Citizens battle union entitlements

By Larry Sand
07/18/2017
Through the courts and legislation, Americans are telling the unions where to stick their privilege. Via weak-kneed and corrupt elected officials, unions have been taking advantage of American citizens left and right for years now. But in ever greater numbers, people are standing up to the bullies and fighting back. “Release time” is a practice...

TAGS: Competitive Enterprise Institute, Freedom Foundation, Larry Sand, release time, teachers union, Trey Kovacs

NEA mob rules

By Larry Sand
07/11/2017
The yearly NEA convention was replete with the usual bogeymen, rah-rah talk, weird new business items and a bit more angst than usual.  This last year should have been a pip for the National Education Association. Antoni Scalia’s death killed Friedrichs and kept forced unionism alive and well in half the country. And the inevitable...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Betsy DeVos, charter school, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rebecca Friedrichs, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, voucher

Trailer trash

By Larry Sand
07/04/2017
Forced unionism may soon be illegal, but a mandatory union propaganda law is now on the books in California. The public employee unions, especially the teacher union variety, are very jittery over the prospect that the Janus case, if successful in the U.S. Supreme Court next year, could free government workers from paying forced dues...

TAGS: AB 119, Association of American Educators, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Janus v. AFSCME, Joshua Pechthalt, Larry Sand, Steven Greenhut, teachers union

Profits of doom

By Larry Sand
06/27/2017
From California to Africa, teachers unions fight the “for-profit” bogeyman. Well, I guess we can all rest just a bit easier now that California is on the verge of banning for-profit charter schools. Sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers, AB 406 is making its way through the California State Senate, having glided through the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Eric Hanushek, James Tooley, Josh Pechthalt, Kevin McCarty, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Neal McCluskey, teachers union, The Beautiful Tree

“Who ya gonna believe – me, or your own eyes?”

By Larry Sand
06/20/2017
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...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, Charter schools, CREDO, Eva Moskowitz, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Marcus Winters, Matthew Ladner, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Patrick Wolf, Success Academy, teachers union

Will Janus open the right-to-work door?

By Larry Sand
06/13/2017
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...

TAGS: "free rider", F. Vincent Vernuccio, Forced Unionism, Friedrichs, James Sherk, Janus v. AFSCME, Jason Hart, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Right to Work, teachers union

My Dear Randi,

By Larry Sand
06/06/2017
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...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Blaine Amendment, Greg Forster, Janus v. AFSCME, Kevin Chavous, Larry Sand, Patrick Wolf, Pell Grants, Randi Weingarten, school choice, tax credit scholarship, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, vouchers

Let’s get real about the education budget

By Larry Sand
05/30/2017
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,...

TAGS: Betsy DeVos, Center for Education Reform, Donald Trump, education spending, Jeanne Allen, Larry Sand, PISA, remediation, school choice, teachers union

Earthquake rearranges school board in Los Angeles

By Larry Sand
05/23/2017
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...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Eli Broad, Eric Heins, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, National Education Association, Nick Melvoin, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles