Professor's project aimed at involving Highland residents to make improvements, San Bernardino Sun
A Cal State San Bernardino professor has launched an effort to bridge the gap between residents on the east and west sides of town.

Surrender in S.F. State embezzlement case, San Francisco Chronicle
A former contract administrator with San Francisco State University surrendered Thursday after he was indicted on charges that he embezzled $350, 000 of public money.

Harry Potter studies still a class act, Long Beach Press-Telegram
Harry Potter is back by popular demand. Not just at bookstores, where local Muggles are expected to line up tonight to secure their copies of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' but also at Cal State Long Beach, where a course on the literary phenomenon was taught last fall.

California deficit raises yields on $1.7 billion in bonds, Orange County Register
California, with the lowest debt rating among the states, paid higher yields relative to other municipal borrowers to sell $1.7 billion in bonds amid a legislative deadlock over closing a record budget deficit.

Legal donnybrook to follow car-tax hike, Sacramento Bee
Democrats and Republicans agreed Thursday on one aspect of an attempt to triple the state's car tax: It will end up in court.

Davis' finance director suggests annual vehicle license fee to triple, San Diego Union-Tribune
Gov. Gray Davis' top budget aide suggested yesterday that the annual vehicle license fee will soon automatically triple, costing the average motorist $158 and yielding $4 billion for the state.

Budget Intransigence Dismays an Old Pro, Los Angeles Times
Vasconcellos has been through a lot of battles. But this time, he says, it's different -- no one is willing to bend on either side of the aisle.

UC under fire for VP's generous raise, San Francisco Chronicle
The University of California Board of Regents has approved a raise and $20,000 annual bonus plan that will lift the pay of Senior Vice President Joseph Mullinix from $291,900 to $370,000 -- above even the current UC president's salary of $361,400.

State's students fail to raise national reading-test scores, San Bernardino Sun
Despite intensive efforts to improve student performance, California children scored about the same on a national reading test in 2002 as they did four years ago.

School audits under attack, Sacramento Bee
Sacramento city school officials and other educators throughout the state are questioning the fairness of audits designed to measure what went wrong at low-achieving schools.

Grade 4 Reading Scores Stay Put, Los Angeles Times
Despite reforms, pupils in California place near bottom. Given increase in immigrants tested, state deserves credit for level results, officials say.

Reading Scores by Grade Show Widely Mixed Results, New York Times
In a new snapshot of the reading ability of American students, the nation's lowest performing fourth graders showed progress through much of the 1990's, while the scores of high school seniors consistently declined.

Philadelphia School Reform Grade Is Still an Incomplete, New York Times
After a rocky beginning, with resistance from the teachers' union and miscalculations by Edison over school staffing and Philadelphia politics, this week marked a small victory. Preliminary test scores showed that student achievement improved slightly at schools across the district.

Area-Studies Programs Come Under Fire at House Hearing, Chronicle of Higher Education
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday heard charges that federally financed international-studies programs at American colleges and universities are biased against U.S. foreign policy and should be more tightly regulated.

Schools Find Ways to Achieve Diversity Without Key Tool, Wall St. Journal
State Affirmative-Action Bans Bring Creative Solutions at UCLA, Elsewhere.

PeopleSoft Board Rejects Revised Offer From Oracle, Wall St. Journal
PeopleSoft Inc.'s board on Friday recommended that shareholders reject Oracle's increased takeover bid.

Broads Pay for Genetic Institute, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad announced Thursday that he and his wife, Edythe, will donate $100 million toward the establishment of a new research institute in Cambridge, Mass., dedicated to using scientists' new understanding of the human genome to create genetics-based forms of medicine. [Former CSU Trustee]

Debate: High school graduation exam , USA Today
Twenty-four states have decided to deny diplomas to seniors who fail an "exit exam." Exit exams have spurred protests in several states, and the tests won't be used until 2006.

Editorial: Schools accept pain, Sacramento Bee
It is a sign of our dark budgetary times. The Education Coalition has been running ads in newspapers and on radio, virtually begging the state Legislature to do the following: Give the schools their lumps, and do it quickly.

Dan Walters: A simple rule -- Financial information isn't bankers' property, Sacramento Bee
Banks don't own the money that their depositors keep in checking and savings accounts; they merely hold it and disburse it as those customers direct. Neither do they own -- or at least shouldn't act as if they do own -- the information that accompanies those accounts.

Editorial: No compromise, and no progress on state budget, Daily Bulletin
For evidence California will not have a budget in place by the start of the new fiscal year, look at the efforts of Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla and Keith Richman. The pair unveiled a serious attempt at crafting a budget compromise this week, and it was met with polite indifference.

Editorial: UC head has hands full, Contra Costa Times
It is difficult to imagine many tougher undertakings than to become the president of the 10-campus University of California system at a time such as this. But that is exactly what Robert C. Dynes has done.

Bustamante joins anti-recall chorus, Sacramento Bee
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante on Thursday joined other high-ranking Democrats in denouncing a recall effort against Gov. Gray Davis and pledged not to take part "in any way" in the effort to remove the Democratic incumbent.