Kamalot

By Larry Sand
08/18/2020
The nightmarish Biden/Harris ticket is the teachers union’s “dream team.” “You don’t just have a partner in the White House, you’ll have an NEA member in the White House.” Referring to his wife Jill, presidential hopeful Joe Biden uttered those words at the virtual National Education Association convention in early July. He also expressed dissatisfaction...

TAGS: American Federation for Children, Andrew Biggs, Betsy DeVos, Greg Forster, Janus decision, Jason Richwine, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teacher pay, teachers union

Biden does teachers union bidding

By Larry Sand
07/14/2020
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders team up with the teachers unions; the big losers are poor and minority families. Back in May, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden tapped Senator Bernie Sanders to help assemble six task forces which would make recommendations for the party’s 2020 platform. The allegedly moderate Biden joined up with the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Charter schools, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Pell Grants, privatization, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union, vouchers

Catholic lives matter

By Larry Sand
07/07/2020
The Supreme Court finally clears the way for students to use tax-credit scholarships to attend religious schools; the teachers unions and much of the MSM are apoplectic. The oldest daughter of single mom Kendra Espinoza was being bullied and her youngest daughter was struggling academically at their local public school in Montana. Kendra transferred them...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Pell Grants, privatization, Randi Weingarten, Samuel Alito, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, vouchers, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris

The NEA’s massive money grab

By Larry Sand
06/23/2020
Using Covid-19 as an excuse, the teachers union wants you to “invest” more in education; historical data put things into perspective, however. Last week I reported on the American Federation of Teachers plea for more money to flow into government-run schools because of the Covid-19 crisis. Not to be outdone, the National Education Association has...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Benjamin Scafidi, Corey DeAngelis, education spending, Just Facts, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Rick Hess, teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles

The misguided and DeVos-deranged teachers unions

By Larry Sand
06/16/2020
Even during a national crisis, the nearsighted (and, very possibly, soon to be blindsided) NEA and AFT are happy to see private schools wither and die.   When government-run schools next open, social distancing, masks, obsessive cleaning, etc. will be mandated throughout much of the country. The education establishment is claiming it will need a...

TAGS: Betsy DeVos, Jason Bedrick, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Ron DeSantis, teachers union

The rigid old normal

By Larry Sand
05/26/2020
When the Covid-19 craziness subsides, our calcified zip-code education laws will endure. Pundits are continuously speculating about what the post-pandemic “new normal” will look like in education when schools open (hopefully) in a few months. Many say that smaller class size will be necessary to facilitate social distancing. Some think that homeschooling will flourish. While...

TAGS: Gloria Romero, Larry Sand, National Education Association, school choice, teachers union

School choice ascending

By Larry Sand
05/19/2020
As traditional public schools grapple with the effects of Covid-19, many parents are awakening to school choice.  The left-right debate about how to improve education in the U.S. often comes down to money v. school choice. Many on the left bemoan the fact that we don’t “invest” more in education. It doesn’t help to point...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, COVID-19, Diane Ravitch, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, school choice, teachers union

The coming upheaval in education

By Larry Sand
05/12/2020
Due to Covid-19 related economic realities, the unions demand the Feds pour billions more into education. There is no way to sugarcoat it. The economic impact of Covid-19 will take its toll on education funding. The National Education Association is in full freak-out mode, “calling for an additional $175 billion to stabilize education funding—the $30.7...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Benjamin Scafidi, California Teachers Association, COVID-19, Larry Sand, LIFO, National Education Association, seniority, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Pensions in the time of a pandemic

By Larry Sand
05/05/2020
Willfully blind to the reality of the fiscal impact of Covid-19, the teachers union is demanding billions from the already beleaguered American taxpayer. Long after the coronavirus fades into history, there will be many lingering effects. And high on that list very well may be the toll on public employee pensions and the beleaguered taxpayers...

TAGS: 401K, defined benefit, EdChoice, Larry Sand, National Education Association, teachers union