The U.S. Supreme Court this week issued its long-awaited decision in a case impacting public employee unions, including those that represent school teachers and classified staff.
By a 5-4 majority, the court ruled in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees that government workers cannot be compelled under the First Amendment to pay agency fees — sometimes referred to as fair-share fees — to support their unions.
The decision overturns a 1977 Supreme Court ruling that had drawn a distinction between full union dues that may contribute to political advocacy and the lesser agency fees that only cover the costs associated with union representation, including collective bargaining.
The Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and New York Times have more on the Janus decision, which was widely reported in news outlets across the country.
And here are some other stories from the final week of June.
- Summer learning loss is a real phenominon. But the OCDE Newsroom offers some strategies for keeping young minds sharp in the offseason.
- California has earmarked about $13.3 million to pilot a system designed to help schools and districts strengthen community engagement, which is a requirement of Local Control and Accountability Plans.
- As families make plans to cool off in their backyard and community pools this summer, experts are again stressing critical pool safety tips for kids.
- The Orange County Register has profiled a pair of recent OC graduates — one from Huntington Beach High School and one from Irvine High — who posted perfect attendance records from kindergarten through their senior years.
- With the state’s Local Control Funding Formula hitting the five-year mark, a survey of 350 superintendents shows broad support for the law’s main objective of providing more funding for students with the greatest needs. The reviews are not as high, however, when it comes to LCFF’s impact on stakeholder engagement and innovation.
- For the fifth time in seven years, a team of student chefs from Santa Ana has earned first place in a national competition designed to promote tasty and nutritious school meals.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.