Education

Gov. Brown again surprises with veto on campus sex misconduct bill

Responding to deep concerns about sexual violence at California’s college campuses, the state Legislature unanimously passed two bills in recent weeks. But Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed one of the measures, the second straight year he has surprised advocates of a

Housing crisis drives teacher shortage in Bay Area

Chris Reed August 16, 2017

With the academic year already under way in some Bay Area school districts, teacher shortages linked to the extreme cost of housing in the region are more prevalent than ever. In San Jose, where classes began last week, dozens of

School districts struggling despite huge funding increase

Chris Reed July 21, 2017

California’s funding of education has gone from $50.4 billion in the fiscal year that ended in 2012 to $74.5 billion for the current fiscal year – a nearly 50 percent increase that’s far above the less than 9 percent increase in

Tenure reform bill abruptly withdrawn in win for teachers union

Chris Reed July 17, 2017

The clout of the California Teachers Association was on full display last week when a bill by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, to reform a tenure law that can give lifetime job protections to teachers 18 months into their careers

Teacher-tenure reform shaping up as big education fight this year

Steven Greenhut July 5, 2017

SACRAMENTO – Despite the oft-discussed need for education reform in California, the state Legislature will only consider one major reform bill this year. Even that bill’s passage is uncertain, given opposition from the powerful California Teachers’ Association. The issue involves

CSU grasps state-students-first message aimed at UC

Chris Reed June 26, 2017

University of California President Janet Napolitano has been under siege since March 2016, when state Auditor Elaine Howle released a report that showed that the UC system wasn’t honoring the principle that California students come first. Howle documented how, over

Rematch coming of high-profile 2014 race for state superintendent of public instruction

James Poulos March 15, 2017

The most expensive contest on the 2014 California ballot is set to return next year. “Marshall Tuck, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent schools chief Tom Torlakson in a contentious 2014 race that became a proxy fight over a lawsuit on teacher

Rising pension costs threaten California school funding

James Poulos February 3, 2017

In a shock critics had warned against, Golden State schools discovered that their nation’s largest pension system, CalPERS, was on track to force substantial budgetary cutbacks on core education spending. “Public schools around California are bracing for a crisis driven by

Assemblyman wants Russian hacking, election influence, taught in schools

Matt Fleming January 19, 2017

Should Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election be taught in schools? One assemblyman thinks so. The extent to which Russia interfered is still being investigated, but reports suggest there’s consensus among U.S. intelligence officials that Russia hacked emails of Democratic

Rohrabacher threatens UC federal funding over “sanctuary” policies

Matt Fleming December 21, 2016

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher last week warned UC President Janet Napolitano that the system’s sanctuary campus polices could jeopardize federal funding for research. The Costa Mesa Republican denounced a recent announcement from UC that campus police would not be cooperating with federal officials