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A late-session strategy by Democrats in the California Legislature may determine whether citizen groups can propose a school parcel tax requiring only a majority of voters to pass. The Tax Protection and Government Accountability Act, organized by the California Business Roundtable and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, aims to expand the definition of taxes and require a two-thirds majority for local special taxes. However, a court decision ruled that a parcel tax initiated by citizens requires only a simple majority for passage. The Howard Jarvis-Business Roundtable initiative, if passed, would overrule the court decision. Supporters argue that a parcel tax subject to a majority vote could provide much-needed funding for cash-strapped districts.

 

EdSource

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according to a report by PEN America. The report found that 1,263 books were permanently removed from U.S. school libraries and classrooms, quadrupling from the previous year. The increase is even more alarming when considering only the books permanently removed. Efforts to ban books are being "supercharged" by coordinated pressure campaigns and punitive state laws. Recent polling meanwhile shows that a majority of Americans oppose book bans. The bans disproportionately came from Florida, which accounted for over 40% of the book bans. States like Texas, Missouri, and Utah also contributed to the majority of the bans.

 

NPR / National Public Radio

The Clovis ISD school board has voted to cancel all existing reservations by outside groups to use school facilities during school days. The decision came after a debate over the facilities use policy, with an LGBTQ+ community group claiming they were denied access to rent space for an after-school story hour. The board's vote means that organizations must cancel or modify their bookings to hours before or after the school day. The district's spokesperson stated that the decision was made to prioritize the academic enrichment of students. The controversy has sparked discussions about fairness and equal access for all groups. The board's decision has received mixed reactions from community members, with some supporting the cancellations and others advocating for inclusivity. The LGBT Community Network, which had been trying to reserve space for 11 months, expressed disappointment with the board's vote. Weekend reservations and reservations outside of school hours remain unaffected.

 

The Fresno Bee

New Technology High School, in partnership with Napa Valley College, is set to launch an integrated high school and college program. Starting next fall, New Tech students will take college courses as part of their core curriculum during all four years of high school. The program aims to create a predictable curriculum that integrates college courses at each grade level, allowing students to earn between 12 and 60 college credits. This will provide students with the opportunity to earn an associate degree or certificate alongside their high school diploma. The program also aims to increase access to college for underrepresented students and remove barriers such as transportation and enrollment fees. The planning team is focused on outreach and education to ensure all students have access to the program. New Tech High School's core tenets of project-based learning and technology will remain intact as the curriculum evolves.

 

Napa Valley Register

At least three parents in the Rancho Santa Fe School District have received cease-and-desist letters from board Vice President Rosemarie Rohatgi. The letters were sent after concerns were raised about Ms. Rohatgi's behavior, and issues at R. Roger Rowe School. The accusations against Ms. Rohatgi include abuse of power, grade changing, and providing special tutoring to a student who did not qualify for the advanced math class. She has denied all the claims made against her, while stating that everything she has done has been appropriate. She also mentions that the accusations are hurtful, especially while she is fighting advanced cancer. The cease-and-desist letters were not issued by or on behalf of the district and do not impact the district's procedures for public comment.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

Tom Ahearne, the lead lawyer representing Washington state's small Wahkiakum school district, believes judges ignored the plaintiff’s argument that the state bears some responsibility for school facilities funding, not necessarily all of it. The district recently argued before the state’s highest court that a constitutional commitment to education includes adequate funding from the state for school building improvements, though Ahearne feels that the court side-stepped the issue. The details of the case in Washington state are representative of the much larger national problem of suboptimal school facilities, especially in lower-income communities without robust local property tax revenue. Many districts nationwide struggle to raise enough money from local taxpayers to cover the cost of facilities projects. In 2021, only seven states supplied more than 50% of funds for school building projects, according to the State of Our Schools report from that year from the International Well Building Institute and a coalition of school facilities advocates. Fourteen states left facilities funding entirely in the hands of local districts. Another seven states only chipped in between zero and 10% of construction costs. In a handful of states, including Washington and Idaho, voting laws also make school building improvements tougher to fund through borrowing. To get a bond approved for example, districts have to get 60% of voters to support it.

 

Education Week

A UC Berkeley task force has recommended merging the names "Berkeley" and "Cal" to rebrand the university's athletics department as "Cal Berkeley Athletics." The task force aims to clarify that Berkeley and Cal are the same institution and create a sense of belonging on campus. The research found that the name Berkeley is most often used in academic contexts, while Cal is strongly associated with athletics and school spirit. The recommendation has sparked debate, with some arguing that Cal and UC Berkeley are separate schools. However, merging the names makes sense from a marketing perspective, according to Sonja Martin Poole, a professor of marketing at the University of San Francisco's School of Management. The task force is aware of the issue surrounding the name Berkeley and its historical associations, but believes that the name has come to represent different values and perspectives over the years. The task force reassured that there is no movement to change the name of the university itself.

 

Press Democrat

As schools work hard to provide free breakfasts and lunches for students, some teachers feel that pupils don't have enough time to eat their meals. A survey found that more than three-quarters of teachers said their students get less time to eat than they need, with 21% having less than 20 minutes for meals. Short lunch periods can lead to disruptive behaviors and poorer focus in the classroom, researchers claim, and experts recommend longer lunch periods to promote better nutrition and reduce food waste. Teachers also desire longer lunch breaks for themselves. Strategies to improve lunch periods include streamlining service, offering grab-and-go options, and allowing students to eat in classrooms.

 

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