Children are our future, and teachers are important guides in their lives. What they teach can have a lifetime impact on their students. When it comes to politics, it seems some educators believe their progressive attitudes should be taught in the classroom, causing a controversy with critics who say kids are being indoctrinated into leftist policies. It’s not just in the classrooms where this one-sided political influence is going on; teachers’ unions are throwing considerable financial weight into politics, spending more than $1 billion since 2015, mostly on Democratic candidates and programs, according to a new study.
The Cost of Education
Teachers, for the most part, don’t get paid a lot for their work. National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle told FOX Business that because public schools are under-resourced, "there is an unfortunate expectation that educators will spend their own money on school supplies and equipment." She added, "It disrespects educators as professionals and undermines their dedication to students. We don't ask nurses and doctors to provide their own equipment for doing their jobs."
In addition to providing supplies, educators also are expected to pay union dues, on average between 1% and 2% of their gross wages. These payments are supposed to help secure better pay and benefits, among other things. However, according to the NEA’s 2024 educator pay report, the average teacher wage has not kept pace with inflation over the past decade, Fox Business explained. “In fact, when adjusting for inflation, teachers are making 5% less on average than they did 10 years ago. The national average salary is $69,544, but the average starting salary sits at $44,530, according to NEA data. A majority of districts, about 77%, offer starting salaries under $50,000. Only 16.6% of districts offer salaries over $100,000, NEA reported.”
It’s bad enough that, despite paying union dues, teachers aren’t getting adequate pay in some instances. A new report by Defending Education revealed that those hard-earned dollars are dedicated to political contributions, and teachers have no say in how that money is spent or what organizations are funded.
Teachers' Unions Shell Out More Than $1 Billion on Politics
Defending Education’s report discovered that the American Federation of Teachers and the NEA directed $669 million to federal political causes and an additional $336 million to state and local campaigns, sums comprising member dues, political action committee contributions, and Committee on Political Election issues, The Center Square explained. “Teachers’ unions collect COPE and PAC dollars separately from their dues and fees.” Yes, the same NEA that reported teachers weren’t making enough in wages.
Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that the findings raise concerns about how unions allocate their funds and the impact at the state and local levels. “When you tie in money coming from the state and local level and the political game plan of teacher unions, it's just one giant political machine that is trying to take control of everything.”
The report noted that more than $85 million went directly to Democratic Party groups, which doesn’t include individual contributions to candidates. These unions also funded several progressive causes, ranging from climate initiatives to campaigns opposing school choice. Groups that took money from teachers’ unions include the National Center for Transgender Equality, Planned Parenthood, Color of Change + PAC, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, to name a few.
Defending Education President Nicole Neily told Fox News Digital, "It's time to dispense with the myth that unions care whatsoever about teachers' best interests. Educators are victims of a bait-and-switch: instead of their dues going to advocate for increased pay or improved working environments, they're being spent advancing a hard-left political agenda, underwriting causes such as climate change, gender activism, and abortion (as well as supporting progressive politicians at all levels)."
Further report findings show that unions and affiliated groups spent quite a bit of money to fight school choice: around $7.2 million in Kentucky, $4.3 million in Nebraska, and more than $4.2 million in Maine.
Teachers' unions spent quite a bit on state and local levels, too. More than $1.3 million was dedicated to a Los Angeles Unified Schools District board race, for example. The agencies spent more than $135.8 million in local and state donations. “These are proxies for the teachers’ union,” Staley told The Center Square. “These unions are taking lots of money, and they're pouring it into these local groups who are having massive impacts at the local level.”
As The Center Square relayed, the unions are involved in broader political and social movements, such as activities related to May Day demonstrations, “where some groups promoted student participation in protests related to immigration enforcement.” Staley told the outlet that students are being used as “propaganda” for unions to show participation in protests, but “they’re not really engaged. The teachers’ unions are very unique because they are teachers who are directly involved with children, and a lot of this is meant to develop their next generation of political allies,” he said.
Staley told Fox News Digital:
"Show me your budget and I will show you what you value; and what the teachers unions value is political power and advancing a left wing, social justice agenda. Parents, families, and communities have little to no counter to the influence that teachers union dollars have on state and local campaigns. Gone are the days of unions just advocating for higher wages, better working conditions, and good health insurance; they are a political machine focused on fomenting a ‘political revolution.’"
When teachers' unions spend huge amounts of money on politics instead of focusing on pay and classroom needs, people have a right to ask questions. Educators and parents may not agree on all political positions, yet union dues are still being used to support those on one side of the divide. Schools are supposed to educate children, not help build political movements, and many Americans are growing concerned that teachers' unions have become more focused on pushing a left-wing agenda than helping students succeed.
"It’s very clear that teachers unions seek to destroy our country by turning our students against it," Teacher Freedom Alliance CEO Ryan Walters told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
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