We have barely unwrapped 2018, and the charter school haters are still partying like its 1992. Last week an article appeared in The Nation – the crusty old-world progressive rag that has been with us since Mr. Lincoln was shot – that blasted charter schools and dredged up the same tired old talking points the...
“The Phonys”
It’s award season and the teachers unions have entered the crowded field. The Oscars. The Grammys. The Tonys. And we now have new award for the teachers unions: “The Phonys.” Ask any teacher union leader about what they stand for, and you will get an earful about how they champion kids, parents and, of course,...
Preferring Failing Schools to Successful Ones
Teacher union leaders want to keep poorly performing public schools open, but kill off thriving charters and voucher schools. Just last week it was announced in New York City that three failing public schools would be closing. With a total enrollment of 217 students, there really was no other choice. Indeed, it was such a...
Teachers Unions Give Middle Finger to the Middle Class
New documents show, yet again, teachers unions’ disdain for American workers. If you Google NEA + middle class + Friedrichs, you will be barraged with a load of demagogic union bromides about how the Friedrichs case – which opposes mandatory dues payments to public employee unions (PEUs) as a condition of employment – will, if...
Planned Persecution
NEA claims to be for religious freedom, but Catholics and other right-to-lifers need not apply. “The National Education Association believes that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. The Association also believes that choice of religion is an intensely personal decision.” These high-minded words are from NEA Resolution I-33, which was passed at its...
The Oasis Was a Mirage
After failing miserably for almost ten years, a rare union-run charter school is mercifully shuttered. In September 2005, New York City’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT) president Randi Weingarten was frustrated and wanted to prove a point. She explained that the union was opening two charter schools so that it could “reclaim” the original charter...
Empire Statement
Andrew Cuomo becomes the latest governor to take on the teachers unions. Expanding vouchers to unaccountable private schools. Stripping teachers of their right to due process. Converting neighborhood public schools into privately run charter schools unanswerable to local school boards and taxpayers. Proceeding with tax cuts for the wealthy while starving public schools. Holy horrors! The above,...
Vergara: What Comes Next?
Assuming Judge Treu’s rulings survive the appeals process, what will replace the offending statutes? In last year’s Vergara case, Judge Rolf Treu ruled that the state’s archaic seniority, tenure and dismissal statutes were unconstitutional, adding that the evidence submitted “shocks the conscience.” The judge’s ruling is now being appealed by the state of California, the...
Chicken Little Class Size
With a big assist from the teachers unions, the small class size myth lives on. “The sky is falling” is well-known throughout the world as an admonition to be wary of hysterical claims. While we appreciate the silliness of the Chicken Little story, we fail to recognize its relevance in many of the myths perpetuated...
Democrats and Teachers Unions: The Chasm Grows
As more Dems demand education reform, the teachers unions find themselves increasingly isolated. Going back to 2009, I have written many times about the relationship between the teachers unions and the Democratic Party. It’s no secret that the party and the unions were at one time synonymous, but this is rapidly becoming history. Quite clearly,...