Accused murderer and meth addict Michael Kane, an LAUSD elementary school teacher, has no previous history of violence during his career as a teacher and his personnel file states he was never removed from his classroom for any misbehavior, according to district officials.

Kane began working for the district in 1997 as a substitute teacher and taught at Carthay Center and Bassett Street Elementary before being assigned to Nestle Avenue Elementary School in 2008.

Kane pleaded not guilty to murder and three other counts Wednesday.

Los Angeles Unified officials said Kane had no disciplinary actions listed in his file, which would theoretically also reveal if the teacher had been removed from his classroom and placed in a so-called “teacher jail” if he was being investigated for any misbehavior.

However, because of privacy laws teachers may be placed in “teacher jails” during investigations and “nobody would know,” according to Leonard Isenberg, a former LAUSD teacher and founder of perdaily.com, an education blog and advocacy site for teachers accused of misconduct.

What’s more, Isenberg argues that while the district or union should document if a teacher is removed from a classroom for any reason, that is not currently the case.

“If you are put in a ‘teacher jail’ there should be a record of it,” said Isenberg. “But UTLA doesn’t even know how many teachers are in ‘teacher jail’ and they don’t do anything to find out.”

United Teachers of Los Angeles did not respond to our request for comment or clarification about records of Kane’s behavior. None of the schools where Kane has worked responded to comment on Kane’s alleged behavior, either.

Previous posts: UTLA Rails Against ‘Teacher Jails,’ Teacher Misconduct Proposal Wins Unexpected Support, One Thing: LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”

Teacher Dismissals: How Do We Protect Children and Safeguard Teachers’ Due Process?
Fire them. Dismiss them. Send them back. Let them languish in “teacher jails” while investigations drag on for months — or even years.  There’s got to be a better, quicker and fairer way to get rid of teachers who truly do not belong in the classroom and support those teachers who do. Huff Po Op-Ed by Tamar Galatzan

Deasy Should Be Thrilled With Union’s No Confidence Vote
It means he’s shaking up the moribund Los Angeles Unified School District and bucking the union that has battled every education reform proposed to protect the livelihood of its teachers – a livelihood that has put a stranglehold on education. LA Daily News Editorial

‘Willful Defiance’ in L.A. Schools
A proposal to prevent the suspending of students for a relatively minor infraction deserves the approval of the school board. LA Times Editorial

Sal Castro Dies at 79; L.A. Teacher Played Role in 1968 Protests
Sal Castro, a veteran Los Angeles Unified School District teacher who played a central role in the 1968 “blowouts,” when more than 1,000 students in predominantly Latino high schools walked out of their classrooms to protest inequalities in education, died in his sleep Monday after a long bout with cancer. LA Times
See also: KPCC

Teachers Dislike Breakfast in the Classroom Program, Survey Finds
An L.A. Unified program to serve breakfast in the classroom to make sure students don’t start school hungry has increased pests, created messes and cut down on instructional time, according to a teacher survey released Monday. LA Times

Teach for America: California Schools Need Their Talent
The English Learner Authorization embedded within the intern credential is a very hot issue for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing due to the concerns over incomplete education and preparation of intern teachers who serve students who are English Learners. Silicon Valley Mercury News Op-Ed

District’s Voting Rights Called Into Question
Latinos make up 42 percent of ABC Unified School District, located in Southeastern Los Angeles County. They are the largest ethnic demographic in the 30-school district, but the last time a Latino was elected to the seven member board was in 1997. EdWeek

Family Fee for Half-Day State Preschool Likely to Be Rescinded
A much-disputed daily fee for families with children in state-funded preschool programs will likely be removed from next year’s state budget. EdSource

Slated for a vote at next Tuesday’s Board meeting, the Galatzan resolution would shorten the time it takes to inform teachers what they’re being accused of, speed the internal investigation process for teachers whose actions may be inappropriate but fall short of criminal prosecution, and put the internal investigation in the hands of district rather than school-based staff.

And — thanks to its modest scope and careful planning that went into the development process — the proposal by the San Fernando Valley-based Board member is being cosponsored not only by Board member Monica Garcia but also UTLA-friendly Board member Bennett Kayser, whom Galatzan says volunteered to co-sponsor the resolution.

“We met with [United Teachers of Los Angeles], [Associated Administrators of LA], and district staff,” said Galatzan. “We got everyone’s input on what they thought the problem was. That was our jumping-off point.”

The Board fired 99 teachers and allowed 122 others to resign last year, according to the Daily News — and has already fired 24 and allowed 92 to resign as of February 2013.

Normally, when a teacher is accused of physically and seriously harming a child (i.e., hitting them or touching them inappropriately), law enforcement officials investigate.

During the investigation, the teacher is removed from a classroom and placed in a so-called “teacher jail” or “rubber room” pending investigation of alleged misdeeds .

The time teachers spend there can be lengthy — most of it due the time it takes for law enforcement to do its investigation, according to Galatzan.

According to a November 2012 audit, LAUSD has been required to pay $3 million in salaries to 20 teachers who have been ‘housed’ (removed from site) the longest while being investigated for misconduct – including one who’s been housed for 4.5 years.

In most cases, teachers do not end up returning to the classroom.  Last year, only 16 returned, and only 14 have been reassigned as of December this year.

However, sometimes law enforcement, for a variety of reasons, determines that there is no criminal act or decides it can’t make the charges stick.

That’s where Galatzan’s resolution comes in.

“My resolution targets what happens next,” according to Galatzan.

Its main purpose is to deal with teachers being accused of the most serious of offenses — such as allegations of physical or sexual misconduct.

In these cases, the school district can investigate any violation of the State education code or the district rules.

Galatzan doesn’t know how many investigators would be needed. Should the Board approve her resolution, Superintendent John Deasy would report back within 90 days to say how many investigators the district should hire and how the district would pay for it.

In the meantime, Galatzan is optimistic about the new bill coming out of Sacramento, AB 375, that would make it easier for school districts to fire teachers found guilty of serious misconduct.

“My resolution is almost a companion piece,” she said. “Sacramento is working on making changes to the [state] ed code. My focus is on policies and procedures within the district.”

Previous posts: UTLA Have Different Plans to Reform “Teacher Jails“; UTLA Rails Against “Teacher Jails”; LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”; “Rubber Room” Teachers Rarely Return

Now, Padilla plans to join forces with Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo), head of the Assembly’s Education Committee, who introduced her own alternative teacher dismissal bill this week.

Buchanan might seem like an unexpected ally for Padilla, given that Buchanan voted no (along with fellow Democrat Tom Ammiano) on the previous version of Padilla’s bill, SB 1530, which was endorsed by LAUSD and opposed by UTLA.

Buchanan and Padilla say they will work together to pass AB 375, which shares some of SB 10’s key provisions, such as permitting teacher dismissal during the summer and allowing the use of evidence that is older than four years.

In a statement released to LA School Report, Buchanan said she opposed SB 1530 last year because its focus on teachers who abuse students was too limited:

“The dismissal process takes too much time and is too costly for all types of dismissals.  We need a better process that works for everyone – one that is fair, ensures due process, and can be done in a timely and cost-effective manner.”

It remains unclear at this point whether the Buchanan legislation is as rigorous as the Padilla proposal. EdSource has a good analysis of the two bills; read the story here. Or, see the full text of SB 10 here and the draft text of AB 375 here. However, cooperation between Padilla and Buchanan could mean AB 375 has a better chance of passing.

Previous posts:  Richard Bloom Criticizes Betsy Butler For SB 1530 Vote; Where’s UTLA Stand on Teacher Removal?;

Board Member Tamar Galatzan

Both LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan and UTLA President Warren Fletcher have plans to push for reform of the district’s teacher misconduct investigation process, but their plans have different focuses and end goals, according to a LA Daily News report.

Board Member Galatzan is focusing on how long the teacher investigation process can take (an average of four months), with plans to create a faster, more fair way for the district to examine allegations made against teachers. UTLA’s Warren Fletcher isn’t as concerned about how long the process takes; instead, he plans to push for more consistent treatment of teachers housed in the various “teacher jail” locations and to ensure that elderly teachers aren’t being targeted because of their age (which the district denies is happening).

Previous posts: Board Preview, UTLA Rails Against “Teacher Jails”, Report: Teacher Dismissals Costly, Lengthy

As LA School Report contributor Hillel Aron wrote in a recent LA Weekly report, teachers sent to “jail” are usually left to sit idle in cubicles while allegations against them are being processed. Teachers receive full pay while their cases are being investigated. Few are cleared to return to the classroom.

In its newsletter, UTLA characterizes LAUSD’s rubber rooms as a “destructive overreaction” and said it plans to demand improvements to the conditions of teachers housed in the satellite facilities, also sometimes called “rubber rooms.”  The teachers union also says it is considering pursuing an age discrimination lawsuit against LAUSD because “many teachers on housed situations are in the older age range.”

Previous posts: “Rubber Room” Teachers Rarely Return, Report: Teacher Dismissals Costly, Lengthy; LAUSD’s Crowded “Rubber Rooms”

Source: LA Weekly

“On the outskirts of LAUSD’s sprawling, mazelike Educational Service Center in Reseda sit seven long, shabby, peach-colored bungalows with barred windows and rotting wood, which all but scream Southern California public education.

“In one of them is a roughly 35-square-foot room where 25 or so teachers (and a couple of teacher’s assistants) sit at cubicles.

“One sits with his feet up and his head tilted back toward the pockmarked ceiling, fast asleep, snoring loudly through a gaping mouth… Another works on her dissertation for a doctorate in education.

“They are teachers in teacher jail, known more popularly as rubber rooms, and the aim is to keep them out of classrooms while allegations against them are investigated.

Read the rest of the story at LA Weekly.

15 Candidates File to Run for LAUSD School Board Seats
Officials have 10 days to verify whether each has the signatures of at least 500 registered voters from the candidate’s district. LA Daily News

LAUSD Rubber Rooms Crowd Up
First revealed in 2009 by the Los Angeles Times, the rubber rooms take their nickname from much larger facilities that house New York City teachers who have been accused of wrongdoing or serious incompetence. LA Weekly

New Lawsuits Filed Against LAUSD on Behalf of Miramonte Students
On the same day that attorneys for students at Miramonte Elementary School announced that four additional lawsuits have been filed against LAUSD over alleged sexual abuse at the school, the district said it faces 189 claims resulting from the scandal. NBC LA

Mayor Villaraigosa Tours Partnership for LA Schools
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa got a chance to show off several of his Partnership schools today. He toured the campuses with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and ended the visit with a commendation. KPCC

Pasadena Unified Official Put on Leave Amid Apparent Bond Probe
The Pasadena Unified School District has placed its top facilities manager on leave and has suspended or terminated five consultant contracts in the wake of an apparent inquiry into the handling of the district’s $350-million Measure TT school construction bond. LA Times

Grants Back Public-Charter Cooperation
In an effort to encourage collaboration between charter schools and traditional neighborhood schools, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $25 million in grants to seven cities. NY Times

Resistance Gathers to Parsing School Administrative Credentials
Members of a statewide organization representing school administrators are lobbying the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to drop plans for creating separate, qualified certification authorizations for school leadership positions. SI&A Cabinet Report

Many Math Students Are Flailing, Repeating Courses Without Success
et 68 percent of students who haven’t passed one of the required courses, Algebra II, by the end of 11th grade don’t even enroll in math as seniors, giving up on the possibility of applying to a UC or CSU school. EdSource