Senior policy analyst Ben DeGrow commented recently in an American Family Radio News (One News Now) story about the Douglas County school board’s decision to move forward without a monopoly bargaining agent for teachers. DeGrow told reporter Bob Kellogg that the board’s decision could resonate elsewhere:

“Teachers can be treated as professionals, they don’t necessarily need the blue-collar labor model to represent them, and they still have their professional voices heard,” he remarks. “So this is something that we may be seeing more of in the near future.”

When the board no longer agreed to grant monopoly power to the Douglas County Federation of Teachers, the organization’s leaders refused to accept the offer to act as one bargaining agent among several from which teachers could choose. Colorado’s third-largest school district also no longer collects union dues (including political funds) through payroll deductions, nor pays unaccountable union officers with taxpayer money. Douglas County is far and away Colorado’s largest school district without a teacher collective bargaining agreement.

Follow the link to read the story and listen to a 1-minute audio clip.