We're not part of an out of town based chain. We're not owned, operated by or affiliated with LBUSD, any City Hall or School District incumbent officeholder or candidate, PAC or organized lobbying group. Like LBREPORT.com, we're exclusively online (never going backward into print) because we know you and more and more people every day are already online and expect detailed coverage that's growing, not shrinking.

We realize that what schools do affects many families more directly than what City Hall does, which is why we think it's time for detailed, substantive news about our schools, especially how they are run for students, parents and taxpayers (who are the consumers in the public education process.).

Long Beach schools aren't run by City Hall or by the Mayor or Councilmembers. Long Beach schools are run by a separate layer of government: the Long Beach Unified School District. LBREPORT.com/Schools will report in detail what LBUSD does.

LBUSD is governed by a five-member School Board, Three of its seats (a Board majority) are up for election/reelection in April 2014. LB's School Board has the power (after public testimony pro and con) to approve, modify or reject policies and spending budgets proposed by LBUSD management. LBREPORT.com/Schools will report in detail newsworthy voted actions by School Board members what incumbents and candidates advocate or oppose.

LBUSD management is led by LBUSD's Superintendent, who is hired by the Board. The Superintendent is LBUSD's chief executive, He proposes policies and budgets for School Board discussion and voted action, implements what the Board directs and oversees LBUSD staff and employees including principals and teachers. LBREPORT.com/Schools will report on Board and LBUSD management in detail.

LBUSD policies and budgets are impacted by elected and non-elected officials in Sacramento (state legislature, CA Dept. of Education) and Washington (Congress and U.S. Dept. of Education.) LBREPORT.com/Schools will report on developments in Sacramento and Washington as they affect LBUSD schools.

You may see stories on LBREPORT.com/Schools that you won't see elsewhere or only see after we report them. We've been doing this for years at LBREPORT.com.

We will gladly report what takes place at your neighborhood school, although we presume you probably already use Facebook, Twitter and social networks to do much of that. That's fine, but LBREPORT.com/Schools will provide an additional way to reach people beyond your Facebook "friends" and Twitter "followers." We'll give you the space to tell your school's stories at length and express your opinions in detail. Just email us at schools@lbreport.com.

We'd like to cover school sports, but for now we're not doing so. Others are already doing a good job with sports. For the time being, we're focusing on what we know we can do well (and will strive to do in greater depth than others.)

If you have a news tip, email us. And be smart: if you work for LBUSD, DON'T contact us during work hours and DON'T use your LBUSD computer, email address or work phone. Instead, use your private computer, email address and personal phone to contact us outside of work hours..

If you're a student journalist, LBREPORT.com/Schools will publish your material -- with a byline to you as author (with your parents' permission.) Yes, we expect you to meet professional standards for accuracy, balance and fairness. No, we can't pay you but your bylined stories may help you get a paying job by showing you're better than the competition. Email us and we'll follow-up.

If you're a Long Beach businesses, act now and get a special discount. For a limited time, we're offering our initial advertisers an opportunity to reach Long Beach parents and families on both LBREPORT.com and LBREPORT.com/Schools at special discounted rates. We're easy to work with. We adjust our deadlines to suit your schedule (instead of vice versa). We don't charge for updates or revisions. We're exclusively online so your money doesn't pay for print copies that may end up in a trash bin. And because we're exclusively online, we always able to send our readers directly to your website with a click. Just contact us at schools@lbreport.com. (Terms and conditions apply; our offer is subject to change and will expire soon so we suggest you act now.)

To our readers: do tell your friends and neighbors about www.LBREPORT.com/Schools (and let them know we're a work in progress, being built publicly and in the open. Please feel free to use Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word. Let your friends know there's detailed, independent, no nonsense news about Long Beach schools now -- with further to follow -- on www.LBREPORT.com/Schools.

And thank you from LBREPORT.com/Schools.