Superintendent rewards underperforming schools (April 5, 2007)

"Nearly 20 percent of the high-poverty schools that received achievement awards this year by California's school superintendent failed to meet academic progress guidelines set by the state, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. In some cases, the achievement gap between students of different ethnic backgrounds grew by double digits from the year before at schools that received the awards. After an AP inquiry, the state Department of Education on Thursday said it would rescind some of the achievement awards. "We have discovered a technical error, and we appreciate that you're writing about it. We're going to try to find all of them (the schools) and notify them this afternoon," said Hilary McLean, a spokeswoman for schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell." (E.A.)

Lawmaker questions education department's pursuit of lawsuit (May 10, 2007)  "Some of the documents obtained by the AP indicate the department authorized the transfer of more than $750,000 starting in 2001 from adult education and special education programs for the deaf, blind and other special-needs children to cover costs generated by the Lindberg case and others associated with it.  (Hilary) McLean said the money actually came from the department's general fund but had been coded incorrectly in the original entries.  "It is truly in fact a clerical error," she said."  (E.A.)