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Vergara: Ten Years In The Rearview

Vergara: Ten Years In The Rearview

This article originally appeared in For Kids and Country.  It has been a decade since the landmark Vergara lawsuit was filed, and its denial in the courts has led to ongoing failure in California schools. Back in 1975, I lost my 6th-grade teaching position in New York City. As a newbie, it was explained to...

By Larry Sand

Don’t Buy into SEL

Don’t Buy into SEL

This article originally appeared in For Kids and Country.  Social Emotional Learning (SEL) was always a bad idea, and now that it is politicized, it’s a nightmare. As a longtime teacher, I have seen firsthand that education is a fad-filled field. Culturally responsive education, inventive spelling, new math, experiential learning, balanced literacy, etc. are educational...

By Larry Sand

TK is Not Okay

TK is Not Okay

This article was originally on For Kids and Country. In California, parents are abandoning the k-12 system, college enrollment is down, and now the state is trying to lure 4-year-olds to transitional kindergarten. According to just released data from the California Department of Education, the state has lost 110,000 students this school year, and has fewer...

By Larry Sand

Will California buyers be mandated to purchase the forthcoming oversupply of EV’s?

Will California buyers be mandated to purchase the forthcoming oversupply of EV’s?

Until the current elite owners can demonstrate to the middle-income and those on fixed incomes that their EV’s are the family workhorse vehicle, the average citizen may not be receptive to be mandated by Newsom into an EV. A year and a half after California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to phase out...

By Ronald Stein

Are Firefighters Hard to Recruit in California?

Are Firefighters Hard to Recruit in California?

This article originally appeared in the California Globe. In response to a recent California Policy Center analysis that provided an updated calculation of the average pay and benefits for full-time firefighters working for cities in California, one commenter claimed that it has become difficult to recruit firefighters. The accuracy of this claim carries significant implications. When employers...

By Edward Ring

Divorce California-Style: Following “parents are terrorists” campaign, Cal school boards group says it’s going directly to Washington, DC

Divorce California-Style: Following “parents are terrorists” campaign, Cal school boards group says it’s going directly to Washington, DC

The organization behind some of California’s most out-there education initiatives announced it’s splitting from the national group that helped it promote the “parents are terrorists” campaign. In a low-profile statement, the California School Boards Association says its leadership approved the divorce from the National School Boards Association on March 26. In the press release, the...

By California Policy Center

California Union Watch 2022 Quarter 1 Review

California Union Watch 2022 Quarter 1 Review

The California Union Watch Twitter account (@CalUnionWatch) has been tracking government union contributions over the first quarter of this year (January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022). Here are the five biggest union contributors from this year so far. We will be only focusing on state-level elections. 5. California Professional Firefighters The California Professional Firefighters...

By Brandon Ristoff

Questioning the Political Priorities of the Firefighters Union

Questioning the Political Priorities of the Firefighters Union

As another summer of wildfires approaches, it is in the interest of every Californian to understand that California’s firefighters’ union, the California Professional Firefighters, is one of the most politically powerful unions in the state. This union has the power to help solve the growing problem of wildfires in California, but to more effectively do so...

By Edward Ring

It’s deja vu all over again when it comes to teachers union strikes

It’s deja vu all over again when it comes to teachers union strikes

Teachers union strikes in Sacramento and Mt. Diablo made headlines over the last week as unions across the state take advantage of pandemic fatigue to strong-arm districts into paying their ransom: higher teacher pay. If California parents didn’t learn it during the height of the pandemic, they can see it clearly now: teachers unions don’t care...

By Dawn Collier

California School Exit

California School Exit

California’s traditional public schools are not doing their job, and parents are opting out. With sky-high taxes, a sieve-like southern border, and an ongoing flow of nutty regulations – one law targets cow flatulence, for example – California really doesn’t need any more bad news. But according to a recent report, the state now leads the...

By Larry Sand

Mask Theater Is Alive and Well in Los Angeles

Mask Theater Is Alive and Well in Los Angeles

Guess who’s leading the drive to keep children masked? This article was originally featured in FrontPageMag. State officials announced last week that as of March 12, California will no longer require school children to wear masks, and thankfully most California school districts are going along with the decision. Also, the Los Angeles County Department of Public...

By Larry Sand

Governor Gav Gab or The Wayward Californian

Governor Gav Gab or The Wayward Californian

Gavin Newsom delivered his State of the State address Tuesday in just under 18 minutes. It was weird optics for a governor facing a deluge of crises, especially coming from a guy known for his Fidel Castro-style multi-hour oratories when presenting his annual budget — just as long, but without the cigars, magnificent beard and...

By Dawn Collier

Examining California’s Renewable Energy Plan

Examining California’s Renewable Energy Plan

This article originally appeared on the website California Globe. If you live in California, by now you’ve probably seen the ads, either on prime time television or online, exhorting you to “Power Down 4 to 9PM.” These ads are produced by “Energy Upgrade California,” paid for by “investor-owned energy utility customers under the auspices of...

By Edward Ring

School Transparency Wars

School Transparency Wars

This article was originally posted on For Kids & Country. As states and school boards battle over school curricula, the least we can do is keep parents informed about what their kids are learning. Bologna. The FDA insists that every last ingredient of the heavily processed food is listed on the package label. No one has an issue with...

By Larry Sand