Archive for May 2018

What do teacher union officials do best? Surprise! It’s not increasing teacher salaries!  For years education experts have been saying teacher union officials are best at politics, and the latest reports bear this out.  Former Secretary of Education William Bennett declared the NEA “the heart and center of the Democratic Party.”   Chris Baylor has the story in the…

Wealthy advocates of charter schools are putting their money where it will count – on charter schools in California. Laurel Rosenhall has the story on foxandhoudsdaily.com.  CALmatters education reporter Jessica Calefati contributed to this report. What do these billionaires have in common? They aim to shake up public education by promoting charters—schools that receive taxpayer funds but are…

Larry Sand reminds us of what we can expect of the Janus v. AFSCME Local 31 decision, which should be handed down by the end of June. With a SCOTUS decision just weeks away, a little perspective is in order.  As one who has closely followed the Janus v AFSCME case, I am amazed at the hyperbolic ranting about…

A Massachusetts teacher union official has been accused of embezzling almost $20,000 as a teacher union official in Massachusetts. Since teachers in Massachusetts may be forced to pay union dues in order to get or keep their jobs, she may have robbed her fellow teachers’ forced dues money. Susan Spencer has the story in the Telegram…

A former teacher discusses forced dues and the reality of teacher union power. Check out Arthur Schaper’s column on townhall.com. When I started out in education, the teachers union reps would tell me, “We are here to protect you.” However, what I learned on the job—and after leaving the profession altogether—is that unions protect unions, not the…

Thanks to the Fairness Center teacher union officials will have a more difficult time forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for “ghost” teachers, or official time. The practice allows teacher union officials to perform union business full time while accruing the benefits, including retirement, of a classroom teacher.  And it’s all paid for by the…

U. S. News and World Report’s Best High School Rankings for 2018 include 7 charter schools. Charter schools are often not unionized. In fact, most teacher union officials oppose charter schools. And many allow teachers more say in their working conditions and how the school is run compared to public schools. Charter schools address students’…

A union-backed think tank predicts public sector unions will lose many members but not completely fail, if Mark Janus is granted his wish.  Eric Boehm has the story in the Hit and Run blog on reason.com. If public sector workers were given the choice to stop paying union dues, many would do so, according to a new…

North Carolina Education Association teacher union officials are pleased with the havoc they have brought about urging teachers to rally and protest on May 15. T. Kung Hui has the story in News Observer. Wake County school leaders announced Monday afternoon that schools will be closed May 16 because more than 2,500 teachers, or more…