IntenseDebate - BenBoychuk

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 1 reply · +4 points

"I'm more surprised this legislation ever made it into law." It almost didn't. The bill passed by a single vote in the state assembly and state senate in January, as part of a larger package of special legislation to better position California to compete for a piece of federal Race to the Top money. There was a huge fight among Democrats. The California Teachers Association strongly opposed it. The president of the California Federation of Teachers called the provision a "lynch mob law."

"...unless charter schools must employ unionized teachers..."

That's the reason teachers unions generally deride and oppose charters; because most are NOT unionized. (There are a few exceptions. Green Dot in Los Angeles is one.)

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 1 reply · +3 points

Great idea. There's a guy in Georgia who is proposing exactly that. Wrote about it here: http://www.heartland.org/schoolreform-news.org/Ar...

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 1 reply · +1 points

Because the Los Angeles Parent Revolution is a self-styled "progressive" organization directed by a fellow who used to work for Bill Clinton. But that's OK, because the California law can be used by anyone with the savvy to collect signatures on a page. Interestingly, several of the other parent trigger bills popping up in places like New Jersey, Indiana, and West Virginia are being carried by Republicans. I've been dropping this link a lot, but in case you missed it, read more about the parent trigger's expansion here: http://www.heartland.org/schoolreform-news.org/Pa...

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 1 reply · +1 points

Correct. But here's the thing: All California did was adopt the language from the Federal Register on "school turnarounds," as part of the state's ill-fated effort to get a piece of $4.35 billion in Race to the Top money. California didn't get the money -- or the additional red tape -- but parents still have the law.

Other states are looking at this parent trigger law now and saying it's got real potential. But instead of adopting the language of federal regulations, they're saying, "Let's do vouchers instead." New Jersey, Indiana, and West Virginia are taking that route. Four or five others are likely to follow soon. Read all more about the pros and cons of the parent trigger here: http://www.heartland.org/schoolreform-news.org/Pa...

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 1 reply · +2 points

New Jersey, Indiana and West Virginia have either introduced legislation or are circulating draft bills that improve on California's law greatly. Several other states, including Georgia and Michigan, may follow. There's a lot happening with the parent trigger outside of Compton, and well beyond California. We've been all over it for months. Read more about it here: http://www.heartland.org/schoolreform-news.org/Pa...

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 0 replies · +2 points

Think bigger. California's law offers a kernel of an opportunity. The remedies offered under the California law were taken straight from the Federal Register. Remember, California passed the law as part of a package of special legislation to compete for Race to the Top money. Well, any other state could say, "We like this trigger idea, but we'll come up with our own remedies, thanks." And that's exactly what's happening in New Jersey, Indiana, and West Virginia, and will probably happen sooner or later in five or six other states.

No law is perfect. But this one sure has the unions and the school districts bureaucrats running scared. They wouldn't be lying so much if they weren't afraid of this spreading. The point of the negative coverage over the past week is to discourage other parents from following suit.

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 0 replies · +2 points

Nope, not Green Dot. Although much has been made of Green Dot's involvement in the parent trigger, as if a single charter school operator could shape parents' actions up and down a state of 30 million people. The charter operator under consideration for Compton's McKinley Elementary is Celerity, which runs four schools. Here's the website. http://www.celerityschools.org/. You can find the board of directors there.

15 years ago @ Big Government - L.A. Parents Pull the ... · 2 replies · +3 points

He is. On Monday, state Sen. Joe Kyrillos, who served as Christie's campaign chairman, introduced his own version of the parent trigger in the New Jersey legislature. Unlike California's law, however, the New Jersey version would strip away some of the bureaucratic impediments and give parents access to a voucher to send their kids to the school of their choice.

Indiana and West Virginia will likely soon follow suit. The Heartland Institute, where I'm managing editor of School Reform News, has been following this for awhile. We even drafted model legislation, with the idea of improving what California started. You can read more about the parent trigger here: http://www.heartland.org/schoolreform-news.org/Pa...

There's a lot more going on.

16 years ago @ GeekTyrant - VENGEANCE and TAKEN 2 ... · 2 replies · +1 points

I don't know if the world needs a sequel to "Taken," but I hope the filmmakers and the studio have the wisdom to call it "Retaken." (Or, in a concession to silly typographical tropes: "ReTaken.")

16 years ago @ Big Hollywood - Review: Year One · 0 replies · +1 points

"I loved the 'Inquisition' musical extravaganza."

What a show!

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