Teacher unions
Still gross
The Gross Receipts Tax remains a horrible idea.
The Nevada special interests that regularly plump for a "broad based business tax" always couch their advocacy in the language of good public policy.
It's interesting, therefore, that the particular tax they’ve worked hardest for - a statewide gross receipts tax - is actually one of the worst public policy choices conceivable, according to non-partisan public finance experts.
United against choice
Opponents of school choice continue to march in lockstep.
While recognition is growing that greater school choice is badly needed in Nevada and across the country, the National Education Association, at its annual meeting in Philadelphia this summer, hardened its position against charter schools and school choice.
Educational feudalism
The peasants are beginning to revolt.
Teachers often bemoan the fact that they are neither seen nor treated as true professionals. It is true that teachers are not held in nearly as high a regard in American culture as they are in many others. Having taught in Estonia, I’ve experienced the difference in treatment that teachers receive there as compared to here in the United States. In fact, students don’t refer to their teachers by name in Estonia, instead using the term “teacher” as a respectful way to address educators.
The Red Herring
Nevada K-12 education’s real problem is huge and systemic waste
The old and bogus controversy over Nevada’s ranking in the national per-pupil spending sweepstakes flared up in the Legislature again last week. As usual, an accusatory tag team of government educrats and teacher union operatives was on offense.
A Conspiracy against Excellence
Teacher union salary schedules reward the mediocre, penalize the talented
Recent research has shown that teachers are by far the most important factor in student achievement—some 20 times as important as other factors, like class size or socioeconomic status.
Nevada Education: Laying the Groundwork
Education is Nevada's greatest budget priority, comprising nearly 55% of the state's budget. Even though Nevada leads the nation in terms of percentage of money spent on education, results on standardized tests remain near the national average. Such a performance record would put any investor in the private sector out of business. This study outlines three major problem areas - the economies, politics, and accountability of education in Nevada. The author recommends reforms that would improve the level of education in Nevada.
Watershed
An 800-pound gorilla of Nevada politics is dropping weight fast
One thing the election showed is that Nevadans are getting wise to teacher-union tricks.
The Scofflaw NEA
If you’ve ever wondered why Nevada taxes keep going up despite the wishes of most Nevadans, a big reason is unreported political money poured into the state by the National Education Association.
The Bad Faith Coalition
See if you can spot a pattern here. The state AFL-CIO puts on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment. It describes this to the media as a measure to raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour. Except that the fine print of the proposed amendment turns out to exempt companies from the law if they make a deal with Big Labor! Yes, the scheme would give labor union officials the legal power to permit union companies to hire new employees at rates below the new minimum wage. It’s an engraved invitation to mob-style union corruption.
With Some Fava Beans
It was in the film version of Silence of the Lambs that writer Thomas Harris’ unforgettable character, Hannibal Lecter, was introduced to the broader American public.
