Posts tagged school choice
Taxpayer Resources Shouldn’t Be Spent on Union Politics
March 30, 2023 // Members of the Tennessee Education Association must also belong to the National Education Association. Studies show that in 2021, the National Education Association spent nearly $65 million on “political activities and lobbying” – more than double the amount it spent on representational activities. A review of political activities shows that the National Education Association spent its revenue, including Tennessee teachers’ dues, on: Supporting critical race theory Eliminating right-to-work laws Opposing school choice Supporting tax increases The government should not be the bills collector for union dues, especially when those unions are affiliated with national organizations that do not respect Tennessee values. SB 281 and HB 329 would increase minimum teacher pay to $50,000 over four years and end automatic payroll deduction of union dues.
The Michigan Education Association Improperly Took COVID-19 Relief Funds
March 6, 2023 // “The Michigan Education Association applied for money intended for struggling businesses during the height of the pandemic,” said Joseph G. Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “The union and MESSA obtained some of the largest PPP loans in the country. They took these funds, for which they were clearly ineligible, while shuttered restaurants, stores, other businesses and their workers struggled to stay afloat.” Private businesses and some nonprofits were eligible for the loans, but 501(c)(5) and 501(c)(9) organizations, like the MEA and MESSA, were clearly prohibited from receiving PPP funds. The Mackinac Center was eligible as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, but did not apply for assistance. In April 2020, the MEA and MESSA both applied for PPP funding. The MEA received $6.4 million while MESSA received a $6.1 million loan. Officials of both organizations certified that they had read the eligibility requirements of the program and asserted they were eligible for the loans. Money from the program ran out within weeks. While the union and MESSA eventually returned the improper funds in December 2020, taking them in the first place denied eligible businesses from receiving them.
Op-Ed: Just why are Utah teachers unions against school choice In Utah?
February 3, 2023 // Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney said members of the state’s largest teachers association are carefully monitoring the legislative process with respect to HB215. “If it passes tomorrow, we will be devastated. Our hearts will be broken,” she said. UEA members are “incredibly upset” that the salary increase was not decoupled from the choice scholarship so each could be considered on their respective merits, she said.
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION TRIES TO KILL SCHOOL CHOICE FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS
January 5, 2023 // The Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program is Illinois’ take on offering parents and students more flexibility in school options. But the Invest in Kids Act is set to expire Dec. 31, 2023. If CTU and its allies succeed and lawmakers allow the program to die, thousands of Illinois students and their families would be left scrambling for ways to stay in their schools. Or they might have to leave their private schools altogether. Lawmakers in the new year should make the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program permanent.
Teachers Union Sues To Keep School Closed
July 14, 2022 // Vertex expects to serve overwhelmingly low-income, minority families in the Bronx, and it plans to provide every student—not just the top students—with an International Baccalaureate education, a rigorous educational program that prepares students for challenging career and post-secondary options. But Vertex’s status is in question, because the United Federation of Teachers is suing to prevent the school from opening in August. Vertex Academies, New York law, Tunku Varadarajan,
Biden’s new charter school rules prioritize teachers’ unions over children
May 16, 2022 // The Biden administration’s proposed regulations would create roadblocks that would make the federal funds hard to access and charter school expansion more difficult. Additionally, the changes would work against charters serving students in urban communities and communities of color, as the proposed rules would require charters to be “racially and socio-economically diverse” — regardless of community needs.
Opinion: Biden’s political hacks won’t stop charter schools’ growth
May 16, 2022 // Much to the delight of teachers’ union bosses, the Biden administration is quickly becoming history’s most anti-(school) choice political pack, demonstrated most recently in its proposals to make charter schools’ access to federal funding more difficult.
Why Pennsylvania Needs Wisconsin-Style Government Union Reform
February 24, 2022 // Government union executives use this power to trap government employees in unions, deny them alternative representation, and lobby against fiscal and educational reforms needed to make Pennsylvania more prosperous.
Michigan Teachers’ Unions’ Desperate ‘Dark Money’ Fearmongering
February 9, 2022 // The unions and their allies are running out of options to preserve the public-school monopoly and deny the state’s families educational choice.
Reject Union Bosses’ Push for More Power over Kids’ Education
January 27, 2022 // Without school choice, parents and kids would have no option but to bear this top-down control, so it makes sense that citizens are leaving union-dominated government schools in record numbers. For much the same reason, teacher union bosses oppose giving parents choices like charter schools, because those options threaten union boss monopoly control over education.