Amy Oliver Show: Dougco Moves On without Teachers Union
Senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow explains how the Douglas County School District no longer recognizes a single union as the sole representative for teachers in the district and what impact that decision has on other districts in the state.
AFT Union Pins Fading Hopes on State Intervention to Save Power in Dougco
As of July 1, following the collective bargaining agreement’s expiration, Colorado’s 60,000-student Douglas County School District became the state’s largest without a recognized teachers union. The ball is in the court of Governor Hickenlooper and his appointed labor department director after the AFT’s request for state intervention. Since the legal foundation for the request is not very strong, Colorado may be looking at a breakthrough moment in the K-12 education profession.
Nevada Group Notifies Clark County Teachers of Brief Opt-Out Window, Membership Options
Every year the Independence Institute reaches out to Colorado teachers to let them know about their options, particularly the right of union members to receive a rebate of political funds collected along with their dues. This year the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) has followed suit with a notice to teachers in their state’s largest […]
Coulson in Wall St. Journal: Too Many Teachers Means Time for Tax Credits
Even though it’s the middle of the summer, your (no, really, it will be fun) homework assignment is to read the new Wall Street Journal guest opinion column by the Cato Institute’s Andrew Coulson:
Since 1970, the public school workforce has roughly doubled—to 6.4 million from 3.3 million—and two-thirds of those new hires are teachers or […]
NEA Delegates Fight Their Own Power; Pres. Obama Phones In from Underwater?
While I was gone fishing, the National Education Association had its annual representative assembly. Apparently, nothing took place there like in 2009, when the outgoing NEA general counsel proclaimed the union’s true priorities. Actually, it’s more along the spirit of last year, though, when NEA delegates took both sides in the debate over using value-added […]
Would More States Adopt School Choice If I Took Blogging Breaks More Often?
I left you with a school choice summertime smile, took a couple weeks to bask in the sun, only to return to find a host of good news on which to report:
A bipartisan group of New Hampshire legislators overrode their governor’s veto to enact a brand-new tax credit scholarship program — the Cato Institute’s Adam […]
Bad Times Bring Great Education Reforms
Former Colorado Commissioner of Education Dr. William Moloney discusses remarkable education reforms in Louisiana, Indiana, and Idaho.
Quiet D.C. Scholarship Program Expansion Gives Me a Summertime Smile
Anyone who has followed my opinions here for awhile knows that I’m a big fan of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides real choices to a small number of needy students in our nation’s capital. Well, I had to smile because the Washington Post reports this week that leaders from both parties in Congress […]
DeGrow Questions Proposed Denver Education Tax Hike on 9News
Denver 9News education reporter Nelson Garcia recorded comment from senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow in a story about Denver Public Schools’ consideration of placing a combined $500 million property tax increase on this fall’s ballot for voters to decide.
6/19/12
Newsletter June 19 2012
— Dougco School Board Nears Key Decision about Teachers Union Power
— Watch Devil’s Advocate Discussion of Digital Learning
— Case for Bold K-12 Funding Reforms Growing Strong
— Eddie Gets on School Choice Roll, Plus a Couple Odds & Ends
No More Middleman: Find Your Colorado School Bargaining Agreements
I am young and energetic, and have pretty keen eyes. But sometimes things slip past me. I admit it (or maybe I just could cast the blame on my Education Policy Center friends… they have pretty big shoulders). In this case, it slipped through during Colorado’s recent legislative session. House Bill 1240 was advertised as […]
K-12 Finance Reform Video Stars Differ on Weighted Student Funding Views
Education Week last week ran with a story touting renewed local interest in the weighted student funding concept. Quoted in the story, the Center on Reinventing Public Education’s Dr. Marguerite Roza noted that while current budget pressures have sparked interest, the policy offers some real benefits:
Weighted student funding can also help promote nonstandard staffing models […]
