October 2008 Archives

The California Coastal Commission will not hear Los Angeles Unified's application for a permit to construct a proposed high school in San Pedro until January. The meeting had been scheduled for Nov. 14 (agenda) -- and notices were already sent out this week.

I found this out yesterday when I called the commission to get a copy of the staff report for the coastal development permit for South Region High School No. 15, which would be built on district property at the former Upper Reservation of Fort MacArthur. The school is set to house about 500 magnet kids from San Pedro High School.

Commission staff told me the meeting was being postponed until January.

Edwin Van Ginkel, LAUSD's senior development manager, said commission staff had told him that their biologist would be unable to complete a review of the proposed wind turbines (and their potential effects on migratory birds) in time for the November meeting. Van Ginkel said the district could have presented the application in two parts, but ... "We want them to review the same scope of work that our board is reviewing."

The district will not go before the commission in December because that meeting is in San Francisco, he said.

The January meetings set for Jan. 7-9 in the San Diego area (PDF of tentative 2009 meeting sked).

The Board of Education's review of the project EIR is still set for Dec. 9.

Read the Los Angeles Times' analysis of the announcements this week by board members Marlene Canter and Julie Korenstein that each woman will not seek re-election in March.

"I'm flabbergasted," said Bill Ouchi, a professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management who has long been involved in school-reform efforts. "These are two people who have put in unbelievable numbers of hours and have exposed themselves to tremendous personal criticism and pressures because they really care about the children and the schools. It's a changing of the guard."

(...)

For some board critics, both incumbents represented gradualism at best.

"To me, Korenstein was a supporter of the status quo," said Mike Piscal, the chief executive of ICEF Public Schools, a local charter school organization. "Her belief in the system is staggering to me. It's not working. Why do you keep fighting to maintain it?"

Piscal termed Canter "a sometime champion of reform. Canter did not fight hard enough."

Also today, the Daily News has a story about critics' views of Measure Q, the district's $7 billion schools bond that voters will weigh next week. I believe that story runs in our (physical) paper this weekend.

The Associated Press is reporting an uptick in the cost of attending California's public universities this year compared to other campuses nationwide.

The average price of tuition and fees at the California State University and University of California systems rose 7.8 percent and 6.6 percent respectively. Nationwide costs rose 6.4 percent, according to the annual "Trends in College Pricing" from the College Board.

For this academic year, the average list price of tuition and fees at four-year public universities rose by $394, to $6,585 for in-state students. At private colleges, prices rose $1,399, or 5.9 percent, to $25,143, according to the College Board report.

In California, CSU costs rose $276 to $3,797 for resident students. At UC the costs went up $496 to $8,007.

It's important to remember many students don't pay the full list price. On average, students receive about $3,700 in grants and tax benefits at four-year public schools, and $10,200 at private institutions.

Julie Korenstein, who represents the eastern San Fernando Valley, has announced that she will not be seeking re-election to the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.

She's been on the board for 22 years and is the longest-serving member in the history of the troubled district.

Yesterday, board member Marlene Canter announced she would not seek re-election. The staff of Board President Monica Garcia, whose seat is also up for a vote in March 2009, said she would run to retain her seat. She represents downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas, mostly to the west.

Korenstein's statement and biographical info released by the district follow:

I'm planning to write a story about local seniors who would have gotten into top tier private universities but, because of the economic downturn, are considering either state schools or community college. If you fit into this profile or know someone who does please give me a heads up. You can email me at vu.nguyen@dailybreeze.com or call me at 310-543-6627.

Los Angeles Unified could be forced to trim $440 million from its budget if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger follows through on plans to enact massive cuts to education statewide, district officials told Daily News reporter Connie Llanos yesterday. (story link)

At the LAUSD, the cuts could lead to overcrowded classrooms and layoffs of district employees, probationary teachers, bus drivers and cafeteria workers, according to Superintendent David Brewer III.

(snip)

With 83 percent of the district's budget spent on payroll, Brewer said closing a funding gap that large could require massive layoffs.

But any short-term cuts would have to come from bureaucratic and probationary positions. Under their contracts, permanent teachers are entitled to 100-day notices before they are laid off.

The potential cuts follow the passage this summer of a district budget that cut more than $300 million.

Schwarzenegger this week said the state's $5 billion-plus budget shortfall would necessitate $2 to $4 billion in education cuts.

Rick Pratt, assistant executive director of the California School Boards Association, was on KCRW's "Which Way, L.A.?" show last night talking about the cuts. He said some districts are considering closing down if cuts are too drastic to handle.

The El Segundo Unified School District school board on Tuesday appointed a bond oversight committee for the $14 million Measure M. The members are Tom Forsythe, Richard Reaser, Edd Davies, Tina Harrell, Richard Croxall, Jim Boulgarides, Lawrence Robinson and alternate David Burns. If Measure M passes on Nov. 4, the committee will monitor costs, make sure the money will be used as intended and report to the community on construction progress.

There's a very good and comprehensive story by the L.A. Times today about how plans to shrink the state budget deficit could take $2 billion to $4 billion in promised funding from schools.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday told education leaders that significant cuts may be unavoidable even if lawmakers approved an increase in sales tax.

School officials say that making billions of dollars of cuts in the middle of a school year would be devastating.

Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. David L. Brewer said that Schwarzenegger's proposal would cost the district as much as $440 million. He called cuts of that magnitude "impossible."

"They're going to have to go out and borrow money because we'd go bankrupt," Brewer said. "Fiscally, we can't do that without literally having to shut down schools."

The Redondo Beach Unified School District on Nov. 6 will host a meeting for community members interested in serving on the school board at 1401 Inglewood Ave. in Redondo Beach. The high-performing district will have three open spots on the board in April. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Information: 310-379-5449 ext. 1272.

A judge on Tuesday ordered the state Board of Education to postpone plan to force all California eighth-graders to be tested in algebra, according to the Associated Press.

Sacramento Superior Court judge Shelleyanne Chang ordered the board not to make any further decisions on the algebra test until a Dec. 19 court hearing. The group had been scheduled to take up its plan to phase-in algebra over the next three years during a meeting next week, the AP writes.

The board approved the algebra plan in the summer but was criticized by California's schools superintendent Jack O'Connell and education groups. They questioned whether the state had the money, staff and training to handle the requirement.

Just half of California eighth-graders currently take full algebra, up from about 34 percent four years ago. But only about a quarter of those who take it score proficient or above on standardized tests. The rate is even lower for black, Hispanic and poor students.

Opponents argued the decision was made hastily and that the public did not have adequate time to comment. The California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators sued in September.

REL#08-150_AlgebraTRO_10-28-08.doc

Marlene Canter, currently in her second term on Los Angeles Unified's Board of Education, has announced she will not run for a third term in next spring's election.

Canter represents Board District 4 -- the Westside, including Westchester, Playa Vista and Marina del Rey. She was first elected in 2001 and served as president from 2005 to 2007.

Her statement follows:

William Green Elementary School celebrated its fourth annual Book Swap and Family Literacy Celebration. About 400 attended the event, which is the brainchild of the campus' Family Night Committee. In addition to the book swap, staff and teachers read aloud for parents and students.

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The Wallace Foundation will give $600,000 to Los Angeles Unified to fund a second decade of planning for district-wide arts education, the philanthropic group announced today.

The group will also give a $1.2 million to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission for its arts education initiative, Arts for All.

The two projects were chosen from a nationwide list, the group said.

Details about the LAUSD funding -- from a Wallace Foundation press release that was distributed by the county -- follow:

It's barely been a month since lawmakers finally agreed on a state budget but it looks as though California may be already $10 billion in the red, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Reporter Dan Walters believes schools will be the likely target of massive cuts because it makes up the largest piece of the budget pie. Mmm, it tastes like overcrowded classrooms, fewer programs with a hint of teacher layoffs.

School spending is vulnerable not only because it's such a huge pot - 40-plus percent of the budget - but because as state revenues fall ever-further below the rosy projections, the constitutional floor of school spending also drops. In words, the Legislature and the governor could legally cut schools by billions of bucks, perhaps $4 billion or more.

The Education Coalition, headed by the powerful California Teachers Association, is already beseeching Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to leave them alone, contending that the current budget already shorts schools by several billion dollars, thus renewing the perennial debate over school finance.

Over the past 10 years, spending on K-12 schools in California, both state aid and local property taxes, has risen by an average of 4.9 percent a year while enrollment has risen by under 1 percent per year, according to data from the Legislature's budget office. Most of the remaining 4-plus percent is eaten up by inflation, leaving real per-pupil spending increasing at around 1 percent a year.

The majority of local editorial boards are calling for a No vote on the $7 billion bond measure that Los Angeles Unified has on the ballot next week:

Daily Breeze: Yes

Daily News: No

La Opinión: Yes

Los Angeles Downtown News: No

Los Angeles Times: No

I'll add more links as I find them.

Also, Howard Blume had an overview of the bond in Saturday's Times.

Torrance High School students Sung-Min Chang, Brian Gnerre, Jennifer Lee, Daniel Naphas, Aaron Sung, and Justin Hong have been recently been named as 2009 National Merit Semi-Finalists. They earned the recognition after placing in the top ten percent nationwide in the preliminary SAT.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has joined the state's largest teachers' union to oppose an effort to end gay marriages in the state.

According to an Associated Press article:

Proposition 8, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, doesn't mention education, but what public schools will be required to teach about homosexuality has emerged as the central issue in the campaign.

"I've seen the spots on the TV, and [legalized gay marriage] just isn't going to require any kind of teaching of personal relationships or lifestyle," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, who has joined the state's largest teachers union in opposing the measure. "That's just not an accurate statement or portrayal."

State schools for years have taught issues surrounding homophobia and sexual orientation but it been up to the district discretion on how to deliver that instruction.

David Zahniser has a must-read story in today's Los Angeles Times about the campaigns launched by Los Angeles Unified and other Southern California agencies on behalf of ballot measures that would benefit them.

Critics say the campaigning, particularly that of the school district, has stepped over the legal line that defines what kind of language public agencies can use in distributing information about ballot issues. In essence, agencies can only distribute "educational" information to voters, not try to sway their votes.

L.A. Unified has taken the concept to its limit, waging a $1-million outreach campaign that includes three mailers sent to 450,000 likely voters. Two of the three stop just short of an endorsement. "This November 4th, remember to vote on Measure Q," reads a piece hitting mailboxes this week.

Experts say the last L.A. Unified mailer crosses a legal line, resembling the campaign brochures typically sent by political committees and paid for by private contributors. "This piece clearly takes a position," said Kathay Feng, executive director of the political reform group California Common Cause. "It is not just a quote-unquote educational piece."

Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick went further, calling the mailer "a complete bending and stretching of the rules."

"This is why people don't trust their government," said Chick, who opposes the bond measure.

Incidentally, at the groundbreaking for the new Carson high school (in Long Beach) this week, the Measure Q campaign had a bright yellow table and was distributing info to parents.

The story also refers to efforts from the cities of Lynwood and Pico Rivera, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Long Beach Unified and a modest $600 spent by Pasadena Unified. A sidebar that goes with the story mentions Torrance Unified's $28,733 spent on mailers for measures Y and Z, and the city of El Monte.

KNBC's Joel Grover creates ripples in LAUSD with a followup to his April investigation of lead found in water samples at Los Angeles Unified schools.

Over six months ago, we took water samples from thirty schools, and at nine of them we found levels of lead that the Environmental Protection Agency says are unsafe.

At a press conference last April, the Superintendent said, "Effective immediately, we will institute a district-wide random testing program."

Last May, the district invited NBC Los Angeles along to see them take water samples at the first of what they said would be some 700 schools to be tested. But records we obtained show, they stopped testing after just 35 schools, citing a lack of manpower.

None of the 30 schools where KNBC tested water were in the South Bay or Harbor Area.

Teachers at Carson's Dolores Street Elementary School are again taking their continued battle for the removal of Principal Anna Barraza to L.A. Unified district headquarters on Friday. This time they'll have tents.

They'll be camping out in front of the 24-story downtown Los Angeles skyscraper, with the 110 Freeway practically running beneath their sleeping bags. This move is a less grass-cushioned repeat of the teachers' UTLA-backed camp-out at their elementary school campus in August.

The teachers contend that Barraza is not collaborative and has an overly rigid adherence to district policy. They've been protesting against her weekly since May. Barraza and her union say she's trying to bring change to the campus, and they point to a 33-point jump in the school's API score last year (Barraza's first at the campus after being moved from two other campuses).

The event begins Friday at 6 p.m. at the LAUSD building, 333 S. Beaudry Ave.

Expect lots of TV news crews!

Los Angeles Unified and Carson city officials will grin and pose with shovels tomorrow at the groundbreaking for South Region High School No. 4.

The 13.7-acre campus, on the Long Beach side of the Carson border, is set to accommodate 1,809 students when complete. It's going to cost about $145 million.

(Long Beach is continuing its legal battle against the district over the campus.)

The event is at 10 a.m. at the site, Carson Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Bring your hard hat!

The Carson City Council recently passed a resolution recommending that the campus be named for LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons, who died while on duty in February. Simmons, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident, did a lot of work with youth in Carson.

The LAUSD Board of Education will vote on the naming Nov. 25.

An advocacy group that works on issues related to education loans today released a report showing that college students' debt continued to rise, according to data from the class of 2007.

The Project on Student Debt's third annual report on average student debts show that the Class of 2007 carried about 6 percent more debt than the previous graduating class. The average debt amount last year was $20,098, up from $18,976 in 2006.

The report states:

While it is still generally true that college graduates earn much more than those with only a high school education, student debt is rising faster than starting salaries for new graduates. While average student debt at graduation rose by six percent between 2006 and 2007, earnings for 18- to 24-year-olds with bachelor's degrees rose only three percent.

California was one of the 10 lowest-debt states, with an average of $17,215 per student -- up 2 percent from 2006. The West had more low-debt states, while the Northeast had more high-debt states.

Report is in PDF form here

It's still pretty hazy at this point. The L.A. Times reports schools aren't forced to introduce students to marriage. But the state requires schools that offer sex education "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships. There is no mention if the marriages or committed relationships are same sex or opposite sex.

Districts have taken different approaches.

The Los Angeles Unified School District offers ninth-graders a "Life Skills" class that deals with a variety of issues, including personal identity and relationships. A district spokeswoman said marriage is not a specific part of that curriculum but could come up as part of classroom discussion.

In Fresno, meanwhile, district policy is that teachers do not address the subject of gay marriage in the classroom; students who ask about it are told to raise the issue with their families, according to district officials.

Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, said she was unaware of any district that had changed its curriculum as a result of the California Supreme Court's May ruling allowing same-sex marriage.

What do you think? Do you think teaches will introduce gay marriage to students if Prop. 8 fails?

Los Angeles Unified parents on Nov. 1 will have a chance to meet administrators, current parents and students from more than 140 magnet schools. UCLA will host a event to overview programs for gifted and talented students and application workshops.
The event begins at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UCLA's Ackerman Union at 405 Hilgard Ave. in Los Angeles. Information: 213-241-4177.

William Green Elementary School on Thursday is celebrating its first Family Night of the year at 4520 West 168th St. in Lawndale. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the covered lunch shelter and includes a book exchange and reading party. Information: 310-370-3585

Daily News reporter George Sanchez has a story that ran in today's Breeze about a $13,000 sushi-making machine that L.A. Unified bought in 2002 only to see it sit on a shelf, unused.

Since it was discovered at University High School in West L.A., it's been moved to the culinary arts program at Santee Education Complex in South L.A.

Brent Boultinghouse, head of Santee's culinary program, said he won't look a gift robot in the mouth. The machine costs about 21 times the $600 supply budget for a culinary class at the school.

For raw-fish-loving readers who, like me, read the phrase "sushi robot" and go, "Whaaaat?" -- then look here: it's real. Wow. Coincidentally, I will be going out for human-made sushi tonight.

San Pedro High School will host a presentation on the University of California application process on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 6:00 p.m.

The program will help seniors applying to the UC system, but may also be useful to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Parents are welcome at the event, which will be held in the auditorium at the school, 1001 W. 15th Street, San Pedro.

Call College Counselor Nancy Budar for more information at (310) 241-5838 or e-mail her at nbudar@lausd.net.

Three El Camino College alumni have received scholarships from the Howard Alumni Club of Greater Los Angeles to attend Howard University in Washington D.C. Political science major Trina Peterson and pharmacology major Jonathan Lucas transferred to the university in the fall. Theater and dance major Renee Settle started classes there last spring.

Mira Catalina Elementary School on Sunday will host its Halloween Harvest Festival. The four-hour event begins at noon at the campus, 30511 Lucania Dr. in Rancho Palos Verdes. There will be food booths, a costume parade, games, contests and prizes for the best decorated booth.
Two haunted house tours will be available. The first is at 1 p.m. for younger children and a scarier tour will begin at 2:45 p.m. for older children and adults. Information: 310-710-8309 or 424-477-7105.

The Daily News takes a look today at the LAUSD performing arts high school that's rising north of the 101 Freeway downtown.

The eye-catching structure -- now with a $230 million pricetag -- has quite a tale to tell, according to a story by George Sánchez.

The district has yet to finalize a curriculum or hire a principal or any staff - and the school's executive director recently walked away from the job halfway through her contract.

Philanthropist Eli Broad - who was a driving force and financial contributor to the project - is now shopping it around to charter school groups in hopes they can take it out of the district's hands.

"Many people, including Eli Broad, have been extremely frustrated with the delays that have plagued this project since its start," Broad Foundation spokeswoman Karen Denne said in a written statement.

"There is still no principal and no curriculum, and the school is scheduled to open in less than a year. There is no plan yet in place to ensure that this school will have the right leadership and the right curriculum to be successful."

Broad has approached charter operator Green Dot Schools about taking over the project, Sánchez reports.

The California Teachers Association has donated $1 million to fight a ballot measure that would ban gay marriage, the Los Angeles Times and others report.

For us, it's a civil rights issue," said the association's President David Sanchez. "We don't believe people should be treated differently."

The teachers union also takes issue with advertisements by backers of Proposition 8 suggesting that the measure would stop children from being taught about gay marriage in schools. Union leaders echoed complaints by the No on 8 campaign that the ads are misleading because California law already prohibits teaching any child health issues without parental consent.

It's the biggest donation yet to the anti-Prop 8 measure, and follows a $250,000 donation by CTA over the summer.

Not likely, according to an article by the Associated Press. Some educators say time-out rooms are being used more often to discipline children with behavioral disorders which can do more harm than good.

According to the AP:

"It really is a form of abuse," said Ken Merrell, head of the Department for Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon. "It's going to do nothing to change the behavior. You're using it as an isolation booth."

Segregating children removes them from the positive aspect of the classroom and highlights that they're different from other children, said Stephen Camarata, director of the Kennedy Center for Behavioral Research at Vanderbilt University. And isolating an autistic child might be particularly counterproductive.

Students at Franklin D. Roosevelt and Kit Carson elementary schools on Wednesday will get moving to celebrate International Walk to School in the USA Day. They will be joining children and adults around the world who are celebrating the benefits of walking. The walk begins 8 a.m. to emphasize safe walking skills, concern for the environment, and the health benefits of physical activity. Information: 310-675-1121.

The Associated Press reports six Utah schools have introduced a Web site allowing students to anonymously report bullies.

Site creator Justin Bergener hopes students who might otherwise be too scared or shy to speak up will be willing to make online posts. The site also lets students post information about thefts, drugs and harassment.

"There really is this culture and code of silence that's particularly prevalent in middle schools and high schools," Bergener said.

Nearly 50 schools in other states are also using the Web site.

Here's how it works: School administrators are made aware of any tips either by e-mail or text message, Bergener said. For some schools, students have to create a logon and password to send a tip, but they still remain anonymous, though. But in most cases, schools allow anyone to send a tip with no need to give personal information.

Just catching up on some LAUSD news from outside the Breeze area that was reported when I was out of town last week. This one from Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times is likely to be of serious interest to Harbor Area LAUSD-watchers (who probably have already passed this story around a dozen times):

Los Angeles school officials are starting over on a high school project in Maywood because the preferred site is so contaminated by industrial chemicals that it would cost at least $22 million to clean up, which would delay construction by as much as six years.

The cancellation, announced last week, means that the Los Angeles Unified School District will be forced to break its long-standing pledge to take all schools off year-round operation by 2012. The move also marks the first time that a project has been terminated because of environmental concerns since 2000, when the school board voted to abandon the half-finished Belmont Learning Complex.

About $5 million already has been spent on the Maywood site, but mostly for the school's design, which might be salvageable, L.A. Unified officials said. Finding a suitable location remains a challenge, said Roderick Hamilton, a regional development manager for the district.

This one is South Region High School No. 8, for those that like to look at district planning docs. It was set to be built here and provide 1,215 seats to relieve Bell High School.

"Fahrenheit 451"author Ray Bradbury will visit El Camino College on Monday to celebrate the grand opening of school's new Learning Resources Center. The two-hour event begins at 3 p.m. at the west entrance to the Schauerman Library, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd. in Torrance.
The center includes a basic skills lab, campus archives, the Ella Rose Madden Nursing Collection, a used bookstore, and a digital processing center. Information: 310-532-3670.

Little Company of Mary Hospitals have partnered with the Lunada Bay Elementary School in Palos Verdes Estates to support "Red Ribbon Week", which takes place October 20 through October 24.

"Red Ribbon Week" is a PTA-sponsored campaign throughout schools across the country to prevent drug use. In the Lunada Bay Elementary School the initiative is focused on teaching the young children to make good choices in many areas of their life. Supporting the health aspect of the initiative, Little Company of Mary has donated specially-ordered jump ropes for each student at Lunada Bay Elementary School.

Torrance High grad Janice Lee's artwork will be honored by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission later this month. She recently won the commission's Martin Luther King Visions of Unity Art Contest. The poster is sent to schools in L.A. County and will be used on T-shirts for the group's Teen Make a Difference Day.

Janice said she was interested in this contest because she believes discrimination is an important and controversial issue nationwide. "For me, my artwork symbolizes the dream of being able to break away from the struggles that the public has to face because of prejudice and intolerance," she said.

Information: 213 974-7616.

Dorsey High School has rejected a takeover effort from former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, reports Howard Blume in today's Los Angeles Times.

Riordan was seeking to take over the South L.A. campus in a similar fashion to the effort fronted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with his Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. The plan would have divided the largely African-American school into academies, like Green Dot's effort at Locke High School.

Meaningful local control sounds good to Noah Lippe-Klein, a veteran Dorsey history teacher and a union representative. He had joined faculty and parents last year in petitioning the district for more academic counseling, along with better college and career guidance; expanded, updated vocational offerings; and more Advanced Placement courses.

"We are definitely against any kind of takeover or any kind of outside organization imposing its ideas on Dorsey," he said. "And that's what this comes across as."

Riordan's group is called Pathways-to-Success. Incidentally, the Riordan Foundation was one of the primary backers of Carson's new charter, New Millennium Secondary School.

LAUSD's Senior Deputy Superintendent Raymond Cortines notified Riordan yesterday that Dorsey would reject the ex-mayor's bid, Blume writes.

Hawthorne native Brian Borrayo has been chosen to participate in this month's Hispanic Young Professionals program which teaches promising Hispanic college students professional etiquette and leadership skills.
The Cal State Long Beach freshman qualified for the program after winning the Hilton Scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund. The four-day itinerary includes lessons on networking, resume and interview workshops, a mentor lunch, career workshops, and office visits to corporations such as IBM and Google.

William Green Elementary School in Lawndale is receiving free tutoring services to help students struggling with reading. The program is sponsored by San Francisco-based children's literacy non-profit organization Reading Partners. The group offers free services to high-need, Title 1 public schools and targets low-income children who have fallen behind one to two grade levels in reading. Information: http://www.readingpartners.org

Federal officials announced today that smaller school buses will be required to have harness-style seat belts and larger buses will phase in taller and safer seatbacks.

The Associated Press reports the seat belt mandate begins in 2011 and is directed to buses weighing 5 tons or less.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said she stopped short of requiring seat belts for larger buses because that could limit the number of children that can squeeze into seats, forcing some children to travel in ways that aren't as safe as school buses.

School districts sometimes expect as many as three younger children to share a bus seat, but if there are only two belts installed per seat then fewer children can ride the bus.

"We wanted to make sure that any measures we put forth don't needlessly limit the capacity of the buses and then force that school or that school district to have more children walking, riding with parents, biking, etcetera," Peters told The Associated Press in an interview.

The AP also reports the height of seatbacks on buses will move up to 24 inches from 20 inches which keep taller, heavier children from being thrown over seats in a crash. The rule will likely be phased in the fall of 2009 and become fully effective in 2011.

An overhaul of the education system for children incarcerated in the Los Angeles County juvenile justice system was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today, according to a press release from Supervisor Don Knabe.

The changes will affect the county's three juvenile halls (in Boyle Heights, Sylmar and Downey) and 19 youth camps. None are in the South Bay or Harbor Area.

The reforms will include the creation of charter schools within the probation system. Wow. It will be interesting to see how that works.

The release includes the following findings from the 2007 report:
The release continues:

The reforms will also customize educational opportunities based on the individual needs of the student, including a vocational education path, a college-bound path, and a GED completion path, among others. Additionally, the reforms will now tie education in the camps and halls with education in school districts across the County so that students leaving the juvenile justice system will have better continuity and consistency when they return to regular schools.

The reforms were proposed by Knabe last year after a study from the Children's Council of Los Angeles County revealed that incarcerated children were educationally underserved. Knabe billed it as a crime-reduction effort.

One of his lines in the release: "By improving access to educational opportunities in the juvenile justice system today these kids are less likely to commit future crimes tomorrow and end up in and out of our justice system throughout their life."

The McClure family in Torrance posed a great question today about school finance in the Daily Breeze.

Q: There are school bond measures on the Nov. 4 ballot for maintenance, new building and improvements that need to be done, but wasn't the lottery supposed to provide money for the schools? How much do we actually get from the lottery?

A: Money from the California lottery provides approximately 1 to 2 percent of all education funding for California schools, the California lottery Web site states.

In fiscal year, 2005-06, the California Department of Education received $1.28 billion from the lottery and $62 billion from the state's general fund, the Web site says. That translates to about $154 and $10,325 per pupil, respectively, based upon more than 8.3 million students in California's public schools, according to the Web site.

In addition to K-12 schools, lottery proceeds also go to, among others, community colleges, the University of California and the California State University systems, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Division of Juvenile Justice, the Web site says.

"According to the Lottery Act, lottery contributions can be used only for instructional purposes and it bans use for the acquisition of property, the construction of facilities or the funding of research," the Web site states.

The full text of the California State Lottery Act of 1984 is available online at www.leginfo.ca.gov/cq. Click on California Law, click on the Government Code box and type "lottery act" into the search box.

Two new exhibits focusing on Asia and the Pacific Islands are now open to the public at the El Camino College Anthropology Museum. One exhibit depict modern Chinese life in cities such as Beijing. Another exhibit displays photos and artifacts from Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga and Hawaii. The museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: 310-660-3580.

Students at Mira Catalina Elementary School on Oct. 21 will participate in nationwide mock elections. Third, fourth and fifth-graders at the school will vote for the U.S. President and Vice President, state legislators and local laws. Ballots will be counted by parent and teacher volunteers and results will be reported to principal Jeff Keeney. Information: www.nationalmockelection.org

Ridgecrest Intermediate School on Oct. 21 will host a discussion on teen drug and alcohol abuse in its multipurpose room, 28915 Northbay Rd. in Rancho Palos Verdes. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is open to parents of children enrolled in intermediate or high schools in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Information: 310-732-0900 Ext. 209.

San Pedro High School's college counselor, Nancy Budar, contacted us to crow about the achievements of last year's Advanced Placement students.

The College Board named 33 Pedro students as AP Scholars. Five of those kids were AP Scholars with Distinction for earning an average of 3.5 or more on all AP exams taken, as well as grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Six students were AP Scholars with Honor, earning an average of 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

The names are listed below.

The California Association of School Business Officials say districts should prepare for the worst as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger considers about $3 billion in new budget cuts.

The Sacramento Bee reports rising unemployment, rocky retail sales and the nation's mortgage crisis are casting a pall over the Capitol.

Schools are potential budget-cutting targets for two reasons: They consume more than 40 percent of the state's general fund budget, and under Proposition 98, their guaranteed level of funding declines as state revenues fall.

Put simply, state officials could dip into school funding without suspending Proposition 98 if a deal were struck between Schwarzenegger and a majority of both legislative houses.

In their warning to districts, school business officials suggested that contingency plans be developed and no new employee contracts be struck until the revenue crisis is resolved.

"Watch your cash flow, and don't make any long-term commitments right now," spokesman Dennis Meyers said of the group's advice to members.

Chicago public school officials are recommending approval of a "gay-friendly" high school in response an uptick in students who miss class and drop out in higher numbers because of harrasment and violence.

The School for Social Justice Pride Campus will have the same curriculum as other schools in the district but also offers counseling for students. School officials also plan to include lessons about sexual identity in history and literature classes.

According to CNN:

"It is not going to be a 'gay high school,' but yes, in a way, it is meant to target kids who feel they have been victims of bullying for their sexual orientation or perceived orientation," said Josh Edelman, executive officer in the Chicago Public Schools' Office of New Schools.

Gay and lesbian students are three times more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District survey. And a study released Wednesday by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network showed similar trends across the country.

The national study, which the group says is the most comprehensive report ever on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students nationwide, found that 86.2 percent of those students reported being verbally harassed, 44.1 percent physically harassed and 22.1 percent physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

This harassment, the study concludes, has affected students' ability to achieve success in school, causing their grade-point level to be, on average, half a point lower than that of heterosexual students nationwide.

Colleges should consider making the SAT optional, according to a new study released by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.

Researcher Phillip Ballinger said the test can be useful in combination of other factors and urges students to take the test a little less seriously.

Ballinger added parents should also reconsider paying thousands for test prep courses that bring in more than $1 billion each year. The study reports the average increase is 20 to 30 points.

According to NPR:

Ballinger says he hopes the findings will help "give more permission for people to have serious conversations" about whether it's worth spending so much time, money and anxiety on standardized tests and "to let some steam out of this whole thing."

School lunches may be the most important meal of the day for the brain, according to researchers. The study found that improving the nutrition of school meals upped the academic performance of about 1,197 students in seven states during a two-year period.

U.S. News & World Report interviewed cardiologist Arthur Agatston, creator of the South Beach diet, about the findings.

How can parents get involved if they'd like to see their kids' cafeterias improved?

People should absolutely complain to their congressperson if they feel the school food is bad. This isn't a local cosmetic issue. Ultimately, it's our health and the future of our economy at stake. It doesn't really matter if we have a one-payer healthcare system or a market system or whatever. If we don't deal with kids today, we're going to overwhelm whatever future medical system we have. The problem is much bigger than people realize. Young adults are having more heart disease and heart attacks. It's a huge problem that goes way beyond cosmetics or a kid being teased because he's overweight. It's going to have a huge economic impact unless we act now.

A Long Beach Unified School District official fears a sagging economy and a credit crisis may affect how much money will trickle down to its campuses.

District business chief Kim Stallings on Tuesday told the school board about the grim financial news. He said they should be prepared to make some "painful budget cuts" next year.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month signed a state budget after a record delay but tax revenue hasn't met projected figures.

According to the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

A freeze in the credit markets has state leaders worried that California may be unable to borrow money to cover its expenses until tax revenue begins flowing into state coffers this April.

Schwarzenegger has warned federal officials that the state may need help from the U.S. treasury if the state cannot quickly secure $7 billion in short-term bonds.

The Los Angeles Times today reports an 8 percent jump in the numbers of boarding students at California schools in the last decade.

Reasons for boarding schools' growing popularity are varied: Dissatisfaction with public schools has encouraged families to look for alternatives, and financial aid is helping attract more mid- and low-income students, said Peter Upham, executive director of the boarding schools association. And migration of people with means from east to west has brought a familiarity with boarding school traditions.

But boarding schools may not be an option for everyone. Nearly 16 percent of boarding school students on the West Coast don't return to classes the next year unlike less than 7 percent of other students.

Some critics also worry separating children from their parents may be a bad idea and say some kids could be exposed to bullying.

A UCLA study reports nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online within a year but only 10 percent of them reported it to parents or other adults.

Reachers said the most prevalent forms of bullying online include name-calling, password thefts, threats, sending embarrassing pictures, sharing private information without permission and spreading nasty rumors.

According to UCLA:

Of those who were bullied online, 85 percent also have been bullied at school, the psychologists found. The probability of getting bullied online was substantially higher for those who have been the victims of school bullying.

They're baaack. Well, not exactly. Lawmakers might consider a plan to call everyone back to Sacramento to discuss the state's need for a short term $7 billion loan, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Because of the credit crunch and less state revenues Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could declare a special session where legislators may look at different ways to make up the budget hole, including cuts to schools.

Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association, said lawmakers "might as well stay home" if they are planning to make up the latest shortfall with cuts alone. His group and other school organizations believe the state should use tax increases to balance the budget.

"If they come back into a special session because revenue projections are in decline for the current year budget, it probably could only mean bad news for schools unless they're inclined to have a conversation about new revenues," Plotkin said.

The Los Angeles Times editorializes today against Measure Q, LAUSD's $7 billion bond on the November ballot.

More bothersome is that the dollar figure more than doubled in a matter of days, with little strategy for spending it -- the measure contains vague promises, overlapping projects and more than $2 billion in unspecified future expenses. The very manner in which it ballooned -- after a poll showed that voters, when primed, seemed willing to pass a bigger measure -- gives us little confidence in the district's ability to spend this bond wisely.

(snip)

Without a plan that justifies and guides the expenditures, however, there is too much opportunity for board members and bureaucrats in this highly politicized district to push pet projects ...

The editorial also questions the legality of the district's vague attribution of $1.3 billion in bond money to future repairs. The 2000 state constitutional amendment that lowered the percentage need to pass a school bond from 66.6 to 55 percent required that specific projects be listed, the editorial board writes, and LAUSD's vagueness doesn't cut it.

The bond would be the fifth in 11 years for the district.

Maybe, according to the Sacramento Bee.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer warned this week that Congress needs to put the nation's finances in order so the state can pay its bills in November for critical needs like teacher salaries.

Lockyer said the fiscal crisis may drain California's reserves by the end of October because the state can't sell bonds and short-term securities for cash flow needs.

"The credit market is frozen because financial institutions are afraid to commit capital amid enormous uncertainty," the treasurer said in a written statement.

"More urgently, because the state budget was so late, we have only four short weeks to complete what otherwise would be a routine revenue anticipation note sale to meet the state's cash-flow needs," Lockyer said.

Exhausting California's cash reserves would have dire consequences, he said.

"Payments for teachers' salaries, nursing homes, law enforcement and every other state-funded service would stop or be significantly delayed," Lockyer said.

"And California's 5,000 cities, counties, school districts and special districts would face the same fate."

The district and United Teachers Los Angeles held their first session -- clocking in without overtime at eight hours -- today, according to an LAUSD press release.

They're set to meet at least six more times before the end of October in an attempt to reach an agreement on the terms of the 2007-08 contract (yes, last year).

Both sides declared an impasse in negotiations two weeks ago, agreeing to meet with a state-appointed mediator.

Mediation comes as UTLA has been talking about striking for the first time in almost 20 years.

There was an error in the headline that ran with my story in today's paper about Jose Vallejo's longtime automotive emissions class, which has been taught at the San Pedro Skills Center for more than 25 years.

The center is not closing. It will remain open as two classes continue to be taught at the LAUSD property near Angels Gate, as the story notes.

By the end of the year, Jose's class and an upholstery class will be moved to the Harbor Occupational Center in northern San Pedro.

We've fixed the headline online (though it looks like it remains under the original in the "most viewed/most emailed" lists.)

A correction will run in tomorrow's newspaper.

This email came to me from an online parents group that wanted to find out more about the details of Torrance Unified's two proposed bond measures. The district is asking for $356 million to be paid off in 30 years. The information below is from Don Stabler, the district's deputy superintendent of administrative services.

Here it is:

"1. What is the expected rating of these bonds?

The expected rating for these bonds will be AAA. That is because it
is usual for districts to purchase insurance for that rating. While
I can't tell you what Torrance Unified's actual rating would be,
previous experience tells me it would be A+ to AA- based on our
financial history.

2. What is the coupon rate for these bonds?

The coupon rate depends on when the sale is made. Our financial
advisor will sell the bonds when it is best fro the district (market
value, other bonds for sale that week etc.) Previous sales have had
a 3.5-4% coupon rate. Today's rates are higher due to the current
market (6-7%)

3. What is the term of the bonds?

The term of each series of bonds is 25 years. There will be three
(3) series sold, projected for 2009, 2012 and 2015.

4. What is the probability that they will be sold at their face
value?

I will have to defer the question on "face value" to our bond
advisor, but will get back to you.

5. Who comprises the oversight and audit committees?

Prop 39 requires that there be a minimum of 7 people on the oversight
committee. It must have a person from the business community, 1 from
a tax payer's association, a parent, a parent member of the PTA and a
senior citizen. There is not an "audit committee". The legislation
requires an "independent audit" be performed yearly and presented to
the board.

6. How can the citizens of Torrance participate in these meetings?

Once the bond is passed, the board will advertise for nominations for
the oversight committee. Since this is a "board appointed' committee,
it is regulated by the Brown Act. This means that they are open,
advertised meetings with a posted agenda, minutes and opportunity for
public comment."

National Public Radio reports this week about how foreclosures and America's economic downturn have resulted in a jump in the number of homeless students.

Federal law allows homeless children have the right to continue their education in the district they were in. But NPR reports that some students across the country have been denied enrollment.

"Administrators at the schools were worried that those students would drag down test scores and make it harder for the school to avoid sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law."