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UNIONS AND TEACHER ISSUES:
A Selection of Online Reading

Publications from the Independence Institute

Should Colorado School Districts Stop Collecting Political Funds?: Many Colorado public schools collect political funds for teachers' unions through payroll deduction. The paper suggests a prohibition on school districts withholding union dues.

The Ignacio Market Driven Compensation Plan and Why It Fell Short: In 2003, the Ignacio School District in southwestern Colorado unveiled a unique and innovative proposal that offered teachers more mentorship and professional development, performance-based incentives, and overall higher pay. Teachers would have given up their tenure protections in state law for a streamlined dismissal process within the district.
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Denver's ProComp and Teacher Compensation Reform in Colorado: A national leader in teacher pay innovation, Denver has created a model that other school districts can improve and expand.

A Double Victory for Teachers' Rights: Unions to Ask and Disclose: Decisions by a federal court and the Colorado Secretary of State on consecutive days in August 2006 spelled a preliminary dual victory for individual teachers and a setback for unaccountable union bosses.

Controversial Issues: They Belong in the Classroom: On the heels of the Jay Bennish story, Dr. Arnold Burron proposes a method for teachers to discuss disputed topics with their students.
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Court: Teachers Union in Poudre Puffs Bacon's Election: On July 20, 2006, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the Colorado Education Association illegally aided State Senator Bob Bacon's campaign in the crucial 2004 election.

Teachers Without License: The Douglas County School District has introduced an innovative local plan to expand curriculum options for high school students by bringing more non-traditional instructors into the classroom.

ProComp's Downgrade: Denver's new alternative compensation system for teachers is an improvement over the traditional salary schedule but still a long way from genuine merit pay.

Send CEA Back to School: By protesting Wal-Mart, the Colorado Education Association bites the hand that feeds its lucrative retirement plan.

Abusing Public Resources, Trampling Teachers’ Rights: The teachers' union has been caught abusing taxpayer resources for political purposes. Some of its favored legislators have been caught voting to trample teachers' rights.

Public Service Message Irritates Teachers’ Union: The Education Policy Center angered the teachers’ union when it performed an act of public service by showing teachers how to get partial union dues refunds.

It is Time to Respect Non-Union Teachers: Colorado Springs School District 11 negotiated a policy with the Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA) to annually burden individual teachers who don’t want to be union members.

Other Publications

Increasing the Odds: How Good Policies Can Create Better Teachers: The National Council on Teacher Quality highlights the factors that truly have an impact on the quality of our nation’s teachers, citing the most recent and responsible research.
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The NEA Pyramid: The Education Intelligence Agency analyzes the survey responses of NEA members regarding how much the union reflects their own beliefs.
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Disassociation from the NEA: Dr. Myron Lieberman of the Education Policy Institute in Washington, DC, explains how local unions can separate from the national organization.