The news that didn't fit from Jan 25

LA Times: LAUSD CHIEF SCRAPS TEACHER LAYOFF PLANS + Daily News: URGENT – NO MIDYEAR CUTS, SAYS LAUSD

"Due to the lack of clear information from Sacramento, the need for stability at schools in the second semester, and the high level of interest in a retirement incentive program, there will be no mid-year teacher layoffs."- Superintendent Ramon Cortines

WeHo News: FAIRFAX BAND TO MARCH IN D.C.’s MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Thursday, January 22, 2009 - West Hollywood, California – The Fairfax Marching Lions, a generation ago the very flower of Los Angeles area bands and only recently resurrected into a local powerhouse by Raymundo Vizcarra, WeHo Mayor Jeffrey Prang’s husband, has been invited to represent the State of California in the nation’s 2010 Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C.

NY Times: CREATION v. EVOLUTION: In Texas, a Line in the Curriculum Revives the Debate

January 22, 2009 — AUSTIN, Tex. — The latest round in a long-running battle over how evolution should be taught in Texas schools began in earnest Wednesday as the State Board of Education heard impassioned testimony from scientists and social conservatives on revising the science curriculum.

The debate here has far-reaching consequences; Texas is one of the nation’s biggest buyers of textbooks, and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.

LA Weekly: CHICAGO SCHOOLS vs. LAUSD: Their supe is Obama's new education man. Our supe is nice, but ...

Jan 21, 2009 - It’s been a rocky start for Ramon Cortines.

The genial 76-year-old bureaucrat — who was never on anyone’s list of tough-minded academic reformers — was thrust into the top job at the woefully problem-plagued Los Angeles Unified School District because he seemed the steadiest hand after Superintendent David L. Brewer was booted out the door.

Almost immediately, critics questioned whether Cortines has the chops to helm wholesale changes in the city’s failing middle and high schools. He was seen as a good-intentioned man who paled in comparison to change agents like Chicago Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan, chosen to be Barack Obama’s secretary of education, and Washington, D.C.’s Michelle Rhee, a young freethinker lauded by Time for her “battle against bad teachers” in the abysmal schools of the nation’s capital.

Imperial Valley News: GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER APPOINTS DR. GLEN THOMAS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

Wednesday, 21 January 2009 - Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Dr. Glen Thomas as Secretary of Education.

“With over 30 years of experience as a teacher and leader at the local, county and state level, Glen is the right person to make sure California continues to uphold high academic standards during this challenging fiscal time,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “He shares my dedication to quality education for every student, and I am confident that he will work collaboratively with the educational community to improve student achievement and expand educational opportunities in our state while also working towards stronger accountability and greater transparency in our educational system.”

Daily Breeze: LAUSD HOPEFUL CLAIMS MAYOR’S FAVOR

1/21/09 - Los Angeles Unified board hopeful Steve Zimmer has received Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement, the candidate said.