Sheridan Swanson | Research Manager

Sheridan graduated from Liberty University with an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in Government, Economics, and Religion. She manages CPC’s research program and supports the organization’s policy experts by providing accurate, timely research. Sheridan has authored dozens of research papers, issue briefs and tool kits on education and finance issues. As the Parent Union Coordinator, she provides resources and support to California parent groups and education reform advocates. She also coordinates logistics for CPC’s annual Parents, Not Partisans Summit and keeps an eye on education-related legislation in Sacramento.

Latest by Sheridan Swanson

Baby Bumps and Teacher Benefits: Dispelling CTA Myths About Maternity Leave

Last month, the California Teachers Association posted on Instagram: “This #WomensHistoryMonth, let’s fix a broken system that leaves educators without any paid disability related to pregnancy!” The fix, California’s largest teachers union asserts, is Assembly Bill 2901, authored by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). If passed, the state would require school districts and community...

By Sheridan Swanson

Newsom’s education budget lacks tangible targets

This month, Governor Newsom released his proposed state budget for 2024-25. The $291.5 billion budget proposal sets aside $76.5 billion in state funds for K-12 education. This amount exceeds the proposed budgeted costs for transportation ($19.55 billion); corrections and rehabilitation ($18.12 billion); general government ($10.68 billion); legislative, judicial, and executive agencies ($10.72 billion); natural resources...

By Sheridan Swanson

The Disastrous Insurance Landscape in California

Late last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in an attempt to address the insurance crisis in California that’s leaving scores of homeowners without coverage. The executive order comes after State Farm and Allstate, the first and fourth largest home insurers in California, announced this year they would no longer sell new home...

By Sheridan Swanson

California’s Literacy Crisis

Published August 3, 2023 For decades, teachers, parents, academics, scientists, and curriculum developers have been engaged in a pitched battle over the best methods to implement effective, comprehensive and practical reading instruction. This controversy, dubbed the “reading wars,” has had lifelong consequences for a generation of students who have been hostages and unwitting casualties of...

By Sheridan Swanson

More Companies Flee to Texas

The Lone Star State continues to profit from the corporate exodus from California as the list of big-name businesses moving to Texas grows. Fleeing California’s highly-regulated environment, a number of companies have announced they’re moving to Texas for the state’s dynamic, growth-friendly economy. Last week, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce released a study...

By Sheridan Swanson

Bay Area Financial Crisis: Oakland

Like San Francisco, the Bay Area City of Oakland is facing major budget woes. Mayor Sheng Thao’s proposed budget for 2023-25 released last month reveals the city is facing a $360 million shortfall, the largest budget deficit in Oakland’s history. The proposed budget for FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 plans for total expenditures of over $2.1...

By Sheridan Swanson

San Francisco’s Financial Crisis

The State of California isn’t the only one scrambling to prepare a budget while staring down a deficit. Several Bay Area municipalities are also struggling with their own budget problems, San Francisco chief among them. San Francisco’s 2022-23 budget and next year’s 2023-24 budget total approximately $14 billion each. On March 31, the San Francisco...

By Sheridan Swanson

Sacramento’s Mismanagement of Taxpayer Dollars

Leaders in Sacramento are grappling with the state budget this month as California faces a budget deficit of nearly $32 billion. Senate leaders claim they can address the deficit without cutting spending on state programs, but the reality is that a fiscal reckoning is long overdue. According to a survey released by the Public Policy...

By Sheridan Swanson

Critical Race Theory: Its Origins and Infiltration of California’s Public Schools

Published May 2, 2023 The term “Critical Race Theory” is frequently featured in contemporary political debate and has been central to school curriculum controversy in recent years. And yet, many parents and concerned citizens seek clarity as to precisely what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is, its origins, and how it became entrenched in public schools....

By Sheridan Swanson

Capistrano Unified: A Case Study in Opposing Bad Bonds

A practical way for citizens to fight ill-conceived school bond measures View our full School Bonds Toolkit here for additional resources. School bonds are designed to fund the building and maintenance of school facilities, but there have been increasing concerns about bond oversight and how districts utilize bonds. Too often, school districts put bond measures on...

By Sheridan Swanson

School Choice Wins Across the Nation

The school choice movement is accelerating across the nation as more state legislatures pass laws that empower parents to use tax dollars to send their child to the best school for them. Support for school choice is also skyrocketing among voters across demographics. Among likely voters, a survey by the Invest in Education Coalition found...

By Sheridan Swanson

Lone Star Bound

Frisco, Texas — nestled in the north Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex — has been making headlines for the number of companies flocking to the city to take advantage of its business-friendly environment and rapid growth. This month, the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) released a statement highlighting the city’s impressive 2022 track record, having welcomed sixteen...

By Sheridan Swanson

Mogul Migration

Among the most notable people taking part in the Exodus from California are the tech and finance elite. More and more high-profile business leaders are losing their patience with California’s anti-business regulatory morass, sky-high tax rate, and unreasonable cost of living. In 2017, entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss left Silicon Valley for Texas. Ferriss cited...

By Sheridan Swanson

Race Preferential College Admissions

And how they ultimately hurt minority students and expose a glaring hypocrisy in the California education system. State-funded universities in California are pushing to use race as a metric for college admissions, a practice many Californians believe should stay in the past. But while claiming to champion educational opportunity for low-income and minority students,...

By Sheridan Swanson