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

Leveling with Louie on education funding

By Larry Sand
02/18/2020
A recent chat with my cousin illuminates the chasm between fact and fantasy. After a recent post in which I detailed California’s abuse of taxpayers, I got a call from my cousin Louie, an aging Hollywood screenwriter. Known as the “red sheep” of the family, he firmly believes that pouring more money into government schools...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, education spending, James Agresti, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, National Assessment of Educational Progress, Pacific Research Institute, Prop. 13, Reason Foundation, Richard Rider, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Teachers unions lose it over State of the Union address

By Larry Sand
02/11/2020
Union leaders are enraged at Trump and DeVos for the audacity of promoting parental choice. Last week, the President’s State of the Union address was a typically upbeat affair. President Trump outlined his many successes and Congressional Republicans were jubilant, while Democrats scowled. One of the features of Trump’s talk was a revival of Texas...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Betsy DeVos, California Teachers Association, Donald Trump, Lance Izumi, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, National Education Association, Neal McCluskey, Pacific Research Institute, Randi Weingarten, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Los Angeles School District Needs a Hard Reset

By Larry Sand
02/04/2020
LAUSD and UTLA leaders are leading us down the road to financial ruin. A few weeks ago, I wrote that tax-grabbing state bureaucrats were pushing hard-working Californians to the brink. Incompetence, mismanaged money and union greed have turned the formerly Golden State into a failing enterprise. Here, I will focus on the Los Angeles Unified...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, Austin Beutner, Dan Walters, education spending, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, NAEP, Prop. 13, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Democratic POTUS candidates must choose between parents and unions

By Larry Sand
12/03/2019
Sanders stands firm on the issues; Warren and Booker are chameleon-like; Biden is meh. As I wrote in May, several of the Democratic presidential hopefuls were tripping over each other in an effort to secure the endorsement of the teachers unions. These candidates were most pointed in criticizing any form of school choice. Bernie Sanders...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Andrew Gillum, Bernie Sanders, Charter schools, Corey DeAngelis, Cory Booker, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Next, Elizabeth Warren, Howard Fuller, Joe Biden, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, Ron DeSantis, school choice, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, vouchers

Bargaining for Socialism

By Larry Sand
11/26/2019
“Bargaining for the common good” is really an attempt by teacher union elites to turn America socialist. In June, 2016, unions across the country were expanding their focus to the broader community, an effort which they call “bargaining for the common good.” The new strategy originated when public employee union leaders and community organizations gathered...

TAGS: #RedforED, Alex Caputo-Pearl, Arlene Inouye, bargaining for the common good, California Federation of Teachers, International Socialist Organization, Jesse Sharkey, Larry Sand, socialism, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

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

Will UTLA endorse socialist Bernie Sanders?

By Larry Sand
11/05/2019
The L.A. teachers union may officially support Bernie Sanders for president next week. Back in September, the United Teachers of Los Angeles board of directors began a process to endorse Bernie Sanders for president, and on November 14th there will be a formal vote by the union’s House of Representatives. UTLA president Alex Caputo-Pearl is...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Bernie Sanders, Charter schools, education spending, Elizabeth Warren, James Agresti, Just Facts, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, socialism, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles