Teachers union spends more on Dem causes than its own members, analysis finds

A brand new evaluation of the Nationwide Training Affiliation’s spending reveals that in 2020-2021 the academics union spent a fraction of its cash on representing members and greater than double that quantity on political actions.

In keeping with knowledge compiled by People for Truthful Therapy, 17.6% of the NEA’s spending went to political actions and lobbying, with simply 8.6% going to representational exercise. Political actions additionally accounted for extra spending than worker advantages, which made up 15.1% of the group’s expenditures.

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“The NEA spent a complete of $374 million in the course of the 2020-2021 fiscal yr. A meager 9% of the union’s spending was on ‘representational actions,’ or cash that’s spent on to help its members,” AFFT CEO David Osborne stated in an announcement. “In distinction, 18% went to political actions, whereas one other 32% went to ‘contributions, presents, and grants,’ spending that can also be largely political in nature. These numbers present the place their priorities lie.”

“The Nationwide Training Affiliation’s (NEA) political and charitable spending in 2020-2021 makes the NEA look extra like a political group than a membership group,” People for Truthful Therapy added in its report.

“Contributions, presents and grants” was the NEA’s largest expense class at 31.5%, however the evaluation confirmed that spending that falls below that label may also be political in nature because it included a $1 million contribution to the left-wing tremendous PAC Future Ahead USA Motion.

Empty classroom. 
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The NEA additionally has its personal tremendous PAC, NEA Advocacy Fund. The union gave $15.7 million to the tremendous PAC between Sept. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021. It additionally gave $1.85 million to the Strategic Victory Fund tremendous PAC, which contributes cash to Democratic candidates and causes, and $6.7 million to the State Engagement Fund, which is a part of the Democracy Alliance community that helps left-wing causes and candidates.

The union’s political spending elevated considerably over the earlier yr, from $51 million in 2020 to $66 million in 2021. It additionally introduced in $377 million in member dues, ($200 yearly per member), roughly $2 million greater than the prior yr, though membership decreased by greater than 65,000.