Rampant Union Greed in Chicago

By Larry Sand
09/27/2016
The Windy City’s teachers union is on the verge of yet another strike.  In 2012, Troy Senik wrote “The Worst Union in America,” a title he bestowed on the California Teachers Association. As a former member and longtime critic of that union, I certainly had no quibble with his selection. But now, CTA is facing...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Bruce Rauner, California Teachers Association, Chicago public schools, Chicago Teachers Union, International Socialist Organization, Jesse Sharkey, Karen Lewis, Larry Sand, pension pick-up, Rahm Emanuel, Teach For America, teacher pay, teachers union, Troy Senik

The Myth of the Underpaid Teacher Lives On

By Larry Sand
08/23/2016
 Yet another “study” showing how poorly teachers are paid has surfaced. Well, it’s a new school year and there is much tumult in the world of public education. Common Core battles, testing opt-outs, and litigation about school choice and teacher work rules dot the landscape. But with all the uncertainty, it’s comforting to know that...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, AFT, American Enterprise Institute, Andrew Biggs, Economic Policy Institute, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mary Kay Henry, National Education Association, NEA, Richard Trumka, seiu, teacher pay, teachers union, Valerie Strauss

LA Teachers Union: Striking Out?

By Larry Sand
03/03/2015
UTLA is planning to walk out over a mess that it helped to create. The case is being built for a teachers’ strike in Los Angeles. The next step in the contract negotiation process is mediation, whereby a state-appointed mediator will try to get the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the United Teachers...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Chicago Teachers Union, Eric Hanushek, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mark Berndt, Mike Petrilli, pension tsunami, small class size, teacher pay, teachers strike, teachers union, Terry Moe, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The Poor Teacher Canard Redux – Part II

By Larry Sand
08/26/2014
The unions’ effect on teacher pay? Not what you think. Last week, I wrote about the fallacy of the underpaid teacher. When compared to other professions, teachers actually do considerably better when taking into account the various perks they get – generous healthcare and pension packages, etc. But, uninterested in facts, the unions continue to...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Cato Institute, Fordham Institute, Larry Sand, Michael Lovenheim, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

“Hey, Deasy, baby, I want my money.”

By Larry Sand
11/19/2013
Los Angeles teachers demand a raise, but their appeal to the public is embarrassing and more importantly, misses the big picture. Claiming that teachers have not received a raise since 2007, the United Teachers of Los Angeles held a protest rally last Wednesday. As reported by Ryan White in LA School Report, “Hey, Deasy, baby,...

TAGS: Andrew Biggs, Andrew Coulson, Eric Hanushek, Jason Richwine, John Deasy, LA School Report, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, Mike Petrilli, National Council on Teacher Quality, teacher pay, teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, wage compression

More Money for Business as Usual

By Larry Sand
11/27/2012
Throwing ever more funds at education without making substantive changes to the system is a horrible waste of money, not to mention children’s lives. California Democrat Congressman Mike Honda and National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel recently collaborated on an op-ed that played up just about every bit of feel good, cliché-riddled drivel ever...

TAGS: Andrew Biggs, Dean Vogel, Dennis Van Roekel, Eric Hanushek, Gloria Romero, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Larry Sand, Lindsey Burke, National Education Association, Prop. 30, Teach For America, teacher pay, teachers unions

Teachers are Overpaid and Underpaid

By Larry Sand
11/15/2011
A new study claims that public school teachers are overpaid. Are they? Depends. An ongoing whine from teachers unions and their fellow travelers is that public school teachers don’t earn enough money. But according to Andrew Biggs, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute scholar and Jason Richwine, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage...

TAGS: American Enterprise Institute, Andrew Biggs, Heritage Foundation, Jason Richwine, Lindsey Burke, Randi Weingarten, Rick Hess, teacher pay, teachers unions