Months of preparation in anticipation of the El Niño storms have kept service calls to LA Unified’s facilities office to a “moderate” level, according to the school district’s director of Maintenance and Operations Roger Finstad. Yesterday, he said, his department received 423 rain-related service calls from 211 schools, and by mid-afternoon today, he received 235 calls from...

And now for the weather forecast: More than $17 million in roof repairs still need to be completed at LAUSD schools before El Niño arrives in January. The district also needs to replace aging equipment at the Emergency Operations Center at a cost of $225,000 a year, and it will cost about $5 per student...

Because of a $300 million boost in bond money and the ability to hire extra help, most of the LAUSD schools are expected to have their air conditioning units working when school opens Aug. 18. “August is traditionally the hottest month of the year, and the severe heat spells doesn’t help the classroom situation,” said...