National Education Association – Not Focused On Student Learning.

Image Credit: NEA Today / Facebook

Submitted by David Coleman –

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is the local chapter of the National Education Association (NEA) labor union. If asked to name the most significant detriment to our government schools, I would say the NEA is the most destructive. Its extreme, leftist positions have been poisoning American education for years.

A local teacher provided me with the cost breakdown a teacher pays to be a member of the teacher’s union. Of the $574.50 they paid, $204 went to the TEA, $309.50 to the NEA, and $61 stayed local.

The NEA, which is the largest labor union in America, claims to have 3 million members. They collect hundreds of millions of dollars in dues, and much of this money stays in their own pockets. The NEA’s base payroll is more than $69 million, with the average employee making $131,000 each. Much of this money is also used to buy influence.

At one of NEA’s annual conventions, their general counsel Bob Chanin spoke about how money is used to buy power.

He said, “Despite what some among us would like to believe, it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children, and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power, and we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year….”

When the NEA met in the summer of 2019 for their annual convention, the delegates were asked to vote on New Business Item 2, which placed student learning at the center of the NEA’s purpose.

It read: “The National Education Association will re-dedicate itself to the pursuit of increased student learning in every public school in America by putting a renewed emphasis on quality education. NEA will make student learning the priority of the Association. NEA will not waiver in its commitment to student learning by adopting the following lens through which we will assess every NEA program and initiative: How does the proposed action promote the development of students as lifelong reflective learners? It is essential that we focus resources on the core ideals of our organization: student learning. By adopting a lens focused on student learning, NEA will be able to evaluate options more objectively with the goal of developing lifelong reflective learners.”

The proposal was voted down.

The NEA spends large amounts of money on political causes and candidates that many of our local teachers would not support. As Mr. Chanin said, the money is used to buy power.

In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, they spent $66 million on politics. According to OpenSecrets.org, the NEA is first or second in political spending for labor unions every election cycle. They also estimate that at least 94% of this money goes to Democrat candidates.

If you visit the NEA website, you will find highly partisan positions and advocacy work on issues unrelated to education, such as immigration, police reform, voting rights, gun control, marriage equality, student debt cancellation, etc.  They use their money and power to lobby and advocate for progressive policies that are often far to the left of their dues-paying members.

Articles on their website include Are You Biased? Yes You Are, White Privilege Permeates Education, Systemic Racism, White Supremacy Culture, School Vouchers – An Enduring Racist Practice. They refer to systemic inequalities that our students face, offer Black Lives Matter posters for schools, and support the historically inaccurate and CRT-based 1619 project.

The NEA is heavily engaged in sexuality initiatives for children. They have published a gender identity pronoun guide for teachers, offer sexually-themed reading lists for kids, argue that school dress codes are unfair to transgender children, support Title IX changes, and much more.

Local teachers don’t have to keep funding the NEA. If you don’t want to give your hard-earned money to the NEA, there are viable options that offer the same benefits without the propaganda machine. These options can be found at TeacherFreedom.org.

Teachers across America are choosing these alternatives to the NEA. Now that Tennessee school systems can no longer offer automatic paycheck deductions for union dues, it is a perfect time to look at other options.