Despite assertions by Superintendent Ramon Cortines that the 2015-16 balanced budget — up for approval tomorrow by the LA Unified school board — included more than 600 job cuts, it appears that district officials are rescinding some of those layoffs. In March, the board passed a fiscal stabilization plan that triggered 609 Reduction in Force notices to...

The LA Unified School Board will approve a final budget for 2015-16 and an accompanying Local Control Accountability Plan that is supposed to outline the district’s goals in spending of nearly $7.1 billion during tomorrow’s last meeting of the school year. It is also the last time with this configuration of the board. Tamar Galatzan...

While sitting LA Unified board members are combing through the latest budget proposal and wrapping up other end of the year activities, the newly-elected representatives are busy staffing up and hiring some familiar names. Scott Schmerelson, who replaces Tamar Galatzan as the District 3 representative on July 1, has named Arlene Irlando as his Chief of Staff....

The LA Unified board yesterday provided a closer look at how the district plans to spend next year’s $7.1 billion budget, including a windfall of $415 million that is expected to cover ongoing costs and to expand priorities established through community engagement called the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The board meeting was the final...

LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines today unveiled a plan to phase out the School Readiness Language Development Program (SRLDP), a specialized program serving 10,000 low-income four-year olds, and expand transitional kindergarten. Cortines’ strategy represents a complete overhaul of district services by 2016-17 for thousands of the early education students who often begin school at a...

California’s new education budgeting process, known as Local Control Funding Formula, was designed to shrink the achievement gap among students by funneling more money to schools’ neediest pupils, but a year-long study of LA Unified shows the district has so far failed to fulfill that mission. The report by UC Berkeley and Communities for Los...

LA Unified released a new $7.1 billion budget today that shows a big increase for next year, marking the second year the district will receive funding increases in the hundreds of millions due to higher state revenues. But despite the added injection of cash —the general fund will grow by more than $700 million over...

There are no easy take-backsies within the second largest school district in the country but it appears that at least some LA Unified school board members are hoping for a time-out before moving ahead with the Ethnic Studies resolution adopted in the fall. An analysis of the initiative by the district budget office estimated it...

In an attempt to thwart plummeting graduation rates, the LA Unified school board unanimously approved a resolution yesterday easing high school graduation requirements and subsequently launched another districtwide study of A-G implementation. But not before sponsors agreed to last-minute changes and the superintendent pledged to enact an “immediate intervention” plan. While the previous version of...

School may be out for students and teachers but LA Unified School board members still have a lot of work ahead of them at tomorrow’s board meeting with several proposals intended to boost (or at least maintain) districtwide graduation rates. At the top of the list is a resolution to ease rigorous graduation requirements and...