Tenure Tremors in California

By Larry Sand
03/28/2017
Though better than the current law, a new tenure bill doesn’t go nearly far enough. As things stand, k-12 public school teachers in California are essentially guaranteed lifetime employment if they can get through their first two years on the job. This puts a lot of pressure on principals, as they must decide by March...

TAGS: California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Educators for Excellence, Josh Pechthalt, Larry Sand, permanence, Shirley Weber, Teach Plus, teachers union, tenure, Vergara

Tax-Free Teachers?

By Larry Sand
03/21/2017
California school districts lay off teachers…then two legislators move to fix the “teacher shortage problem.” In a surreal political moment, California State Senators Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) have introduced the “Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017” which offers a novel incentive for teachers to remain in the profession. Senate Bill...

TAGS: first out, Larry Sand, last in, Mike Antonucci, Rolf Treu, Santa Ana Educators Association, seniority, small class size, teachers union, Vergara

Women’s March Madness

By Larry Sand
03/14/2017
International Women’s Day showed us what radical women are really about. March 8th saw many International Women’s Day (IWD) events that showcased elitist women’s anger and victimology. Typical was American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten who spoke at the “Women Workers Rising” rally outside the Department of Labor headquarters in Washington D.C. Among other...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, George Soros, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union

Course Correction Time for Teachers Unions?

By Larry Sand
03/07/2017
Unlikely elsewhere, but in California, just fuggedaboutit. As I wrote recently, the teachers unions had a bad week in early February. Anti-forced unionism lawsuits, the emergence of yet another right-to-work state and the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary all combined to make for a miserable few days in Unionland. But unlike waking from...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Betsy DeVos, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Dean Vogel, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Right to Work, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Trump Undoes Obama’s Transgender Bathroom Guidelines

By Larry Sand
02/28/2017
…and teacher union command central is furious. Last week, the Trump administration rightfully withdrew former President Obama’s guidelines regarding bathroom usage, which had called on schools nationwide to let transgender students choose “Boys” or “Girls,” depending on how they perceived themselves and not the old-fashioned way: by body parts. Additionally, Obama had threatened to remove...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, California Teachers Association, Donald Trump, Eric Heins, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, transgender

The Unions’ Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

By Larry Sand
02/14/2017
Which meant it was a very good week for the rest of us.  Last week, labor unions took a series of body blows. First, it was announced Monday that Missouri had become the 28th right-to-work state. The Show-Me State showed the unions that worker freedom now takes precedence over their forced dues racket. Not only that, but...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, California Teachers Association, Center for Individual Rights, Eric Heins, F. Vincent Vernuccio, Friedrichs, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Petrilli, National Education Association, release time, Right to Work, school choice, seniority, teachers union, tenure

Pension Pilfery

By Larry Sand
02/07/2017
“The teachers unions don’t just screw over kids, they also screw over new teachers. Millennials beware.” The above tweet from Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, pretty much tells the dismal story. To followers of Pension Tsunami, UnionWatch and Transparent California, the looming pension disaster for taxpayers is not news. But what has gone...

TAGS: California Teachers Association, CalSTRS, Fordham Institute, Jerry Jordan, John Fensterwald, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, Mike Petrilli, pension tsunami, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, teachers union, Transparent California

Right-to-Work on the Move

By Larry Sand
01/31/2017
Since November, Kentucky has joined the right-to-work club and four new employee freedom cases have emerged. On January 7th, Kentucky became the 27th right-to-work state in the nation. The term “right-to-work” (RTW) very simply means that workers don’t have to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. In a few short years, the movement...

TAGS: F. Vincent Vernuccio, Forced Unionism, Janus v. AFSCME, Jason Hart, Larry Sand, Liberty Justice Center, Mackinac Center, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, Rebecca Friedrichs, Right to Work, student spending, teachers union, Tom Gantert, worker freedom

Fake News, School Choice and the Teachers Unions

By Larry Sand
01/25/2017
When it comes to promoting their pernicious agenda, the teachers unions have the market cornered on fake news. Those railing against “fake news” would have you think that it is a new occurrence, something started a couple of years ago by assorted agenda-driven websites. Turns out, ironically, saying that fake news is a new phenomenon...

TAGS: Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, Indoctrination, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, National Education Association, National School Choice Week, teachers union, vouchers