OCDE Education in the News

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

OCDE NEWSROOM

Tesoro teacher and Grammy winner Keith Hancock up for global teaching award with $1 million prize

Keith Hancock thought his life would slow down and return to normal after he celebrated being named the Grammy Foundation’s 2017 Educator of the Year. It did, but only for a matter of months. The 16-year choral music teacher at Tesoro High School is a finalist once again, this time for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize in 2018, the London-based foundation announced Tuesday, Dec. 12. Hancock is one of six educators representing the United States and the only teacher from California.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/12/tesoro-teacher-and-grammy-winner-keith-hancock-up-for-global-teaching-award-with-1-million-prize/

Anaheim Elementary School District Superintendent accepts job in San Diego County

Anaheim Elementary School District Superintendent Linda Kimble announced Tuesday she has accepted a similar position with the Vista Unified School District in San Diego County. The Vista school board voted unanimously tonight to appoint Kimble. She will begin the job in early January. Kimble became superintendent of the Anaheim district in 2012 after serving as superintendent for the Monrovia Unified School District.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/13/anaheim-elementary-school-district-superintendent-accepts-job-in-san-diego-county/

More than 1,000 at Madison Elementary School get their letters to Santa answered

A charity effort that started in Chicago – or the North Pole, if you prefer – made its debut in Orange County this year thanks to the efforts of Samara Fitzgerald, a Chapman University student who in the last month organized gift responses to more than 1,000 letters to Santa. Last week, 1,164 students of Madison Elementary School in Santa Ana rejoiced as they opened up presents from a veritable mountain assembled by Fitzgerald and volunteers and donors from around the county.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/11/more-than-1000-at-madison-elementary-school-get-their-letters-to-santa-answered/

Fast-growing Irvine Unified adjusts boundaries to alleviate school overcrowding

Students at Stonegate Elementary School will go to Sierra Vista Middle School and Northwood High School starting August 2019, as a result of Irvine Unified School District’s effort to deal with what officials describe as “unprecedented growth” in the master-planned city. The district board on Tuesday, Dec. 12, unanimously approved adjusting boundaries for the Stonegate community to alleviate overcrowding at Jeffrey Trail Middle School and Portola High School. These two new schools are located north of Interstate 5 where much of the city’s housing development is taking place.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/13/fast-growing-irvine-unified-adjusts-boundaries-to-alleviate-school-overcrowding-2/

The spirit of giving: Tustin 7th-graders help crossing guard replace damaged car

Pioneer Middle School crossing guard Francine Spatafora Petress is shorter than most of the children she chaperones. Regardless, she possesses the vim and the voice to keep the wiseacres in line. Whatever her secret, kids clearly care about and respect Petress. So when Petress showed up to work with a badly bruised face last fall, students were both alarmed and — after learning what happened — eager to help her out.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/12/the-spirit-of-giving-tustin-7th-graders-help-crossing-guard-replace-damaged-car/

Rumor at Mission Viejo High School led to investigation of possible, but unfounded threat

A “non-specific threat” to Mission Viejo High School on Monday, Dec. 11, turned out to be a rumor, but still prompted school officials to issue a statement saying it was safe to attend classes on Tuesday. No classes were canceled. In the statement posted on the school’s website, Principal Tricia Osborne said that late Monday, the school “received information regarding a non-specific threat.”

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/12/rumor-at-mission-viejo-high-school-led-to-investigation-of-possible-but-unfounded-threat/

LOS ANGELES TIMES

L.A. school board sticks with early start for school

Los Angeles school board members often divide along ideological lines, but one of their most spirited debates Tuesday was over nuts and bolts: when the next three school years should begin and end.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-new-board-rules-20171212-story.html

SACRAMENTO BEE

Sacramento teachers approve contract. County chief tells district to find cuts to pay for it

Sacramento city school teachers ratified a three-year contract late Monday after the district avoided a strike last month by agreeing to increase pay and work toward improving classroom conditions. The district’s work is not finished, however. Sacramento County schools chief David Gordon warned last week that the new contract would push the district’s reserves so low in two years that Sacramento City Unified must propose new cuts to avoid being placed on the state’s early financial warning list.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article189317439.html

EDSOURCE

Big changes in requirements to become a special education teacher in California

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is making big changes in how special education teachers will be trained, adding core courses and an assessment already mandated for general classroom teachers. Commissioners view the overhaul of preparation requirements as critical to improve the education of the state’s roughly 740,000 students with disabilities and predict the changes could be transformative: More students with disabilities will be identified and served earlier, taught more effectively and “mainstreamed” more often in classrooms serving all students.

https://edsource.org/2017/big-changes-in-requirements-to-become-a-special-education-teacher-in-california/591554

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