. Revenues are up and Prop 98 guarantees the increase is
shared with public education. Jerry Brown still doesn’t like Early
Childhood Ed or a new School Facilities Bond. (New Budget Proposal for
Preschool doesn't include New Funds | http://bit.ly/1SGCe80)
The governor’s proposed budget does not include dedicated funding to
support meaningful parent and family engagement in schools.
"Increasing funding by $368 per pupil and meeting 95 percent of the
Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) commitment demonstrates a sound
investment in the children of our state," said California State PTA
President Justine Fischer. "The governor’s proposal is an excellent
start for discussions with the Legislature, particularly regarding early
childhood learning, school facilities and a long-term vision for state
and local accountability.
“Included in the governor’s proposal is $1.25 billion in one-time funds.
California State PTA believes these funds can be effectively used to
ensure that LCFF and the tenet of "subsidiarity" will be successful by
investing in family, parent and student engagement.”
My PTA colleague+president Justine Fischer has it just right: “An
Excellent Start for discussions with the Legislature (and the local
grass roots) regarding:
• Early Childhood Learning,
• School Facilities, and
• A long-term vision for State and Local Accountability."
• Plus one-time dedicated funding to support and encourage meaningful parent family engagement.
THE WAR BETWEEN CHARTERS AND MAGNETS AND TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
dragged on, fought this week on Letters to the Editors pages. (see
Charters+Magnets+Traditional Schools, Oh My!: following)
THERE IS LITTLE ANYONE CAN DO BUT BE CONCERNED ABOUT
MONDAY’S HEARING OF FRIEDRICHS VS CTA IN THE SUPREME COURT (http://bit.ly/1MTX41x);
a wrong decision changes everything – making every state a “Right-to-Work” state.
“Changes everything” as in the case of Citizens United v. FEC.
EDUCATOR/FOREVER: Jaime Escalante is going to get a stamp.
THERE IS A HEART-STRING-TUGGING STORY ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA AT HUNTINGTON
PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Pulling Strings To Make The Dream Of An
Orchestra A Reality) Next year let’s address the twelve other schools on
the waiting list. If one third of elementary schools in the District
have orchestras, how many would like to have one? Let’s go after that
number.
AND DESPITE EL NIÑO, THE PORTER RANCH RELOCATION seems to have
transpired over the Winter Break with barely a hitch. Congrats to the
four school communities and Facilities and Operations and M&O
workers - and the outside folks from DWP, etc. - who made that happen.
If it looks easy even when it isn’t easy it means the right folks or on
it. Education is a team sport and sometimes we are the champions!
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before
The whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose.
There is added good news: LAUSD has put in fifty temporary relocatable
bungalows and there is plan in place to remove them when the relocation
is over! They will not occupy play space or District property any longer
than necessary. They will not be tempting targets for charter school
co-location. They are rented – and when the lease is up they go back to
where they came. And they will not be paid for with School Construction
Bond money – 100% of the cost of the leases, installation, removal and
relocation will be reimbursed by the Southern California Gas Company.
AND FINALLY, A SPECIAL SALUTE TO LAUSD’S Holly Priebe-Diaz, who brought
the District’s anti-bullying program to Japan and earned kudos from
educators in Nagoya. (LAUSD Helps Build Anti-bullying Campaign for
Nagoya, Japan | http://bit.ly/1JC9hbl + LAUSD helps create model anti-bullying campaign for Japan | http://bit.ly/1ZdfpsG}
Good Job, Holly and your teams in LAUSD and Nagoya! Get some rest and
then 4LAKids is recommending we send you to North Korea – which seems
to have its own bullying issues!
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
5-HOUR MEETING ENDS WITHOUT A DECISION ON AN L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF
By Howard Blume and Teresa Watanabe | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1ONgfMV
Jan. 6, 2015 2:30 AM :: The Los Angeles Board of Education remained
stuck in neutral Tuesday, unable to pick a new leader for the nation's
second-largest school system after a five-hour meeting and a hunt that
has lasted more than five months.
The board has been conducting a national search for a new leader since
August to replace Ramon C. Cortines, who retired in December. Cortines,
83, agreed to serve as superintendent 14 months ago after John Deasy
resigned under pressure in October 2014. Cortines had run the district
twice before and was seen as a stabilizing force in the L.A. Unified
School District but not as a permanent replacement.
Several board members have said that finding a calm, collaborative and productive leader like Cortines was a top priority.
"This is very, very hard work, as it should be," school board President
Steve Zimmer said after the meeting. "There has not been one moment in
which the weight of this decision, and those who are affected by it,
have not been present in the room. I'm very proud of this board."
Zimmer insisted that there are excellent administrators who are available and who want the job.
"We have very, very strong candidates and we have diverse candidates and
we have candidates that rise to the level of skill and expertise and
experience that the most important job in public education demands,"
Zimmer said.
He added that he still expects the seven-member board to make a choice
before the end of January. The next meeting about the superintendent is
scheduled for Monday.
The board's search has been confidential, with no names released, but
sources have said that the shortlist has included L.A. Chief Deputy
Supt. Michelle King and St. Louis Supt. Kelvin Adams.
If the board had been willing to pick a leader on a split vote, the
selection process could have ended weeks ago, according to inside
sources who were not authorized to comment. At least three candidates
seemed certain to claim four votes or more, but not the 7-0 united front
that the board wanted to present as its pick and to the community.
The candidates who might have prevailed on a split vote included King
and San Francisco Supt. Richard Carranza, who withdrew from
consideration this week. Fremont Unified Supt. Jim Morris also might
have drawn at least four votes, even though it's not clear he was
granted a second interview.
The split varied from candidate to candidate, and the issue came down to
which board members were more willing to back down from their
opposition to a particular person to make the vote unanimous, the
sources said. At a marathon weekend meeting on Dec. 19, no side
completely gave in.
In looking for its next leader, the board went straight from a list of
more than 100 to a group of six or seven that it wanted to interview. A
smaller group was called back. The interviews were lengthy, as long as
two hours, and involved the entire board.
The board still could choose to interview additional prospects for the first time and others for the second or third time.
The new leader will step into the job at a watershed moment for the
system, which enrolls 650,000 students at more than 900 schools
stretching from San Pedro to Sylmar.
L.A. Unified faces a long-term financial crisis driven by declining
enrollment, lagging student performance, political tumult and recent
policy fiascoes, such as a $1.3-billion effort to equip all students and
teachers with iPads.
An outside plan to greatly expand the number of charter schools could
create further instability. A draft of that proposal, which was
initially spearheaded by philanthropist Eli Broad, called for moving
half of district students into charters. In the last six years, the
district already has lost 100,000 students — half of them to charters,
which are independently run, publicly financed and mostly nonunion.
The charter expansion effort has polarized the district, pitting the
teachers union and its allies, who have criticized it, against Broad and
like-minded advocates who favor aggressive action to improve student
achievement — including scaling back some teacher job protections and
revamping performance reviews. The two sides have repeatedly clashed,
most prominently in multimillion-dollar school board races.
"The most important task of an L.A. superintendent is to work to bridge
the gap on the board between the so-called reformers and the so-called
allies of the teachers union," said David Plank, a Stanford University
professor and executive director of Policy Analysis for California
Education. "What holds L.A. back is this permanent fight — either you're
with us or against us. Getting past that is necessary for anything good
to happen in the district."
CAVEAT: The Times receives funding for its Education Matters digital
initiative from the California Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and
the Baxter Family Foundation. The California Community Foundation and
United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Broad
Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times
retains complete control over editorial content.
SEE: Signs Point to New LAUSD Superintendent by Early Next Week - LA School Report
CALIFORNIA STATE PTA RESPONDS TO THE GOVERNOR'S
2016-2017 BUDGET PROPOSAL: Insights on Behalf of the State’s Largest
Child-Advocacy Association
Message sent to all PTA members and leaders as well as key policy leaders from California State PTA | http://bit.ly/1OTP1V3
January 8, 2016 :: Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown released his 2016 –
2017 budget proposal that includes increases for per-pupil funding and
corrects many historical fiscal inequities that hurt public education
during years of deficit spending.
"Increasing funding by $368 per pupil and meeting 95 percent of the
Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) commitment demonstrates a sound
investment in the children of our state," said California State PTA
President Justine Fischer. "The governor’s proposal is an excellent
start for discussions with the Legislature, particularly regarding early
childhood learning, school facilities and a long-term vision for state
and local accountability."
Included in the governor’s proposal is $1.25 billion in one-time funds.
California State PTA believes these funds can be effectively used to
ensure that LCFF and the tenet of "subsidiarity" will be successful by
investing in family, parent and student engagement.
California State PTA has been speaking with the Governor’s Office during
the past months about the importance of specific one-time funding for
family engagement – the number-one predictor of student success. The
governor’s proposed budget does not currently include dedicated funding
to support meaningful parent and family engagement in schools.
California State PTA looks forward to continuing our conversation with
the governor, the Legislature and other stakeholders on the importance
of parent and family engagement in the months ahead.
____________________
►CALIFORNIA STATE PTA RESPONDS TO GOVERNOR’S 2016-2017 BUDGET PROPOSAL:
Insights on Behalf of the State’s Largest Child-Advocacy Association
Press release/Media statement | http://bit.ly/1Rs370q
January 8, 2016 – SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown released his 2016 –
2017 budget proposal Jan. 7, 2016. California State PTA President
Justine Fischer offered insights on behalf of the state’s largest
child-advocacy organization:
“The governor’s proposed budget increases per-pupil funding and corrects
many historical fiscal inequities that hurt public education during
years of deficit spending. Increasing funding by $368 per pupil and
meeting 95 percent of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)
commitment demonstrates a sound investment in the children of our state.
The governor’s proposal is an excellent start for discussions with the
Legislature, particularly regarding early childhood learning, school
facilities and a long-term vision for state and local accountability.
“Included in the governor’s proposal is $1.25 billion in one-time funds.
We believe these funds can be effectively used to ensure that LCFF and
the tenet of ‘subsidiarity’ will be successful by investing in family,
parent and student engagement.
“California State PTA has been speaking with the Governor’s Office
during the past months about the importance of specific one-time funding
for family engagement – the number-one predictor of student success.
The governor’s proposed budget does not currently include dedicated
funding to support meaningful parent and family engagement in schools.
“A vital premise of the new Local Control Funding Formula is that
decisions about student success are best made by those closest to the
classroom. But simply adding a requirement for more parent and family
engagement is not enough. There are no shortcuts to raising student
achievement or to successful parent engagement. It takes an investment
of time and resources, especially to reach parents from all school
sites, backgrounds and in all languages.
“This window of opportunity is short, and this is the year to support
and strengthen what is now in state law – engaging parents and families.
We want LCFF to succeed.
“We look forward to continuing our conversation with the governor, the
Legislature and other stakeholders on the importance of parent and
family engagement in the months ahead.”
• California State PTA Advocacy Goals: http://bit.ly/1PPqEou
Charters+Magnets+Traditional Schools, Oh My! THE
FALSE CHOICE THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS PROVIDE + Follow the Numbers: MAGNET
SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CHARTERS
►THE FALSE CHOICE THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS PROVIDE
Letters to the Editor of the L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/1Rf7rjK
January 5, 2016 | 5AM
To the editor: Your editorial is earnest and lengthy, but ultimately it
misses the point. ("Both traditional and charter schools in L.A. Unified
could learn from this study," editorial, Dec. 31)
We don't need studies to tell us the obvious: Public schools in Los
Angeles need more support, not less. However, encouraging an increasing
percentage of public school students to enter the parallel system of
charters only takes away resources from existing public schools.
Fundamentally, public schools function as a public trust, open and
accountable to all. Charters are public only in regard to their primary
source of funding, while the charter agenda is very private: my child,
my choice, my single school.
Americans love the idea of choice. But what if the choices are false?
What if judging school performance based on a single standardized test
score is a fool's errand? What if the public schools had the resources
to offer more choices so concerned parents wouldn't feel that they have
to go “outside”?
Unless we adequately fund public education and support and improve existing public schools, we are risking our nation's future.
Brad Jones, Santa Monica
The writer is an English teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.::
::
..
To the editor: Having had direct professional experience with both
charters and regular public schools, I believe The Times got it
partially right on charters and traditional public schools working
together.
The most important point is that instead of the constant test-score
comparisons, policymakers, school officials and charter supporters must
understand that the two types of schools share the most important common
goal: educating of all Los Angeles' public school kids.
That said, the goal may only be reasonably accomplished through
cooperation by both entities with regard to the following: actively
addressing the root causes and effects of poverty on public schools,
working with universities to develop better teacher and administrator
preparation programs, and sharing promising practices and developing
mutually acceptable protocols for sharing resources.
Stu Bernstein, Santa Monica
::
..
To the editor: The Times misstates the case: It's been a war on public schools.
A synergy of ideas and efforts is a good idea, but who's going to bring
this about? The L.A. Unified Board of Education itself is split on the
issue.
Perhaps the charters haven't done better (according to the new study out
of UC Berkeley) at the high school level because of the inability of
parents to motivate their increasingly independent children lessens.
Furthermore, many lack the money, education or time to help with the
academics.
The Berkeley study would have been more complete if it included an
identification of the benefits accruing to the “winners” of this battle.
Hal Rothberg, Calabasas
The writer is an LAUSD substitute teacher.
_____________________
►Follow the Numbers: MAGNET SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CHARTERS
Letter to the editor of EdWeek | http://bit.ly/1Rzt78s
Published in print Jan 5, 2016
To the Editor:
Based on the spring results of the California Smarter Balanced
assessments, the Los Angeles Unified School District recently announced
that 55 percent of the district's magnet students met or exceeded state
standards in English/language arts, compared with 39 percent in
charters, 33 percent in the LAUSD overall, and 44 percent in traditional
schools statewide. The breakdown of math results followed a similar
pattern.
The results represent the online scores of the state's 3rd through 8th
graders, as well as 11th graders, from 48,000 charters and 37,000 magnet
schools. The numbers paint a clear picture: Students from LAUSD magnet
schools are not only being prepared effectively for college and future
careers, they are also outperforming their peers in other schools by
significant margins throughout the state, at every grade level.
The scores were released just as the influential Eli and Edythe Broad
Foundation floated the idea to provide the LAUSD with a $490 million
incentive to double the number of charter schools in the district. The
timing was ironic.
Magnet schools explicitly promote school integration and diversity as a
core mission. Unlike charters, magnet schools do not operate
autonomously, outside the public school system, and are never run by
for-profit organizations. This provides a level of direct accountability
to decisionmakers and taxpayers. Most magnet schools also adhere to
collective bargaining agreements made with educators.
Decisionmakers should question the Broad Foundation's proposal and take a
close look at the test-result evidence that clearly shows that magnet
programs are thriving and outperforming charter schools.
In fact, in almost every student classification, including female, male,
African-American, Asian, and Latino, magnet school students outshine
their peers in math and English/language arts. The same is true for
economically disadvantaged students and those with learning
disabilities. What is also striking is that the LAUSD's magnet schools
had far fewer students falling into low-performance categories.
All this information should lead to one obvious conclusion: We need to
pay closer attention to magnet schools and focus more energy and
resources toward replicating these models of educational excellence. The
numbers tell a powerful story that should not be ignored.
Todd Mann
Executive Director
Magnet Schools of America
Washington, D.C.
PULLING (HEART)STRINGS TO MAKE THE DREAM OF AN ORCHESTRA A REALITY + smf's 2¢
by Priska Neely |KPCC 89.3 | http://bit.ly/1UDHCHx
Audio from this story :: 4:24 Listen http://bit.ly/1ZSWmGe
January 07 2016 :: The moment was magical.
Jose Bonilla was pleading with a gathering of state legislators and arts
education advocates in November. His fourth grade son had fallen in
love with the violin and has joined with other students at Huntington
Park Elementary School to form an orchestra. But the school had no
instruments and the LA Unified School District said it couldn’t provide
them.
"Don’t cut the wings to our childrens [sic]," Bonilla said, after
apologizing for his poor English. "They only ask for the tools."
Right then and there, Rory Pullens, the head of arts education for the
district, sprang to his feet from the audience and said he’d approved
instruments for the school that very morning. Shouts and applause
sounded across the room.
"The principal was an advocate, the teacher was an advocate," Pullens
shouted. "And while we did not have the instruments in stock, we made a
way and so the instruments will be there next week."
The story of how Huntington Park Elementary launched an orchestra shows
how a school can band together to overcome the limitations of the
system.
THE DREAM
A year before the hearing, students at Huntington Park were bitten by
the orchestra bug after the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra brought a
small ensemble to the school through their Meet the Music program. Some
students went to a concert at the Colburn School downtown.
René Rowland, who teaches vocal music and recorders at Huntington Park
Elementary, said the idea of playing instruments caught fire after this.
"Students came to me and said: 'Ms. Rowland, Can you help us find a violin teacher? We want to play!’ " Rowland said.
Many families at the school are too poor to pay for lessons. Rowland
helped about 15 students get free lessons through an organization called
the Young Musicians Foundation, which holds classes in downtown Los
Angeles – a long trek from the school.
"We had parents who were driving 10 miles round trip or more and renting
instruments, going to get music instruction for their kids," said
principal Antonio Amparan. "So we saw the demand."
He wanted to start an orchestra at the school to make it easier on the
parents. Rowland agreed to lead it. The school site council voted to use
the discretionary budget to pay the district for an extra day of music
instruction.
Everything was in place – except the instruments.
A BIG PRICE TAG
"Every time I want to start an elementary music program, I right away
think $60,000," said Steven McCarthy, L.A. Unified's K-12 arts
coordinator. Because orchestras are so expensive, he said the school
district can’t afford instruments for every school that wants them.
Right now about a third of elementary schools in the district have an
orchestra - about 183 of them. Each is provided enough instruments for
60 students, though McCarthy said he hopes to bump that up to 72 next
year.
More than a dozen schools are currently on a wait list for an orchestra program.
"It’s hurtful to me and to the music teachers who are passionate when
you’ve got a limited number of instruments and you’ve got more than that
who want to be part of it," McCarthy said. "We don’t like saying no."
THE VILLAGE
This school decided to go outside of the normal process. Rowland started scrounging for instruments.
"I put ads on Craiglist," she said. Someone donated a clarinet and a flute.
And Amparan kept bugging district headquarters.
Eventually, a nearby middle school agreed to loan Huntington Park
instruments it wasn’t using. (Middle schools and high schools own their
instruments, while elementary school orchestras loan instruments from
the central shop.)
Between the loaners and donations, Rowland got enough violins, clarinets, flutes, cellos and cornets for 30 students.
When she held auditions, more than 100 kids tried out. She tested them on sight-reading, rhythm, and recorder skills.
"I’d like to choose you all," she told a group of kids at a recent
audition session. "But there’s just not enough instruments and there’s
also not enough hours in the day."
The 30 fourth and fifth graders who are chosen will start rehearsals after winter break.
"It’s really sweet that you get to play different songs and that you get
to learn different tempos and you get to play different instruments,"
said fourth grader Linda Ortega, who has been taking violin lessons
after school.
Bonilla is thrilled to see the orchestra come together.
But in a heart-breaking twist, his son won’t get to take part. Bonilla
got a better job in Sacramento, so he's moving his family there in a
couple weeks.
But he still took off work to plead with legislators not to cut the children's wings.
"I think he's a really special guy," Rowland said. Even though he was leaving "he still stuck up for us."
●●smf’s 2¢: This story is heartwarming and feel-goody - complete with
the deus ex machina appearance of Rory Pullens saying he’d approved
instruments for the school ...that very morning!
But in the end there are more than a dozen schools are currently on a
wait list for an orchestra program. They don't have a program and they
don't have their story in the media or a string-puller at Beaudry. 100
kids tried out for the 30 slots for the orchestra at HPES - but a fully
funded program would have instruments for 60 ...or 72.
We need to reassign our priorities from giving every kid at every school
a computer whether they want-or-need one or not ...to maybe giving
every school the things they really want and need.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
LAUSD HELPS BUILD ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN FOR NAGOYA, JAPAN
http://bit.ly/1JC9hbl
LAUSD HELPS CREATE MODEL ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN FOR JAPAN
http://bit.ly/1ZdfpsG
CALIFORNIA PTA RESPONDS TO GOVERNOR'S 2016-2017 BUDGET PROPOSAL: Insights from State’s Largest Child-Advocacy Group
http://bit.ly/1UF3T83
ST. LOUIS SUPERINTENDENT ON SHORT LIST FOR L.A. POST St. Louis Business Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2016/01/st-louis-schools-superintendent-on-short-list-for.html?ana=twt …
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PORTER RANCH SCHOOL RELOCATION - LA Times
http://lat.ms/1PU5N5o
Relocating Porter Ranch: HOW TO BUILD A SCHOOL IN THREE WEEKS - LA Times
http://lat.ms/1ZSVoto
EDUCATOR/FOREVER: 'STAND AND DELIVER' TEACHER JAIME ESCALANTE AMONG THOSE HONORED WITH 2016 STAMPS
http://bit.ly/1PKRbDp
5-HOUR MEETING ENDS WITHOUT A DECISION ON AN L.A. SCHOOLS CHIEF
http://bit.ly/1RsKqb2
'Them that's got shall have. Them that's not shall lose.': VOUCHERS IN LOUISIANA
http://bit.ly/22L4jzs
@howardblume: No decision announced today on L.A. Unified superintendent. Next meeting Monday at 4 pm.
FEW SURPRISES EXPECTED FOR SCHOOLS IN BROWN’S NEW BUDGET
http://bit.ly/1O8UFNo
LIKELY CANDIDATE IN LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH PULLS OUT | 89.3 KPCC
http://bit.ly/1MR4qha
LAUSD PREPARES SCHOOLS FOR RELOCATED PORTER RANCH STUDENTS DUE TO GAS LEAK
http://bit.ly/1TCqiTd
'Ongoing War (of words) Over Charter Schools" goes on: THE FALSE CHOICE THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS PROVIDE
http://bit.ly/1PKUrk9
SAN FRANCISCO SUPT. CARRANZA WITHDRAWS FROM CONSIDERATION TO HEAD L.A. SCHOOLS http://bit.ly/1R9qprA
@HowardBlume: San Francisco Unified confirms that Supt. Carranza will
stay in SF, saying he bowed out via a letter to search firm working for
L.A.
S.F. SUPERINTENDENT DENIES REPORTS THAT HE IS TOP CANDIDATE FOR LAUSD LEADERSHIP
POST
http://bit.ly/1Pc8Zo8
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT RICHARD CARRANZA STAYING IN SAN FRANCISCO
http://bit.ly/1Pc7ZR6
SF Chronicle reports that Carranza staying in SF & not coming to LA. He was a presumptive frontrunner in LA: http://ow.ly/WCLnz
Arne in the rear view mirror: HOW ARNE DUNCAN RESHAPED AMERICAN EDUCATION AND MADE ENEMIES ALONG THE WAY
http://bit.ly/1Z2tnmp
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
●MONDAY JAN 11: 01/11/2016 4:00 pm
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING - INCLUDING CLOSED SESSION ITEMS – Recessed from
December 19, 2015 - 8:30 a.m. - Negotiations - Recessed to 4:00 p.m.,
January 11, 2016
CONCURRENTLY: 01/11/2016 4:00 pm
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING - INCLUDING CLOSED SESSION ITEMS – Recessed from
December 6, 2015 - 8:30 a.m. - Recessed to January 11, 2016 - 4:00 p.m.
●TUESDAY JAN 12
REGULAR BOARD MEETING - INCLUDING CLOSED SESSION ITEMS - January 12, 2016 - 10:00 a.m.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING - January 12, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.
●THURSDAY JAN 14
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY COMMITTEE MEETING - January 14, 2016 - 10:00 a.m.
*Dates and times subject to change.
________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or the Superintendent:
superintendent@lausd.net • 213-241-7000
...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state
legislator, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the
president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state
legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these
thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Volunteer in the classroom.
Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child -
and ultimately: For all children.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!
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