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

L.A. Teachers Union: Give us $250 Million, Or Keep Schools Closed

By Edward Ring
07/16/2020
Wiki Commons The second-largest public school district in the United States is in turmoil. Los Angeles Unified School District, with over 600,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade at over 1,000 schools, may not be open for the business of teaching on August 18. How to handle the COVID-19 pandemic is the issue, and there is...

TAGS: class-size, reopening schools, teacher pay, teachers unions, UTLA

The profligacy of legacy costs

By Larry Sand
11/19/2019
Better pay and working conditions for teachers can be achieved, if only the unions would get out of the way. We live in striking times. In 2018 there were state-wide teacher work stoppages in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, et al. And this year, we have seen strikes in Denver, Los Angeles and Chicago. Not surprisingly,...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, Daniel DiSalvo, Larry Sand, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Romanticized fiction trumps facts

By Larry Sand
10/01/2019
A blockbuster report exposes myths about the teaching profession, but will it matter? People love stories, and the gooier and more heart-rending the better. Few are more likely to send readers running for a box of tissues than the tale of a dedicated, but woefully underpaid teacher who is forced to take a second job,...

TAGS: American Enterprise Institute, Andrew Biggs, class-size, Economic Policy Institute, Jason Richwine, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, teacher pay, teachers union

Poll Dancing

By Larry Sand
08/13/2019
The latest PDK poll is useless, as are most. The latest yearly poll from Phi Delta Kappa, an organization whose mission is to “activate educators and other stakeholders to elevate the discourse around teaching and learning….” has just been released, and I don’t see any elevation. In fact, the poll is ultimately meaningless, although that didn’t...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Education Next, James Agresti, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, teacher pay, teachers union

Race to the Left

By Larry Sand
04/02/2019
Kamala Harris has concocted a brazen plan to get the teacher union endorsement in 2020.  In July, 2015, a full year before the last 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. AFT...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Biggs, Bernie Sanders, Center for American Progress, Eric Hanushek, James Agresti, Jason Richwine, Kamala Harris, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, teacher pay, teachers union

The looming apocalypse in California

By Larry Sand
09/18/2018
The “state crisis” threatened by Los Angeles teacher union boss two years ago is upon us. In two recent posts, I detailed the United Teachers of Los Angeles contract demands on the school district and reported that a strike was likely. And of late, the situation has gone from bad to dire. Perhaps the biggest...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, George McKenna, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Nick Melvoin, Richard Vladovic, teacher pay, teacher strike, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Teacher pay fray

By Larry Sand
08/14/2018
  In light of strikes past and future, a brief review of teacher compensation is in order. A recent headline in the Austin American-Statesman caught my eye. It read, “Texas education chief suggests paying higher-performing teachers more.” Those of you whose first reaction is “Well, duh,” are hardly outliers. But in the land of...

TAGS: Democrats for Education Reform, Education Next, Educators for Excellence, Eric Hanushek, Janus, Larry Sand, pensions, teacher pay, teachers union

Will Los Angeles teachers strike out on a bad pitch?

By Larry Sand
08/07/2018
Using loads of bogus info, LA teacher union leader prepares teachers for a walkout in the fall. In my post last Tuesday, I wrote about the many problems facing the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since then, one of the issues I detailed has moved front and center: the strong possibility of a teacher strike....

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Austin Beutner, bargaining for the common good, Charter schools, EdSource, James Agresti, John Fensterwald, Larry Sand, Lisa Snell, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mike Antonucci, Reason Foundation, socialism, teacher pay, teacher strike, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The Rodney Dangerfield union

By Larry Sand
05/29/2018
The United Teachers of Los Angeles claims its members “don’t get no respect.”  The late comedian Rodney Dangerfield often used self-deprecating humor in his routines, and his catchphrase, “I don’t get no respect!” is legendary. And now the United Teachers of Los Angeles is channeling the great comic, as thousands of teachers took to the...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, James Agresti, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles