Lee Romney

Walter Turner edges his 1989 Rolls Royce down a residential street in his Hunters Point neighborhood. It’s a white Silver Spur with a vinyl top the color of peanut butter and Turner’s just had it detailed earlier in the day.

Proposition G is all about pay for San Francisco Unified School District educators. Recruiting and retaining teachers, instructional aides, school psychologists and others who work with students has been tough for the district. That’s because San Francisco is a very expensive place to live.

Prop G would boost educators’ pay through a $298 parcel tax on properties in San Francisco. It would kick in on July 1 and stay in place for two decades. Senior citizens would be exempt.

Proposition C is about childcare and early childhood education. Brain research shows that’s really important for kids up to five years old.

But San Francisco is a really expensive city. And lots of low and middle income families can’t afford early childcare.

So to help subsidize early childhood education, Proposition C would put a 3.5 percent tax on most commercial landlords — property owners who lease industrial space, office buildings and retail.

In June 2014, the Redwood City School District voted unanimously to approve two new charter schools within its boundaries, bringing the total to three. Hundreds of largely immigrant parents had demanded the choice, hoping for higher test scores, college access, and career-readiness for their kids.

But the decision came with a cost.  

An unknown number of parents across the state are using medical cannabis to ease their children’s repeated seizures, treat the symptoms of autism or relieve the pain of cerebral palsy. But cannabis is not allowed on school grounds. One North Bay family is hoping to change that.

Research shows that missing 10 percent or more days a year really sets students back academically. And schools are finding that when they dig into chronic absenteeism, they often learn about deeper problems impacting students, like illness, family crisis, or homelessness.

When the state released testing data for California’s public school students last month, results for San Francisco Unified’s African American students were the lowest in the district — again. 

For students at Santa Rosa’s Anova Center for Education, the month since the devastating North Bay Fires has been really tough. The school serves high-functioning kids on the autism spectrum. They tend to be anxious and have trouble adapting to change. But their school burned down. And nine families lost their houses, too. Coping — and getting back to a calming routine — has been challenging.

City College of San Francisco is on the rebound after years of grueling uncertainty.

Being homeless takes a big toll on kids in the classroom. Today, more than 1.3 million children and youth across the country fit that legal definition, the majority of them staying temporarily with friends or family.

Earlier this month, the Cal State University Chancellor announced something huge.  He issued an executive order that will radically change what’s known as “remedial” education.