Los Angeles Teachers Union Sinks to Unmitigated Depths

By Larry Sand
05/31/2016
The union war on charter schools has become even uglier, courtesy of UTLA. On May 4th, the United Teachers of Los Angeles, in concert with the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) – a radical union front group – planned a major protest to be held outside schools where charter schools share a campus with...

TAGS: Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, California Charter School Association, Charter schools, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Education Association, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

In like a Lyin’

By Larry Sand
03/29/2016
As charter schools continue to succeed, the reformicidal teachers unions ramp up their assault on them. Month by month, the teachers unions have been increasing their barrage of malevolence toward charter schools, which are nothing more than publicly funded schools of choice that are trying to break away from the rigidity of Big Education/Big Union...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, California Charter School Association, Center for Education Reform, Center for Popular Democracy, charter school, In the Public Interest, Kara Kerwin, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Los Angeles Department of Monopoly and Power

By Larry Sand
02/23/2016
Educating students is far from the #1 priority of the school board and the teachers union in LA. On February 11th, LA School Report released an internal Los Angeles Unified School District document which stated that just 54 percent of seniors in LA are on track to graduate. The drop off from 74 percent last...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, CAHSEE, California Charter Schools Association, California High School Exit Examination, Eli Broad, graduation rate, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara lawsuit

The Unions’ “Accountability” Libel Against Charter Schools

By Larry Sand
10/27/2015
The teacher union war on charter schools ramps up with empty billionaire and accountability accusations. Charter schools are like pesky chewing gum that the teachers unions just can’t quite get off their shoes. They have been persistent in trying to just get rid of the alternative public schools – except for the few they have...

TAGS: accountability, American Federation of Teachers, California Charter School Association, Charter schools, CREDO, Democracy Alliance, Eli Broad, Eric Owens, George Soros, In the Public Interest, John Stocks, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Occupy Wall Street, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, Tom Steyer

Life After Deasy

By Larry Sand
10/28/2014
It was only a matter of time before the Los Angeles school chief was run out of town. John Deasy is the latest to exit the fast-moving revolving door known as Los Angeles School Superintendent. The job – really an impossible one – saw Roy Romer replace Ray Cortines in 2001. Romer in turn was...

TAGS: dropouts, John Deasy, Kate Walsh, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, National Council on Teacher Quality, Parent Trigger, Rolf Treu, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara case

UTLA Presidential Candidates Slam Charter Schools

By Larry Sand
02/25/2014
At a Los Angeles teachers union election forum, presidential contenders portray charter schools as a disease that needs to be eradicated. As reported by LA School Report’s Vanessa Romo, charter schools were a primary target at the February 20th symposium for presidential candidates of the United Teachers of Los Angeles. Actually, it seemed as if...

TAGS: California Charter School Association, Charter schools, Gloria Romero, Harlem Success Academy, Jason Riley, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Nina Rees, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Tenure, Temerity and the Truth

By Larry Sand
02/11/2014
Los Angeles Times op-ed and teachers union defense of educational status quo are packed with malarkey. Now in its third week, the Students Matter trial still has a ways to go. Initially scheduled to last four weeks, the proceedings are set to run longer. On Friday, Prosecutor Marcellus McRae told Judge Rolf Treu that the...

TAGS: American Enterprise Institute, Andrew Biggs, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, David Welch, Dean Vogel, Democrats for Education Reform, Gloria Romero, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Joe Williams, Kevin Chavous, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Michelle Rhee, National Council on Teacher Quality, permanence, seniority, Students Matter, StudentsFirst, Teach For America, tenure

“Hey, Deasy, baby, I want my money.”

By Larry Sand
11/19/2013
Los Angeles teachers demand a raise, but their appeal to the public is embarrassing and more importantly, misses the big picture. Claiming that teachers have not received a raise since 2007, the United Teachers of Los Angeles held a protest rally last Wednesday. As reported by Ryan White in LA School Report, “Hey, Deasy, baby,...

TAGS: Andrew Biggs, Andrew Coulson, Eric Hanushek, Jason Richwine, John Deasy, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, wage compression

Getting Criminals Out of Schools

By Larry Sand
11/05/2013
A new bill would keep pedophiles and violent criminals out of our schools; teachers unions balk. California law firm decides to try an end run. A couple of weeks ago in Washington, D.C., the House of Representatives passed a bill by a simple voice vote, which stipulated that public schools would be barred from employing...

TAGS: AFT, Alex Padilla, American Federation of Teachers, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Education Association, NEA, Randi Weingarten, SB 1530, teachers union