A couple of fine gentlemen from Northern Colorado - who are doing courageous, stand-up work to help parents and taxpayers take back their schools from the corrupt unions and their ties to the bureaucratic educational monopoly - need your help. I've written about them before. If nothing else, please take time to read the following letter from one of the two crusaders: Dear Friends: My name is Wayne Rutt. Together with Paul Marrick, I have filed a complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State against the Poudre Education Association. This is the teachers union in the Fort Collins school district. The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 AM on May 2, 2005, at 1120 Lincoln Street in Denver. As outlined in our complaint we believe that the … [Read more...]

One day after I reported on leftist CSU-Pueblo professor David Sandoval's e-mail assault against conservative colleague Dan Forsyth, Rocky Mountain News editor has taken both men to task in a piece titled, "Profs acting badly." Another case of a faculty member unrepentantly out of line (and maybe soon to enjoy the spotlight - do the news pages and TV cameras have room for both Churchill AND Sandoval?). Another case of university administrators hamstrung by tenure. Hat tip to Real Clear Politics. … [Read more...]

Developing story from CSU-Pueblo. Stay tuned... It appears that Dr. Dan Forsyth - the professor cleared of charges accusing him of creating a "racially hostile environment" in his classroom for holding conservative views on immigration - has not experienced the last of trouble. Credible sources indicate that a liberal faculty colleague of Forsyth has widely disseminated a threatening e-mail around campus. The author of the e-mail, Chicano Studies Professor David Sandoval, declared his efforts to bring radical activists in to Pueblo to "address the bigotry done" by Forsyth. The message continues: "My prediction is that before it is over there will be physical violence on this campus...." Sandoval's e-mail also invoked the radical … [Read more...]

My first opinion column ever to appear in the Rocky Mountain News runs this morning in the Speakout section: "Don't pay teachers for days on strike." With the labor dispute heating up between Denver Public Schools and the teachers' union, you'll want to get the taxpayer-friendly perspective on the issue. All right, all right. Even if the subject doesn't interest you in the least, you could at least humor me by following the link. … [Read more...]

Denver's mainstream media has begun to take serious notice of Hugh Hewitt's desire to become the next president of CU: Hewitt says CU needs a president who can do a good PR job for the school. "I've been a professor for 10 years at Chapman University Law School so I know about faculties, but I think the most important thing is that you listen to the public," Hewitt said. "You be aware of what they expect out of the university and you communicate that to the people who make up the faculty and you take care of the students." The endorsement of the Rocky Mountain Alliance, though currently delayed, is soon forthcoming. Maybe we'll have to consider just how serious The Chancellor of the Collegiate Peaks is about seeking this job. … [Read more...]

A real ruckus has been raised after former US Senator and University of Northern Colorado President Hank Brown withdrew his name from consideration for an interim term in the top post at CU, following critical remarks from a black Democrat state senator saying that Brown lacked a commitment to affirmative action and racial diversity. Hank Brown, a conservative Republican of character, experience, and stature, commands tremendous respect in wide-ranging circles in Colorado. It's a shame that he decided to withdraw his name from contention, since Senator Brown is a qualified man of class and dignity who could have done wonders for the campus at Boulder. Of course, the charge by Senator Peter Groff (President pro tem of the Senate) that … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago I posted on a significant case where two Fort Collins parents have filed a formal complaint against the local teachers' union for violating campaign laws, including using public resources for political purposes. According to Paul Marrick, one of the parents who filed the complaint, both sides have requested a continuance and no date has been set for the hearing to start. Eventually the case will go before an administrative law judge. And when it does, the light of day will be shined on the union's practices. If Marrick and his fellow complainant Wayne Rutt are successful, it could be a critical blow struck for education reform in Colorado. Such a result could open up investigations into further violations and offenses … [Read more...]