Posts tagged students
Commentary Mailee Smith: Federal labor bill could force social agendas into private school contracts
October 8, 2026 // A union that organizes employees with the intent of ultimately closing their schools also is capable of organizing a private school with the intent of introducing drastic contract provisions, especially when those provisions already have been demanded in its other contracts. The FLCA would give teachers unions an additional tool in their arsenal against anything that isn’t a traditional public school.
Kentucky Students Struggle to Read and Do Math as Teachers’ Unions Sit on More Than $22 Million
October 8, 2026 // Since 2018: KEA’s workforce fell 40 percent Direct member benefits fell 32 percent Net assets climbed 198 percent, reaching $12.3 million At the same time, KEA spent 53 percent of its FY2025 budget on staff compensation and benefits. Executive Director Mary Ruble received $254,498, roughly 4.6 times the approximately $55,000 average Kentucky public-school teacher salary used in the report. KEA’s political operation tells another striking story. 96.1 percent of KEPAC political spending went to liberal issue committees or Democratic candidates and party committees. KEA lobbying disclosures also show $150,000 allocated to receptions and events for legislators in 2026 alone.
Local drivers officially on strike, disrupting transportation for thousands of students
October 1, 2026 // The district’s transportation contractor, First Student, is in a contract dispute with the local bus drivers union. If the two sides do not reach a deal by midnight Wednesday, more than 5,000 students could be without bus service Thursday morning, affecting students at 11 schools, including eight elementary schools.
Disregard for students showcased in Sheridan teacher strike
May 27, 2026 // The Sheridan teachers did have a legal right to strike, but not a morally justifiable one. They seriously disrupted the lives of innocent schoolchildren and their parents, holding them hostage to the union’s demands. When a grocery union strikes, customers can do business elsewhere. However, teachers are government employees within a school district that has a monopoly on publicly-funded education. And unlike private sector employers, Colorado school boards can refuse to allow a union. In 2012, a new Republican majority on the Douglas County School Board decertified its teacher union when the collective-bargaining agreement expired. (A new Democrat majority on the DougCo school board will likely welcome the union back with open arms.)
Fearing instability at Boston-area school, faculty ask for job protections if the school closes
May 1, 2026 // She and other faculty in low-enrollment programs are being asked to teach outside their fields because enrollment is too low to sustain courses within their areas of expertise. While education programs are facing declines at many universities, she attributes the downfall to administrative issues. She said shared governance and the institutional mission of social justice are being abandoned.
Chicago Public Schools declare May 1 a ‘day of civic action’ for students
April 20, 2026 // However, CPS added that schools can allow "optional participation" in "civic engagement events" for students who wish to attend protests or take part in civic activities during the school day under state laws. "Principals may exercise their existing authority to provide students the opportunity to participate in events and field trips, including civic engagement activities on May 1 during the school day. Schools wishing to participate must follow the existing CPS student travel policy and normal field trip procedures," the CPS statement read.
Union Activists Launch Full Scale Attack on Students, Families in AZ
February 8, 2026 // But now, the same sorts of union activists who called for shuttering schools during the pandemic and who unleashed unprecedented learning loss upon our public school students are now trying to smother the state’s flourishing ESA program. Despite the effort to paint this campaign as “protecting education,” it is nothing more than direct attack on students and families.
No More Snow Days for New York City Students. Blame the Teachers’ Union
January 27, 2026 // Mamdani may have been the face of the decision, but he wasn’t its author. The real culprit behind the disappearance of snow days is the scheduling inflexibility caused by new holidays and the city’s contract with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The Department of Education (DOE) sets the school calendar in close consultation with the teachers’ union, which generally tries to minimize the work required of its members. During the 2023 contract negotiations, the DOE issued calendars for the following two school years, effectively locking in the current 2025–26 school calendar as part of the teachers’ labor contract. Over the years, the DOE calendar has also inserted more holidays as a sign of cultural inclusivity. Mayor Bill de Blasio added Lunar (Chinese) New Year and the Muslim holy days of Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha. Mayor Eric Adams added Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
OHIO: Springfield Local Schools suspends transportation services, breakfast program
January 7, 2026 // With support staff expected to go on strike starting Jan. 7, the district announced that all transportation services will be suspended for Jan. 7. The breakfast program will also be suspended starting Jan. 7.
CSU uses loan to pay employees, sparking faculty and union protests
November 21, 2025 // CSU unionized faculty and staff assembled on Tuesday to demand the CSU use a $144 million state loan to meet their requests rather than distribute a one-time employee payment. The CSU announced in October that it would use the loan to compensate employees, sparking disagreement among faculty who want the loan to go toward programs, college budgets, raises and more.