January 18, 2022
The election to recall three members of the San Francisco Unified school board next month has “exposed new, stark political divisions” in the city and drawn national attention, the Washington Post is reporting in a look at the election. Headlined “San Francisco’s school board recalls are tearing Democrats apart,” the Post report published Thursday notes…
January 18, 2022
Texting parents can be an effective and inexpensive way to communicate the importance of student attendance, but to succeed district leaders should evaluate their needs and resources as well as understand the IT infrastructure required to meet their goals. The texting recommendations are based on previous research that showed texting about attendance could be more…
December 15, 2021
Nearly half of 6,000 teachers surveyed in November said they had considered changing jobs in the past month, up from 32% in June. Slightly over a third of teachers considered changing careers entirely in the past month. Additionally, 11% said they considered taking a leave of absence. Teacher burnout has been well-documented over the course…
December 15, 2021
Design problems have overtaken change in project scope as the primary cause of claims and disputes in the construction industry in the U.S. Projects have also become more prone to deficiencies in workmanship and unforeseen physical conditions, according to the report, which primarily examines pre-pandemic data. Other top drivers of conflict include poor management of…
December 15, 2021
Most school districts ended last school year with surpluses, largely thanks to federal and state COVID aid. Still, five out of the county’s 42 school districts logged an overall deficit in their financial reports. Two districts will need to make budget cuts in future years to meet reserve requirements. Some charter schools ended the year…
By Ethan Ashley and Carrie Douglass Our nation’s school boards are in crisis. Between a flurry of nationalized partisan fights and a systemic lack of professionalization for school board members, boards across the country are poorly equipped to handle today’s challenges. Communities need to set higher expectations for school boards while equipping those elected to…
December 15, 2021
New York City, the nation’s largest school district, is building an Uber-like GPS system that lets parents track their child’s school bus ride in real time. NYC, with 1 million pupils, has contracted with Via Transportation to start phasing in student tracking next fall. For parents, teachers and school administrators, the ability to follow each…
December 15, 2021
Earlier this month, the State Allocation Board (SAB) held a meeting to make unfunded approvals and regulatory amendments, and to hear an appeal. In her OPSC Executive Officer statement, Lisa Silverman provided information on the following topics: Approval of Emergency Regulations for $250 Million Appropriation Current Priority Funding Filing Round Stakeholder Meeting: Facility Inspection Tool…
December 15, 2021
Topics covered in this month’s update include: Lease-Leaseback Competitive Selection Process Extended Five Years OPSC Holds First Meeting to Update the Facility Inspection Tool (FIT) Upcoming CASH Events Click here for the full article…
December 15, 2021
The Oakland Unified School District has done so little to stave off its enormous looming budget deficit that the Alameda County Office of Education can intervene, state officials have concluded. Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L.K. Monroe warned Oakland school board members last month she was concerned about the district’s reliance on one-time revenues to…