“Who ya gonna believe – me, or your own eyes?”
“Who ya gonna believe – me, or your own eyes?”
Teachers unions continue to bash charter schools in spite of their success and popularity. When it comes to charter schools, the teachers unions are nothing if not relentless. From Mike Antonucci we learn that the California Teachers Association is in the process of developing and promoting resolutions, which local unions can introduce at school board meetings...
By Larry Sand
Will Janus open the right-to-work door?
Will Janus open the right-to-work door?
A lawsuit on track to be heard by the Supreme Court could free all public employees from paying forced union dues. The Friedrichs lawsuit should have done the trick. The case, which would have made belonging to a public employee union optional as a condition of employment nationwide, was set to pass muster with the...
By Larry Sand
My Dear Randi,
My Dear Randi,
My Dear Randi, (This is the third in a series of open letters to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. The prior missives can be seen here and here.) It has been almost two years since my last contact with you and boy, a lot has gone down in that time! My goodness, flowing...
By Larry Sand
Borrowing to fund pensions could make California the next Puerto Rico
Borrowing to fund pensions could make California the next Puerto Rico
Governor Brown's proposal to borrow money to fund CalPERS is similar to a move by Puerto Rico in 2008. That step backfired and now Puerto Rico is bankrupt.
By Marc Joffe
Let’s get real about the education budget
Let’s get real about the education budget
Trump’s proposed budget includes some minor cuts; union leaders launch hyperbolic grenades. Did you know that the Trump/DeVos budget is manifestly cruel to children and catastrophic to public schools? Are you aware that Trump/Devos are planning to slash funding for public schools, and use voucher schemes to funnel taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools? Well,...
By Larry Sand
Earthquake rearranges school board in Los Angeles
Earthquake rearranges school board in Los Angeles
Aftershocks could have ramifications; teacher union leaders grouse as they plan next steps. On Tuesday, May 6th, Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez, who are more concerned with the needs of parents, kids and taxpayers than stoking the bureaucracy and complying with teacher union diktats, were elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District board. Reformers...
By Larry Sand
Where school dollars go to die
Where school dollars go to die
A new study points fingers at charter schools for malfeasance, but traditional public schools are still by far #1 in wasteful spending.
By Larry Sand
Forget fiscal responsibility: Jerry Brown embraces pension shell game
Forget fiscal responsibility: Jerry Brown embraces pension shell game
The Brown administration decided to (kind of, sort of) tackle the state’s massive and growing level of unfunded liabilities – i.e., the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-backed debt to fund retirement promises made to the state’s government employees. It’s best to curb our enthusiasm, however. The governor didn’t have much of a choice.
By Steven Greenhut
Increasing Water Supply Must Balance Conservation Measures
Increasing Water Supply Must Balance Conservation Measures
In a recent commentary tax fighter Jon Coupal exposed one of the hidden agendas behind recently Senate Constitutional Amendment 4 recently introduced in the California Legislature. Coupal writes: “They wish to charge those water users they perceive as “bad” more per gallon than those users they perceive as “good.” The beauty of “cost of service” rates,...
By Edward Ring