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Charter schools may face new era of opposition to funding

After a quarter-century of explosive increases in California, charter schools experienced all-time lows in growth the last two school years. And charters may also be facing an era of much harsher treatment from school boards allied with teachers unions who more than

Rematch coming of high-profile 2014 race for state superintendent of public instruction

James Poulos March 15, 2017

The most expensive contest on the 2014 California ballot is set to return next year. “Marshall Tuck, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent schools chief Tom Torlakson in a contentious 2014 race that became a proxy fight over a lawsuit on teacher

CA Supreme Court shuts down lawsuit against teachers union job protections

James Poulos August 29, 2016

Declining to hear an appeal, the California Supreme Court brought an apparent end to the saga of California’s historic lawsuit against teachers union job protections, alleged to violate students’ constitutional rights. A majority of justices “declined to hear the case, Vergara v. California, and

CA appeals court reverses landmark ruling that upended teacher tenure

James Poulos April 15, 2016

In national news with profound statewide reverberations, a California appeals court reversed the controversial decision handed down two years ago in Vergara v. the State of California and the California Teachers Association. “At issue were five state laws that established layoff

CA poll: Public schools good, tenure bad

James Poulos April 16, 2015

A new poll indicated that Californians broadly supported public school reform, even among respondents whose support for public education remained strong: “Californians trust their public school teachers and want to spend more money supporting public schools, according to a recent poll. […] California

Pension crisis divides CA Dems on UC tuition hikes

James Poulos November 20, 2014

A 14-7 vote Thursday by the full University of California Board of Regents made it official: Golden State Democrats are deeply divided on tuition increases, thanks to the intractable politics of underfunded pensions. On one side are Democrats who favored the increases, including UC President Janet Napolitano,

VIDEO: Teachers unions, Common Core and other roadblocks to reform

CalWatchdog Staff November 15, 2014

Cal Watchdog’s James Poulos interviews filmmaker Bob Bowdon about the national trends in school choice and bottom-up solutions for education reform.

Union-backed Torlakson beating reformer Tuck

John Seiler November 4, 2014

It looks like the state’s ultra-powerful teachers unions won another one. Early returns show incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson defeating reformer Marshall Tuck, 55-45. The unions’ strategy of spending tens of millions of dollars — all of

Deasy resignation continues LAUSD turmoil

James Poulos October 24, 2014

John Deasy’s recent resignation as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District ends three years of controversy. But a cloud of chalk dust remains over the mammoth district’s future. Deasy conceded his policies sowed sharp disagreements. And a conciliatory statement by

CTA battles CA Democrats

James Poulos September 26, 2014

In a surprise twist this election season, the CTA and its backers, across a number of pressing issues, have adopted positions at odds with powerful Democratic incumbents and newcomers. The catalyst was the Vergara v. California case. Education scholar Joshua