Education News Round-Up: November 2011
Wasserman Foundation Donates $4 million to LAUSD
LAUSD will receive $4 million through a recent donation from the Wasserman Foundation. Since the Foundation has not dictated where the funds will go, both LAUSD parents and the surrounding community will be given the opportunity to determine how the funds are spent by the district. Starting in November, LAUSD parents will receive $15 dollar gift cards from DonorsChoose. Starbucks patrons in Los Angeles will receive $10 gift cards beginning in January 2012.
The gift card allows the parent or patron to select from various wish lists that LAUSD teachers post on the DonorsChoose website. When a project receives all the necessary funds, the donor will receive photos, a thank you note, and a description of how the money was specifically spent. So when you go get a cup of java in January, you can help a class experience some jazz, or contribute to a new jungle gym! Please click here for more details.
LAUSD Sells Advertising Space on its Vans and Trucks to Raise Much Needed Funds
Has LAUSD gone too far to garner much needed funding during the budget crisis? Beginning very soon, LAUSD will begin selling advertising space on about 140 LAUSD delivery trucks and vans. Selling the advertising space has the potential to generate $4 million annually for the district. In a recent Daily Breeze article, school board member Steve Zimmer noted, "If public funding was funding public education, we wouldn't be out looking for ads," adding, "It's a sign of the times - literally." The funds will help support extra-curricular activities, which have suffered tremendously from the budget cuts. Click here for further details.
Parents Band Together to Draft Ballot Initiative that Demands More Parental Involvement in Schools
With the hope that it will appear on the 2012 November ballot, the parents of Educate Our State hope to have a bill passed that gives parents a greater role in education policy. Educate Our State, which includes groups such as the California PTA and Invest in PUSD Kids, have not yet presented a clear picture of precisely what they intend to propose. Currently, approximately 100 participants are gathering information in Los Angeles to determine the necessary steps needed to encourage more parental involvement in policy. For further information, please click here.
Congress Might Call Tomato Sauce on Pizza a Full Serving of Vegetables, but California Schools Have Raised Nutritional Expectations in School Lunch Meals to a Higher Level.
In Washington D.C, food lobbyists have been blocking some of the regulations that were passed in the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act passed in 2010. Under the new regulations, potatoes can be served every day (most frequently in the form of French Fries), instead of only twice a week, and the sauce on pizza counts as a serving of vegetables.
Many California schools, however, are continuing along healthier paths. Armed with local initiatives, they are not taking into account these recently relaxed standards. LAUSD, for example, rolled out a more nutritious menu at the beginning of the school year. It remains to be seen, however, what the final consensus is. Some parents have noted that their children are refusing to eat the healthier meals, and then come home hungry, while other have praised the new lunch time offerings.
The Santa Barbara school districts in particular have made great progress in working to cut costs while still buying high quality organic produce from local farmers. They have put a premium on buying seasonal produce, and have simultaneously worked to educate children about seasonality. To read more about the innovative measures being taken in California, please click here.
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