Did you need a reason not to vote for Barack Obama? Perhaps need a reason to vote for John McCain? If I'm not convinced already, this press release from the National Education Association sure helps to push me in that direction:National Education Association President Reg Weaver announced today that he will ask the 9,000 locally elected delegates to the Association's Representative Assembly to take a formal vote to recommend that NEA's 3.2 million members support Barack Obama in his bid to become President of the United States.... The contrast between Obama and McCain on issues that matter most to NEA members – the economy, education and health care – is indeed stark. Obama opposes using public tax dollars to provide financial … [Read more...]
Bill Ritter Could Be Left All Alone to Defend His Property Tax Increase
From Face The State today:While Gov. Bill Ritter has eagerly insisted that he will appeal a Friday court ruling establishing that a mill levy freeze amounts to an unconstitutional tax increase under Colorado law, members of the state Board of Education, a defendant in the case, remain undecided about whether they will formally join in support of Ritter's challenge. It appears the District Court ruling may have emboldened the two Republicans on the State Board to change their mind. The Board meets in executive session tomorrow:Vice Chairman Bob Schaffer, R-Fort Collins, introduced in April a motion for the board to take a formal position, by way of public vote, on whether the department would “defend the lawsuit or [agree with] the … [Read more...]
Professional Teacher Organization Leader Condemns Denver “Sick-Outs”
In a letter at the Denver Post, the executive director of the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE) offers his opinion about the recent "sick-outs" in Denver Public Schools:It is disheartening to see some Denver teachers abandon the children they teach, instead choosing to participate in “sick-outs†and “park-outs†to protest the district’s generous and unprecedented offer. Sadly, for these individuals the education of children is not a priority. Districts and communities deserve the opportunity to invest in hard-working, quality teachers who are committed to educational excellence and should be able to reward teachers for the important work they do. Teachers deserve an association which promotes the … [Read more...]
Best Destiny: How Not to Respond to the Taxpayers’ Courtroom Win
Yesterday's Colorado Republican State Convention - with key video at Slapstick Politics and a great recap from Night Twister - was bolstered by the announcement of the taxpayers' legal victory against Gov. Bill Ritter for his unconstitutional property tax hike. But Michael at Best Destiny has some sage cautionary advice for Colorado Republicans on how to respond to Friday's courtroom decision:Republicans MUST NOT go out in public and seem too giddy about this. They should talk about checks and balances, and limiting the governor's ability to act unilaterally, and the majority's clear disregard for the Constitution. But if they seem like they're just glad to have the money taken back by the general public, it'll be a lot harder to … [Read more...]
Legal Victory for Taxpayers a Resounding Theme for Colorado GOP
From the GOP Convention in Broomfield... The Rocky Mountain News reports on yesterday's taxpayer victory in the courtroom:A law expected to raise $1.7 billion for Colorado schools over the next 11 years is unconstitutional because it gives the state more tax revenue without required approval from voters, a judge ruled Friday. Latest estimates are actually $3.8 billion, not $1.7 billion, but the news is good just the same. In his introductory remarks, state party chair Dick Wadhams' mention of the court ruling against Gov. Bill Ritter's tax hike earned perhaps the biggest applause from the Republican faithful gathered here at the Broomfield Event Center. If you don't think this is going to be a major GOP campaign theme heading into … [Read more...]
Rogue Denver Teacher Bloggers: Is It The Beginning of Something New?
Nowhere in Colorado is rank-and-file teacher dissent with the union so apparent as in the heart of Denver - for a multitude of reasons that cannot begin to be explored in this brief post. But an increasingly strained contract debate with the school board (Barack Obama alluded to it in his speech yesterday) - after the board offered a substantial raise as part of a progressive compensation system. Now a new splinter teachers group with an online presence has emerged in Denver (H/T Alan Gottlieb). It would be great to see these teachers continue posting on the blog they started. Interestingly, the local union president hasn't posted anything to her blog since this splinter group has emerged. The National Education Association, to which … [Read more...]
Grand Rapids School Board Pulls Plug on Union Payroll Deductions
I have family that live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. And when it comes to teachers unions, you might say my research interests and writings have not exactly put me very high on their Christmas card list. Take these two things together, and I found this story from last Friday rather interesting:In Grand Rapids, the school board today took a no-confidence vote in the leadership of the district's teachers union. The board also said it will no longer deduct and transmit dues for teachers' paychecks, effective May 30, the next pay period. Ladies and gentlemen, for the uninitiated, please understand that union leaders surely view this action by the Grand Rapids school board as equivalent to a nuclear weapon detonation. Ending automatic … [Read more...]
Denver Teacher Sick-Out … An Action Not Exactly “For the Children”
Some Denver schools are suffering today because unionized teachers organized a sickout, reports the Rocky Mountain News (H/T Complete Colorado):Not a single classroom teacher showed up for work today at Academia Ana Maria Sandoval in northwest Denver, forcing the principal to scramble to cover classrooms. All 16 classroom teachers plus a music teacher and the librarian called in sick, said Principal Debra Lucero Kraft. "I didn't have any warning," Kraft said. "I don't know what the goal is so I can't really speak to whether or not that accomplished their goal ... but certainly I'm not sure if leaving your students without a teacher is a way to address contract negotiations." Substitute teachers were found for all but five classes … [Read more...]
Conflicted Interests Behind Lawsuit Against Online Charter School?
Face The State has an interesting story today about possible conflict of interest behind a school district's attempted lawsuit to get rid of an innovative online public charter school:An education official involved in a lawsuit against an online charter school and the state school board is acting with conflicted interests, say some of those impacted by the legal action. Critics charge that Michael Poore, the assistant superintendent for Colorado Springs School District 11 and chairman of Colorado's Online Learning Advisory Board, faces a conflict when it comes to his district's legal action against Hope Online Learning Academy and the Colorado State Board of Education. Specifically, they object to the fact that he has been permitted … [Read more...]
Colorado Supreme Court: Unions Get a Pass from Electioneering Laws
Are Coloradans awakened yet to the union takeover of Colorado? On this site, I've covered Big Labor's controlling influence on the legislature (last year's House Bill 1072) and on Gov. Bill Ritter (union "partnership" executive order, anyone?). One that hasn't received as much play is the unions' controlling influence on the Colorado Supreme Court. What, you say? There's hardly any other way to explain the Court's 5-2 ruling yesterday that the teachers union is exempt from certain campaign finance restrictions in the state constitution. … [Read more...]
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