The faux nonprofit prophets

By Larry Sand
12/24/2019
The clamor over for-profit charters has no substance whatsoever. Among the many vapid rallying cries in the 2019 presidential follies is the one that stresses the importance of eliminating for-profit charter schools. In October, Elizabeth Warren released her education plan that proposed eliminating them, and using the IRS to investigate existing schools that may “actually...

TAGS: Bernie Sanders, California Teachers Association, Elizabeth Warren, James Tooley, Kids Not Profits, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Assessment of Educational Progress, teachers union, The Beautiful Tree

The teachers unions’ spotty progressivism

By Larry Sand
07/30/2019
When it comes to public charter schools and any meaningful education reform, the teachers unions are staunch reactionaries. In the political arena, teachers unions are far to the left. However, when it comes to serious education reform and any kind of school choice, they are committed to maintaining the all-too-often failing status quo. At its...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Ben Austin, Bill de Blasio, California Charter Schools Association, California Teachers Association, Charter schools, Eva Moskowitz, Larry Sand, Myrna Castrejón, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Parent Revolution, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union

POTUS candidates line up to kiss the union ring

By Larry Sand
05/28/2019
Democratic contenders attempt to lock in teacher union endorsements to the detriment of taxpayers and the neediest students. A full year before the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the American Federation of Teachers endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. This infuriated many teachers who preferred Bernie Sanders, rightfully feeling they had no role in the decision. So...

TAGS: American Federation for Children, American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Betsy DeVos, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Jason Riley, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

Bye-bye Abood?

By Larry Sand
01/19/2016
SCOTUS appears to be ready to dump mandatory public employee union dues payments. Last Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Friedrichs v California Teachers Association lawsuit. The case centers around whether or not teachers and other public employees should be forced to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment...

TAGS: Abood, American Federation of Teachers, Antonin Scalia, Association of American Educators, Christian Educators Association International, Friedrichs, George Leef, labor peace, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Nina Rees, Randi Weingarten, Right to Work, stare decisis, teachers union

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

Charter Chumps

By Larry Sand
05/12/2015
The competition-phobic teachers unions are still trying to decimate charter schools. As I wrote a couple of years ago, the teachers unions vacillate when it comes to charter schools. On odd days they try to organize them and on even ones they go all out to eviscerate them. But the organizing efforts haven’t gone too...

TAGS: AB 1172, Alex Caputo-Pearl, California Charter School Association, California Teachers Association, Center for Education Reform, Charter schools, Dean Vogel, Jay Greene, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, National School Choice Week, teachers union, Tom Kane, Tony Mendoza, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Teachers Unions Target Charter Schools in California

By Larry Sand
09/30/2014
The latest chapter in “kill or unionize” sees the unions in organize mode. As I’ve written before, the teachers unions have a constantly shifting relationship with charter schools. When Mercury is in retrograde, the unions want to limit their growth or legislate the publicly-funded schools of choice out of existence. At other times, organizing them...

TAGS: California Charter School Association, California Teachers Association, Center for Education Reform, Charter schools, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, teachers union, Thomas Kane

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

Kill ‘Em or Unionize ‘Em

By Larry Sand
07/09/2013
As charter schools have become more popular than ever, teachers unions dither about how to deal with them. Though there are now over 6,000 charter schools in the U.S., including 1,000 in California, it’s not nearly enough to satisfy demand, as parents have awakened to the fact that many traditional public schools aren’t doing the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Charter School Association, California Teachers Association, Charter schools, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union