Students at the majority of the charter schools that could be turned down Tuesday by LA Unified’s school board are performing academically above their peers in nearby schools. But that’s not what Tuesday’s debate will likely be about. State law says that student academic achievement is the most important factor in determining whether charter school...

*UPDATED Despite having laid out options to save money on health care, LA Unified has “rolled over” and agreed to continue funding its generous benefits for district employees, retirees, and their dependents at current levels for the next three years. The district’s proposal was given late last week to union negotiators. The unions will respond to...

The number of homeless students at LA Unified grew by 50 percent last year to 17,258 students — the highest number recorded by the district. Because of that, you might think that LA Unified would be among the school districts in the state with the highest proportion of homeless students, but it doesn’t even crack the...

Even though it’s eight months until next year’s primary election, the candidates hoping to be California’s next governor are starting to reveal their positions on education. The key issues being discussed? Whether mayors should be given control of their local school boards, a moratorium on new charter schools, and more money for early childhood education....

LA Unified school board President Mónica García and school board members Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez called on their colleague and political ally Ref Rodriguez to take a leave of absence from the board while he is facing criminal charges related to campaign donations. However, in response, Rodriguez posted a statement on Twitter saying he would...

LA Unified school board member Ref Rodriguez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony and misdemeanor charges related to an alleged political money laundering scheme during his 2015 election. Appearing in Los Angeles criminal court, Rodriguez surrendered his passport as a condition of his continued release. He is due back in court Dec. 13 along with...

Even after you take out gifted magnet programs where students have to meet academic admissions requirements, students at LA Unified’s magnet schools outperformed their peers at independent charter schools, an LA School Report analysis of district data found. The district released its own analysis last week of this year’s state standardized test scores, showing that for...

A conflict of interest complaint alleging that Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez improperly directed $285,000 from the charter school network he co-founded to various non-profits he oversaw has been closed. The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission sent a letter Friday to Rodriguez’s attorney saying it was closing the complaint brought by Partnerships to...

Partnerships to Uplift Communities, the charter school network co-founded by school board member Ref Rodriguez, released 109 pages of documents Wednesday relating to its conflict-of-interest complaint filed against Rodriguez. PUC alleges that Rodriguez illegally authorized $285,000 in payments to nonprofit organizations he oversaw during his tenure at PUC, as first reported Monday by the Los Angeles Times....

*UPDATED Shockwaves reverberated through the Los Angeles education community last month when the LA County District Attorney filed charges against LA Unified school board President Ref Rodriguez alleging he engaged in political money laundering during his election two years ago. New allegations were revealed Monday when the Los Angeles Times published a report saying that...