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In a 5-2 vote on Thursday, the Los Angeles Unified School District board approved layoffs of over 1,000 employees.

About 650 of the employees had previously received preliminary layoff notices as part of a reduction-in-force plan approved by the board in February. The remaining layoffs were among employees without union protections or tenure, and the district did not announce them, but the Los Angeles Times confirmed them.

The proposed layoffs were discussed during Thursday’s district board meeting, where a fiscal stabilization plan to address the budget deficit was presented. The plan called for cuts over a three-year period totaling about $3.6 billion. These cuts could include additional layoffs of about 6,000 positions, according to the plan.

“Every decision we make has to balance two realities: continuing to invest in students and staff while preparing for ongoing fiscal uncertainty,” said Andres Chait, L.A. Unified interim superintendent, on Thursday.

That fiscal uncertainty stems from a variety of factors, including declining student enrollment, the expiration of $5.6 billion in Covid-19 relief funds, and rising costs, according to the fiscal stabilization plan.

And, recent collective bargaining agreements will add about $1.5 billion in annual costs to the district budget.

The agreements were described in the district’s fiscal stabilization plan as “an investment in our workforce, and in our schools, providing significant salary increases to our valued employees, and additional supports for students and families.”

The board will vote on the plan on June 16 and on the 2026-27 district budget on June 23.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

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As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

As voting begins in California’s primary races, candidates for the state superintendent of public instruction have reported raising a combined $2.9 million as of the latest filing deadline.

Despite a crowded field of 10 candidates, fundraising trails the $3.6 million raised during the 2018 primary, when four candidates competed in a race heavily shaped by debates over charter schools. This year, no single issue has emerged as the driving force during the primary.

Explore more numbers. LINK IN BIO.

Universities across California are cracking down on motorized scooters on campus, sparking mixed reactions among students.

UCLA students must now register their scooters with the university if they use them on campus or store them in student housing. Starting this fall, electric scooters, skateboards and any other e-vehicles will be banned on Fresno State’s campus.

EdSource reporters interviewed students at six California colleges and universities and found that students hold widely varying views on the presence of scooters on campus.

For some students who’ve been injured or faced close calls with scooters, the stricter rules can’t come soon enough. Other students, meanwhile, say such crackdowns are misguided and target an integral part of campus culture.

Ban on e-scooters at Fresno State

Selene Garcia, a third-year business administration student at Fresno State, “wanted to join the fun” after seeing many students use e-scooters to navigate the commuter campus. Though she never injured anyone while riding her scooter, she acknowledged aggressive behavior by some riders prompted the university’s ban.

“I can’t control the ones that don’t follow the rules and are reckless, but if [a ban] is going to control accidents, then it needs to happen,” Garcia said. “I am sad I won’t be able to use my electric scooter, but we have to respect the university.”

Matt Hawkins, Fresno State’s vice president of administration and chief financial officer, said in an April 24 email that students who use e-vehicles on campus will be in violation of the university’s student code of conduct. Any vehicle left unattended will be considered abandoned and may be impounded and transferred to the lost and found, he said.

Universities across California are cracking down on motorized scooters on campus, sparking mixed reactions among students.

UCLA students must now register their scooters with the university if they use them on campus or store them in student housing. Starting this fall, electric scooters, skateboards and any other e-vehicles will be banned on Fresno State’s campus.

EdSource reporters interviewed students at six California colleges and universities and found that students hold widely varying views on the presence of scooters on campus.

For some students who’ve been injured or faced close calls with scooters, the stricter rules can’t come soon enough. Other students, meanwhile, say such crackdowns are misguided and target an integral part of campus culture.

Ban on e-scooters at Fresno State

Selene Garcia, a third-year business administration student at Fresno State, “wanted to join the fun” after seeing many students use e-scooters to navigate the commuter campus. Though she never injured anyone while riding her scooter, she acknowledged aggressive behavior by some riders prompted the university’s ban.

“I can’t control the ones that don’t follow the rules and are reckless, but if [a ban] is going to control accidents, then it needs to happen,” Garcia said. “I am sad I won’t be able to use my electric scooter, but we have to respect the university.”

Matt Hawkins, Fresno State’s vice president of administration and chief financial officer, said in an April 24 email that students who use e-vehicles on campus will be in violation of the university’s student code of conduct. Any vehicle left unattended will be considered abandoned and may be impounded and transferred to the lost and found, he said.

Backers of a lawsuit who claim that state funding to repair and update school facilities illegally favors wealthy school districts will ask a Superior Court judge on Wednesday, May 27 to expedite action in the case.

Attorneys who filed Rodriguez v. the State of California seek to freeze more than $3 billion of voter-approved state funding to modernize schools until the court has heard full arguments in the case and issued a verdict.

If Alameda County Superior Court Judge Patrick McKinney agrees, the preliminary injunction would prevent a state agency from processing hundreds of district applications. An injunction could also pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to settle the case and reform a building assistance program that Newsom has acknowledged is flawed.

If McKinney denies an injunction, the decision to fight or settle would fall to Newsom’s successor, who takes office in January. The state would continue to grant hundreds of districts hundreds of millions of dollars in building assistance while the lawsuit drags on.

Litigating the case without the pressure of an injunction could take years, since the likely multi-week trial has not yet been scheduled. It also may be years before voters pass the next state bond to underwrite the cost of modernizing school buildings. No new bond measure will be on the ballot in November.

In October, the San Francisco-based public interest law firm Public Advocates filed the lawsuit on behalf of 17 plaintiffs. They are parents, teachers and two students, including lead plaintiff Miliani Rodriguez, a senior at Coachella Valley High School, and three grassroots organizations.

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Backers of a lawsuit who claim that state funding to repair and update school facilities illegally favors wealthy school districts will ask a Superior Court judge on Wednesday, May 27 to expedite action in the case.

Attorneys who filed Rodriguez v. the State of California seek to freeze more than $3 billion of voter-approved state funding to modernize schools until the court has heard full arguments in the case and issued a verdict.

If Alameda County Superior Court Judge Patrick McKinney agrees, the preliminary injunction would prevent a state agency from processing hundreds of district applications. An injunction could also pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to settle the case and reform a building assistance program that Newsom has acknowledged is flawed.

If McKinney denies an injunction, the decision to fight or settle would fall to Newsom’s successor, who takes office in January. The state would continue to grant hundreds of districts hundreds of millions of dollars in building assistance while the lawsuit drags on.

Litigating the case without the pressure of an injunction could take years, since the likely multi-week trial has not yet been scheduled. It also may be years before voters pass the next state bond to underwrite the cost of modernizing school buildings. No new bond measure will be on the ballot in November.

In October, the San Francisco-based public interest law firm Public Advocates filed the lawsuit on behalf of 17 plaintiffs. They are parents, teachers and two students, including lead plaintiff Miliani Rodriguez, a senior at Coachella Valley High School, and three grassroots organizations.

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A committee of negotiators on Thursday approved draft changes to the way higher education institutions are accredited, advancing the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to implementPresident Trump’s 2025 executive order reforming the accreditation process.

The reforms — which the department aims to finalize by November — would increase the number of accreditors by eliminating a two-year minimum prior experience requirement and add the responsibility for evaluating whether an institution has policies that prioritize intellectual diversity.

“Too many institutions have become echo chambers focused on discriminatory ideology and unlawful discriminatory practices,” according to a Department of Education statement. “Under the agreed-upon language, accreditors will be required to evaluate whether an institution maintains academic freedom protections that apply consistently to faculty regardless of race or other immutable characteristics.”

The measures create a new framework for accreditors to streamline policies for credit transfers, strengthen conflict-of-interest controls, reduce accreditation costs for institutions and emphasize merit and student outcomes.

“Accreditors have often held institutions to unnecessary or perfunctory standards, such as the number of books in a library collection or the date on a syllabus, rather than focusing on meaningful student outcomes,” according to the statement.

The new regulations would require accreditors to focus on standardized assessments, licensure or certification results, retention, completion and graduation rates, post-completion outcomes, and educational and economic returns, according to the statement.

In an April statement responding to President Trump’s executive order, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation said that its accreditors apply “very rigorous standards for accrediting organizations. Our focus is and always will be academic assurances.

The independence of the accreditation process is essential in order to preserve and protect the integrity of quality assurance in higher education.”

The Azusa Unified School District Board of Education has selected Guillermo Lopez as its new superintendent, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

Lopez’s “proven track record of expanding student pathways aligns with AUSD’s ongoing work to build robust learning pipelines: from foundational elementary STEM programs and middle school college- and career-exploration labs, to our award-winning career and technical education and dual enrollment programs,” the board said in a statement.

Lopez has served as Palo Alto Unified’s associate superintendent of educational services and will leave the district on June 30. His departure is the third in the Palo Alto Unified administration in the past year, following the departures of former superintendent Don Austin and deputy superintendent and chief of staff Trent Bahadursingh in February.

“Dr. Lopez has made invaluable contributions to the PAUSD community throughout his time with us,” wrote Palo Alto Unified spokesperson Lynette White in a statement to Palo Alto Online. “His dedication to students, families, and staff has left a lasting and positive impact on our schools, and his commitment to equity and educational excellence has strengthened our district.”

As associate superintendent of educational services, Lopez has overseen K-12 curriculum and instructional services, academic support systems and the support and evaluation of principals.

Lopez said that he was drawn to AUSD for its “strong sense of community, robust academic foundations, commitment to educating the whole child from the cradle to college and career, cultural and linguistic diversity, and the Board of Education’s focus on both student achievement and meaningful relationships.”

Lopez began his career serving in roles including high school and community college teacher, school counselor, dean of students, assistant principal, principal and district administrator. Born in Oxnard to Mexican immigrant parents and with support from teachers, counselors and administrators, he navigated the public school system as an English learner.

Meta settled a major lawsuit on Thursday with a Kentucky school district over claims that its platforms are designed to be addictive and harm children.

The settlement follows other settlements with TikTok, Snap and YouTube less than three weeks before the case was scheduled for trial in an Oakland federal court.

The case, brought by Breathitt County Schools, a small rural district in Kentucky, was a bellwether case among 1,200 lawsuits filed by school districts accusing social media companies of negligence and creating addictive technology.

School districts claim that the companies’ platforms have led to significant financial strain on mental health counseling and services for students.

The settlements follow two losses for social media giants in March: a Los Angeles jury finding Meta and YouTube liable for harming a 20-year-old plaintiff, and a New Mexico jury finding Meta liable for endangering child safety.

“We’ve resolved this case amicably and remain focused on our longstanding work to build protections like Teen Accounts that help teens stay safe online, while giving parents simple controls to support their families,” said a Meta spokesperson. The company did not disclose the terms of the settlement.

Breathitt County Schools said students’ use of social media had led to increased anxiety, depression and self-harm, and it said the $60 million it sought through the lawsuit would pay for a 15-year mental health program to improve student mental health.

Attorneys for the district said in a statement on Thursday that “our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases.”

The next case against social media companies brought by the Tucson Unified School District is set to go to federal court in January 2027.

Cal State East Bay president Cathy Sandeen has announced that she will be stepping down at the end of 2026, after six years in the top position.

Sandeen did not give a reason Wednesday for her departure in her campuswide announcement, except to say, “This was not a decision I arrived at lightly.”

The San Jose Mercury News noted that the CSU system is facing many vacancies and changes for the top campus jobs: CSU Dominguez Hills and CSU Channel Islands have interim presidents, Cal State San Bernardino’s president will be stepping down, Cal State Long Beach has a new president this month and CSU Monterey Bay’s president is moving to Cal Poly Pomona.

A statement from CSU Chancellor Mildred García championed Sandeen’s leadership over the past six years, notably the campus’s success in private giving — MacKenzie Scott donated $50 million to the campus, the largest gift in CSU history.

“President Sandeen will leave Cal State East Bay stronger, more connected to its community and better positioned for the future. On behalf of the entire California State University, I offer my deepest gratitude for her partnership, her integrity and her unwavering commitment to student success.”

Nearly half of parents of young children in California — 47% — say they struggle with food insecurity. That’s higher than anything that’s been recorded since Stanford’s Rapid Response began surveying parents of children under 6 in July 2024 about food insecurity.

The Rapid Response considers a family food insecure if a survey respondent identifies with two or more of these experiences developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• The food that we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have money to get more
•We couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals.
• Did you or other adults in your household ever cut the size of your meal or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?
• If yes, how often did this happen?
• Did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn’t enough money for food?
• Were you ever hungry but didn’t eat because there wasn’t enough money for food?

Over the course of the survey, an average of 32% of surveyed California parents experienced food insecurity, according to those guidelines. That jumped to 47% in January.

The survey also collected comments from parents who were food insecure, who described inflation and how it is affecting families.

“As a single parent caring for two children, accessing food is difficult. I’m dollars short of qualifying for CalFresh. I’m having to starve myself so my children can eat,” an anonymous parent in Sacramento County said.

A controversial adult charter school in Sacramento will remain open after the county Board of Education reversed a decision by Twin Rivers Unified School District to close the school.

The decision marked the end of a long journey for students and staff of Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, who had already endured school site closures and staff layoffs after a state audit found the school had improperly collected $180 million in public funding and violated multiple education rules.

Twin Rivers Unified staff cited many of the same problems revealed in the audit for the decision to revoke the school’s charters.

The hundreds of students, staff and community activists, many who arrived via bus to pack Tuesday night’s Sacramento County Board of Education meeting, cheered with jubilation following the board’s decision.

Nearly 300 supporters, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “It’s never too late,” filled multiple rooms at the venue.

About 40 of them shared stories of hardship improved by instruction from caring teachers, many explaining that the school helped them to learn to speak English and earn a high school diploma. Some expressed fear that the school’s closure would mean the end of their education.

“I want to get my diploma so I can put it on the wall,” said Sonya Bonnett, a Sacramento mother of four as she shook with emotion. “I’m 68 years old. It’s time for me.”

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A controversial adult charter school in Sacramento will remain open after the county Board of Education reversed a decision by Twin Rivers Unified School District to close the school.

The decision marked the end of a long journey for students and staff of Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, who had already endured school site closures and staff layoffs after a state audit found the school had improperly collected $180 million in public funding and violated multiple education rules.

Twin Rivers Unified staff cited many of the same problems revealed in the audit for the decision to revoke the school’s charters.

The hundreds of students, staff and community activists, many who arrived via bus to pack Tuesday night’s Sacramento County Board of Education meeting, cheered with jubilation following the board’s decision.

Nearly 300 supporters, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “It’s never too late,” filled multiple rooms at the venue.

About 40 of them shared stories of hardship improved by instruction from caring teachers, many explaining that the school helped them to learn to speak English and earn a high school diploma. Some expressed fear that the school’s closure would mean the end of their education.

“I want to get my diploma so I can put it on the wall,” said Sonya Bonnett, a Sacramento mother of four as she shook with emotion. “I’m 68 years old. It’s time for me.”

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California State University officials have renewed their controversial contract with OpenAI — developer of ChatGPT — reigniting a fight over institutional priorities at a time when the system faces millions of dollars in budget cuts.

A CSU spokesperson confirmed to EdSource on Wednesday that the university will pay $13 million a year for three years to provide systemwide access to its more than 470,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff. The previous 18-month subscription cost $17 million and expires at the end of June.

The CSU contract with OpenAI is the largest partnership the company has with a higher education institution. It is also the largest among others that the CSU has with tech companies, including Adobe, Google and IBM, as part of the system’s AI Initiative to make artificial intelligence tools available to students, faculty and staff.

But the announcement of the contract renewal, which faculty received on Tuesday, reopened debate about the cost of the agreement and the quality of ChatGPT Edu — a version of ChatGPT designed for higher education. In January, faculty delivered a petition to CSU leadership urging cancellation of the contract over concerns that ChatGPT Edu is “not designed, trained, or optimized for education.”

CSU officials, however, argue that the renewal follows an “ongoing and iterative process intended to balance innovation, risk management and educational outcomes.”

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California State University officials have renewed their controversial contract with OpenAI — developer of ChatGPT — reigniting a fight over institutional priorities at a time when the system faces millions of dollars in budget cuts.

A CSU spokesperson confirmed to EdSource on Wednesday that the university will pay $13 million a year for three years to provide systemwide access to its more than 470,000 students and 63,000 faculty and staff. The previous 18-month subscription cost $17 million and expires at the end of June.

The CSU contract with OpenAI is the largest partnership the company has with a higher education institution. It is also the largest among others that the CSU has with tech companies, including Adobe, Google and IBM, as part of the system’s AI Initiative to make artificial intelligence tools available to students, faculty and staff.

But the announcement of the contract renewal, which faculty received on Tuesday, reopened debate about the cost of the agreement and the quality of ChatGPT Edu — a version of ChatGPT designed for higher education. In January, faculty delivered a petition to CSU leadership urging cancellation of the contract over concerns that ChatGPT Edu is “not designed, trained, or optimized for education.”

CSU officials, however, argue that the renewal follows an “ongoing and iterative process intended to balance innovation, risk management and educational outcomes.”

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A therapy dog at UCSF Fresno is offering comfort and relief for students in the medical education program.

Jillian, a therapy K-9, has visited the campus twice a week, and attended monthly wellness events since joining the campus earlier this year through a grant.

She is now among the therapy dogs used on college campuses, such as Sacramento State, Cal State Long Beach and UC Berkeley, as well as in K-12 school districts. Clovis Unified School District has used a therapy dog for several years and brings additional dogs on campus during finals week to alleviate stress.

Therapy dogs work with the Selma Unified School District’s mental health team to provide social and emotional learning lessons, respond to crises and provide individual therapy sessions.

The dogs have an unmatched “calming” presence, especially when students are upset, sad or anxious, students told EdSource. They’ve played a key role in the district’s push to destigmatize mental health issues and provide services.

During her visits to UCSF Fresno, Jillian draws students and staff away from their hectic routines, ABC 30 reported.

Campus leaders and students said Jillian’s presence — including when she comes around for pets and belly rubs — has helped students dealing with the academic pressures of training to become physicians.

Jose Barral Sanchez, vice dean at UCSF Fresno, told ABC 30, “Our students find that when they’re preparing for their exams or their different activities, she helps a lot with stress, you know, allowing them to take their mind off their worries.”