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

Do Black and Hispanic lives really matter to progressives?

By Larry Sand
04/21/2020
An illuminating study comparing education in America’s progressive and conservative cities opens a major can of worms. A stunning report that came out in January of this year received little attention at first, and was then completely buried due to the avalanche of coronavirus-related stories. “The Secret Shame: How America’s Most Progressive Cities Betray Their...

TAGS: conservative, educational savings accounts, Larry Sand, tax-credit scholarships, teachers union, vouchers, Walter Williams

Freedom for me, but not for thee

By Larry Sand
04/14/2020
Temporary Los Angeles teacher union contract, inspired by COVID-19, liberates teachers, but parents and kids are still held captive, of course. On Thursday, April 9th the Los Angeles Unified School District struck a distance-learning pact with the United Teachers of Los Angeles. The seat-of-the-pants labor agreement was necessitated by the closing of all district schools...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, coronavirus, COVID-19, education savings account, Larry Sand, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The coronavirus and rigid education policy

By Larry Sand
04/07/2020
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, much of the Big-Ed/Big Union complex maintains its inflexibility.   With U.S. schools closed, educators across the land are scrambling to figure out how to provide instruction to millions of students via computers. Granted, an immediate switch to distance learning is not easy for school districts, which by and large...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Betsy DeVos, coronavirus, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Pearls of venom

By Larry Sand
03/31/2020
Los Angeles teacher union leader is using the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to trash charter schools. Due to the coronavirus, many of us are going out of our way to be nice – helping the elderly and infirm, shopping for a family that fears leaving home, limiting ourselves to purchasing just one package of...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, California Charter Schools Association, coronavirus, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, Myrna Castrejón, National Education Association, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Schools out…forever?

By Larry Sand
03/24/2020
Whether it’s a pandemic, a damn panic, or all the above, the coronavirus has turned us into a nation of homeschoolers. With just about every public school in the country closed at this time, the only way for kids to get an education is at home. Many see this as nothing less than tragic. Writing...

TAGS: A.J. Duffy, Andrew Coulson, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Corey DeAngelis, coronavirus, homeschooling, Horace Mann, Kerry McDonald, Larry Sand, Lindsey Burke, Stephen Sawchuk, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Bond fatigue and school choice

By Larry Sand
03/17/2020
Californians nix school bonds as Florida’s parental choice program expands. It looks like California’s Prop.13, a $15 billion school construction bond, has been defeated. This is notable because voters had not rejected a bond of this nature since 1994. Additionally, supporters raised $10 million for the campaign, while opponents spent 1/40th of that amount –...

TAGS: Greg Forster, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Jon Coupal, Larry Sand, Measure EE, Prop. 13, school choice, teachers union

My latest open letter to Randi Weingarten

By Larry Sand
03/10/2020
This is the fifth in a series of missives to the president of the American Federation of Teachers. (The first four can be accessed here.) Hey Randi! Can you believe it! Next Monday will be our tenth anniversary! Yup, a whole decade has passed since Terry Moe, Rod Paige and I devoured you and two...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Janus decision, Larry Sand, NRA, Randi Weingarten, Rod Paige, teachers union, Terry Moe

Vermont’s school choice secret

By Larry Sand
03/03/2020
As the political exhibition season ends, here’s a brief look at where the candidates stand on school choice, and the Green Mountain State’s 150-year-old parental choice program. In 2015, the American Federation of Teachers anointed Hillary Clinton as its 2016 presidential preference, with no input from its rank-and-file. This did not sit well with the...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, school choice, teachers union