Social(ism) Justice Lessons

By Larry Sand
07/22/2014
Teacher union progressives seek to socialize our country, but the Koch brothers have other plans. The recent teacher union conventions were full of self-pity, angst and anger over the Vergara and Harris legal decisions. Unfortunately that’s not all they concerned themselves with. The union avatars explored various progressive schemes with the intention of dragging us...

TAGS: Alex Caputo-Pearl, American Federation of Teachers, Harris v. Quinn, Joy Resmovits, Koch Brothers, Larry Sand, Randi Weingarten, social justice, socialism, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara v California

UTLA, LAUSD and ACLU Fiddle While Children Don’t Learn

By Larry Sand
04/15/2014
“Landmark settlement” song has hackneyed words but still makes Top 10 in the “Hubris” category. In 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit which claimed that seniority-based layoffs take a disproportionate toll on poor and minority schools. The ACLU won the case and the settlement protected students in up to 45 schools from...

TAGS: John Deasy, John Fensterwald, Larry Sand, last in first out, LIFO, Los Angeles Unified School District, seniority, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara v California

Pull the Plug on LIFO Support

By Larry Sand
03/25/2014
Despite bellyaching from the union crowd, the California education code’s last in/first out (LIFO) statute must be tossed. California’s fiscal problems have taken a toll on the teaching profession in California. And the Golden State’s arbitrary seniority system, whereby staffing decisions are made by time spent on the job, has made things much worse. A...

TAGS: A.J. Duffy, California Federation of Teachers, Charter schools, Larry Sand, last in first out, LIFO, Los Angeles Unified School District, RiShawn Biddle, seniority, Students Matter, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara

UTLA Presidential Candidates Slam Charter Schools

By Larry Sand
02/25/2014
At a Los Angeles teachers union election forum, presidential contenders portray charter schools as a disease that needs to be eradicated. As reported by LA School Report’s Vanessa Romo, charter schools were a primary target at the February 20th symposium for presidential candidates of the United Teachers of Los Angeles. Actually, it seemed as if...

TAGS: California Charter School Association, Charter schools, Gloria Romero, Harlem Success Academy, Jason Riley, LA School Report, Larry Sand, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Nina Rees, United Teachers of Los Angeles

Justice Belied

By Larry Sand
09/24/2013
California’s AB375 would do precious little to protect school children from pedophiles. The impulse to take action to remove pedophiles from California’s classrooms came about as a result of Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt having slid through the cracks after committing lewd acts against untold numbers of young children. After Berndt’s arrest in Los...

TAGS: Alex Padilla, Bill Lucia, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Carol Liu, Dan Walters, Dean Vogel, EdVoice, Gloria Romero, Larry Sand, Mark Berndt, RiShawn Biddle, StudentsFirst, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Warren Fletcher

Right-to-Work Rights and Wrongs

By Larry Sand
08/13/2013
Teachers union treasurer perpetuates myths about worker freedom. 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 the U.S., there are 24 such states and 26 where paying dues to a union  is required in many workplaces. The unions, with all...

TAGS: Arlene Inouye, Bob Peterson, California Charter School Association, collective bargaining, Larry Sand, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, Right to Work, Scott Walker, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Wisconsin Education Association Council

The Media and Teachers Unions: Creepy Crass Actors

By Larry Sand
07/23/2013
Joining a racially charged situation, largely inflamed by the media, the nation’s teachers unions hypocritically play the civil rights card. To acknowledge the obvious, the February 26, 2012 events in Sanford, FL were tragic. Trayvon Martin is dead and George Zimmerman will be haunted – and very possibly hunted – for the rest of his...

TAGS: ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Dennis Van Roekel, Larry Sand, National Education Association, Randi Weingarten, RiShawn Biddle, Students Matter, teachers unions, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Vergara v California

Homeschool Home Run

By Larry Sand
06/18/2013
An Education News report tells us that homeschooling is thriving. In a recent report, we learn that since 1999, the number of children who are homeschooled has increased by 75 percent. Though homeschooled children represent only 4 percent (about 2 million) of all school-age children nationwide, they are growing seven times faster than the number...

TAGS: A.J. Duffy, California Teachers Association, Eric Hanushek, Home School Legal Defense Association, homeschooling, Larry Sand, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles

The Parent Revolution and the Ancien Régime

By Larry Sand
06/04/2013
The ongoing battle between parents and the union-dominated education blob heats up in California. California state senator Gloria Romero’s Parent Trigger law has been around for over three years now, and its progress has been slow but steady. The law stipulates that if 50 percent +1 of the parents of children in a failing school...

TAGS: Alexander Russo, American Federation of Teachers, Ben Austin, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Diane Ravitch, Gloria Romero, Larry Sand, Parent Trigger, Randi Weingarten, Rick Hess, RiShawn Biddle, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Warren Fletcher, Whitney Tilson

Los Angeles Teachers Union: Who’s Running the Asylum?

By Larry Sand
04/17/2013
A recent vote by the United Teachers of Los Angeles suggests that a radical faction is in charge, its president “leads from behind” and almost half its teachers don’t care. At the beginning of April, the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) decided to put a hard-hitting initiative before its members. …UTLA will begin a...

TAGS: International Socialist Organization, John Deasy, Larry Sand, Los Angeles Unified School District, teachers union, United Teachers of Los Angeles, Warren Fletcher