Will the Supreme Court Do an “Abood Face?”

By Larry Sand
07/08/2014
The decision in Harris v Quinn could be just the first shoe to drop in the fight against forced union dues. Last month was not kind to Big Labor. First, the teachers unions in California had some of their favorite work rules knocked out of the state constitution by Judge Rolf Treu in his Vergara...

TAGS: Abood, agency fee, American Federation of Teachers, big labor, California Teachers Association, Center for Individual Rights, collective bargaining, Dennis Van Roekel, fair share, Harris v. Quinn, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, Rebecca Friedrichs, Samuel Alito, Service Employees International Union, Supreme Court, teachers unions, Vergara

Post-Vergara Rumblings

By Larry Sand
07/01/2014
The Vergara decision is three weeks old – and due to the teachers unions’ appeal, nothing has changed. Or has it? Because Judge Rolf Treu has placed a stay on his Vergara ruling pending the outcome of the teachers unions’ appeal, the tenure, seniority and dismissal statutes are still alive and well in California. However,...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Campbell Brown, Dennis Van Roekel, Larry Sand, last in first out, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, New York State United Teachers, Randi Weingarten, Rolf Treu, seniority, teachers union, tenure, Vergara

Dear Randi,

By Larry Sand
06/17/2014
You seem to be very unhappy lately, but cheer up – things aren’t nearly as bad as you think!  In your recent foray into BuzzFeed, you seemed a bit verklempt (for you non-Yids, that means overwrought) and I would like to help you feel better! Regarding Common Core, the piece reads: ‘The right’s vitriol is...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Common Core, crony capitalism, Democracy Alliance, John Stocks, Karen Lewis, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, Tea Party, teachers union, Tom Steyer

Teachers Unions’ Private Practices

By Larry Sand
06/10/2014
The unions like choice and privatization except when they don’t. A recent story out of Michigan illustrates the two-faced nature of teachers unions on the subject of privatization. Seems that the Michigan Education Association (MEA), state affiliate of the National Education Association, paid private, non-unionized companies between $5,500 and $86,112 – totaling over $155,000 –...

TAGS: Greg Forster, Larry Sand, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Education Association, National Education Association, privatization, teachers union

The Teachers Unions’ "Brown" Problem

By Larry Sand
05/20/2014
When it comes to education and civil rights, NEA and AFT are part of the problem; the solution is choice. Last Saturday was the 60th anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision, which outlawed state-sponsored segregation in schools. Never missing an opportunity to grandstand, the teachers unions groused all last week about various...

TAGS: ALEC, American Federation of Teachers, Dennis Van Roekel, Friedman Foundation, Greg Forster, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Walton, Weingarten and Orwell

By Larry Sand
04/29/2014
The Walton Foundation has donated millions to help charter schools prosper, but that’s a bad thing according to the teachers unions. It’s no secret that the Walton Family Foundation is a major donor to charter schools. In 2013, it donated over $70 million to these special public schools and charter management organizations across the country....

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Charter schools, Dennis Van Roekel, Eva Moskowitz, George Orwell, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, United Federation of Teachers, Whitney Tilson

The Teachers Unions’ Supreme Chutzpah

By Larry Sand
04/08/2014
NEA and AFT leaders cavil at Supreme Court decision that eases rules on political funding. Nothing gives me an advanced case of the vapors quicker than the subject of political campaign finance laws. Trying to figure out who can give how much to whom and when, and how many dollars can be donated to a...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Citizens United, Dennis Van Roekel, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, Supreme Court, teachers union

Brotherly Betrayal

By Larry Sand
03/11/2014
Predominantly minority D.C school kids are not sharing NEA leader’s glee over President Obama’s budget. Last week, President Obama released his administration’s budget for fiscal year 2015 and National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel was ecstatic. He was especially pleased that Obama plans to move “towards ending the era of austerity.” (Austerity? I must...

TAGS: D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Dennis Van Roekel, Head Start, Larry Sand, Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, National Education Association, Patrick Wolf, President Obama, teachers union

School Choice Wars

By Larry Sand
02/18/2014
Though National School Choice Week ended a couple of weeks ago, reactionary rhetoric and political clashes are just heating up. With National School Choice Week behind us, the battle – and it is a battle – to free our children from a monopoly by zip-code public education system is being fought on fronts all over...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Barack Obama, Bill de Blasio, Eva Moskowitz, G.I. Bill, Jason Riley, Joel Klein, Lamar Alexander, Larry Sand, National Education Association, National School Choice Week, Pell Grant, privatization, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, Tim Scott, vouchers