Over the weekend, I received an e-mail that quite disturbing, it detailed where teachers’ dues went. This is the greatest example of transferring wealth between an individual and a corrupt organization that “advocates” on behalf of teachers. In short the money earned by teachers is going to organizations that don’t help advance their goals of better pay and improving education.
Here is an analysis of where your money goes. If this chilling account doesn’t cause teachers or just union members everywhere to question their organizations and what they are doing with their money then I fear nothing in our workforce will change.
An Education Intelligence Agency analysis of NEA’s financial disclosure report for the 2007-08 fiscal year reveals the national union contributed $11.7 million to a wide variety of advocacy groups, charities, and advisors. The total is about the same as it was in the previous fiscal year, but does not include spending from the final two months of the 2008 election campaign.
The expenditures fall into broad categories of community outreach grants, charitable contributions, and payments for services rendered. In this list, EIA has deliberately omitted spending such as media buys, or payments to pollsters or consultants that have no obvious ideological component. Nor does it include any direct payments to NEA affiliates. The grants range from more than $1.2 million to fight a Florida property tax initiative down to smaller amounts to groups such as ACORN, FairTest, Planned Parenthood, and People for the American Way.
Here is an alphabetic list of the recipients of NEA’s largesse, with relevant web links:
ACORN <http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=1600> – $178,000
AFL-CIO <http://www.afl-cio.org/> – $190,588
AIDS Walk <http://www.aidswalkwashington.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=257099> – $5,000
Alliance for a Better Minnesota <http://www.allianceminnesota.org/> – $33,333
American Institutes for Research <http://www.air.org/> – $26,466
American Library Association <http://www.ala.org/> – $10,000
Asian American Justice Center <http://www.advancingequality.org/> – $5,000
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund <https://www.aaldef.org/> – $6,000
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies <http://www.apaics.org/> – $5,000
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance <http://www.apalanet.org/> – $5,000
Baptist Center for Ethics <http://www.ethicsdaily.com/> – $10,000
Campaign for America’s Future <http://home.ourfuture.org/> – $45,000
Casa de Angeles Foundation <http://casa-de-angeles-foundation.idilogic.aidpage.com/casa-de-angeles-foundation/index.b124.u136.htm> – $7,500
Center for Civic Action <http://clearlynewmexico.com/> – $25,000
Center for Community Change <http://www.communitychange.org/> – $25,000
Center for Economic Organizing <http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3265084/Randy-Barber-President-Center-for.html> – $12,000
Center for Law and Education <http://www.cleweb.org/> – $50,000
Center for Policy Alternatives <http://www.cfpa.org/> – $5,000
Center for Teaching Quality <http://www.teachingquality.org/> – $250,697
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association <http://www.theciaa.com/landing/index.html> – $81,500
Children’s Defense Fund <http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer> – $5,000
Coalition for Our Communities <http://votenoquestion1.com/> – $750,000
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists <http://www.cbtu.org/> – $5,000
Coalition on Human Needs <http://www.chn.org/> – $6,000
Committee for Education Funding <http://www.cef.org/> – $13,570
Committee on States <http://www.idealist.org/en/org/178392-129> – $25,000
Communities for Quality Education <http://www.qualityednow.org/> – $700,000
Community Teachers Institute <http://www.communityteachers.org/> – $10,000
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. <http://www.cbcfinc.org/> – $31,700
Council of Chief State School Officers <http://www.ccsso.org/> – $171,248
Council of State Governments <http://www.csg.org/> – $14,000
Democracy Alliance <http://www.democracyalliance.org/> – $110,000
Democratic GAIN <http://www.democraticgain.org/> – $10,000
Democratic Leadership Council <http://www.dlc.org/index.cfm> – $45,000
Denver 2008 Convention Planning Committee <http://www.denverconvention2008.com/index.cfm?page=home> – $1,000,000
Economic Policy Institute <http://www.epinet.org/> – $325,000
Education Commission of the States <http://www.ecs.org/> – $69,031
Education Development Center <http://main.edc.org/> – $5,000
Education Law Center <http://www.edlawcenter.org/> – $10,000
Everybody Wins DC <http://www.everybodywinsdc.org/> – $7,100
Fair Elections Legal Network <http://www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/> – $15,000
FairTest <http://www.fairtest.org/> – $35,000
Ford’s Theatre <http://www.fordstheatre.org/> – $10,000
Fuse Washington <http://www.fusewashington.org/> – $15,000
Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network <http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html> – $157,500
GOP Convention Strategies <http://www.gopconventionstrategies.com/> – $89,000
Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice <http://www.greatlakescenter.org/> – $250,000
Harvard Labor and Worklife Program <http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/lwp> – $5,000
Health Care for America Now! <http://healthcareforamericanow.org/> – $500,000
Healthy Schools Network <http://www.healthyschools.org/> – $5,000
Human Rights Campaign <http://www.hrc.org/> – $15,000
Indianapolis Voting Rights Coalition – $5,000
Institute for Collaborative Leadership <http://www.collaborativeleaders.com/> – $15,000
Iowa Politics.com <http://iowapolitics.com/> – $7,500
Japanese American Citizens League <http://www.jacl.org/> – $5,000
Jobs for America’s Graduates <http://www.jag.org/> – $5,000
Jobs with Justice <http://www.jwj.org/> – $20,500
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies <http://www.jointcenter.org/> – $10,000
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights <http://www.civilrights.org/> – $17,000
League of United Latin American Citizens <http://www.lulac.org/> – $10,000
Learning First Alliance <http://www.learningfirst.org/> – $55,875
Learning Project <http://www.thelearningproject.com/> – $11,494
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund <http://www.maldef.org/> – $10,000
National Action Network <http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/> – $15,000
NASA Pre-Service Teacher Program <http://research.nianet.org/pstp> – $10,000
National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education <http://www.naapae.net/> – $5,750
National Association for Bilingual Education <http://www.nabe.org/> – $5,000
National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans <http://www.searac.org/nafea.html> – $5,500
National Association of Hispanic Journalists <http://www.nahj.org/home/home.shtml> – $5,000
National Association of Legislative and Political Specialists for Education <http://www.nalpse.org/Default.htm> – $13,019
National Baptist Voice <http://www.nationalbaptistvoice.com/> – $5,950
National Black Caucus of State Legislators Labor Roundtable <http://www.nbcsl.org/laborrt.html> – $10,500
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards <http://www.nbpts.org/> – $7,500
National Coalition of ESEA Title I Parents <http://www.nctic1p.org/> – $5,000
National Coalition on Health Care <http://www.nchc.org/> – $25,000
National Conference of Democratic Mayors <http://www.democraticmayors.org/> – $7,500
National Conference of State Legislatures <http://www.ncsl.org/> – $54,775
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education <http://www.ncate.org/> – $279,230
National Council on Black Civic Participation <http://www.ncbcp.org/> – $5,000
National Council of Nonprofits <http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/> – $10,000
National Indian Education Association <http://www.niea.org/> – $15,400
National Pan-Hellenic Council Foundation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council> – $10,640
National Partnership for Women and Families <http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer> – $5,000
National Parent Teachers Association <http://www.pta.org/> – $22,247
National Staff Development Council <http://www.nsdc.org/> – $25,000
National State Teachers of the Year <http://www.nstoy.org/> – $5,000
National Urban League <http://www.nul.org/> – $22,980
National Women’s Law Center <http://www.nwlc.org/> – $10,000
Nebraskans United <http://www.nebraskansunited.org/> – $25,000
New Democratic Network <http://www.ndn.org/> – $25,000
New Teacher Center <http://www.newteachercenter.org/> – $150,000
No on 10 <http://www.voteno.org/index.htm> – $350,000
North Carolina New Schools Project <http://newschoolsproject.org/page.php> – $100,000
One Wisconsin Now <http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/> – $25,000
Organization of Chinese Americans <http://www.ocanational.org/> – $10,000
Parent Teacher Home Visit Project <http://www.pthvp.org/> – $25,000
Partnership for 21st Century Skills <http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/> – $52,500
People for the American Way <http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general> – $125,000
People for Our Public Schools <http://www.simplybetterschools.org/> – $450,000
Planned Parenthood <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/> – $5,000
Princeton Organizational Advisors <http://www.princetonoa.com/Site/Executive_Partners.html> – $187,950
Progress Michigan <http://progressmichigan.org/> – $25,000
Progress Ohio <http://www.progressohio.org/> – $20,000
Progressive Future Action Center <http://www.progressivefuture.org/> – $315,000
Project New West <http://www.trib.com/articles/2007/07/15/news/wyoming/189690b8f1d66d6c87257318007d632a.txt> – $281,125
Protect Colorado’s Future <http://www.protectcoloradosfuture.org/> – $177,000
Public Agenda Foundation <http://www.publicagenda.org/> – $17,500
Public Education Defense Fund <http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2007/12/more-unions-tak.html> – $1,224,000
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition <http://www.rainbowpush.org/> – $10,000
Rebuild America’s Schools <http://www.modernschools.org/> – $20,000
Republican Main Street Partnership <http://www.republicanmainstreet.org/> – $50,000
Ripon Society <http://www.riponsociety.org/> – $15,000
SEIU <http://www.seiu.org/> – $5,000
Sons of the Revolution <http://sonsoftherevolution.org/> – $5,000
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center <http://www.searac.org/> – $5,000
State Legislative Leaders Foundation <http://www.sllf.org/> – $5,000
State Net <http://www.statenet.com/> – $46,675
Task Force Foundation <http://www.thetaskforce.org/> – $10,000
Teachers Count <http://www.teacherscount.org/> – $50,000
Teaching for Change <http://www.teachingforchange.org/> – $14,922
The Foundation <http://www.thefoundationonline.org/> – $10,000
This Is America with Dennis Wholey <http://www.thisisamerica.net/> – $150,000
University of Iowa Center for Evaluation and Assessment <http://www.education.uiowa.edu/cea> – $40,325
U.S. Action <http://www.usaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=eiJPJ5OVF&b=71216> – $220,000
U.S. Fund for UNICEF <http://www.unicefusa.org/site/c.duLRI8O0H/b.25933/k.8DDD/US_Fund_for_UNICEF__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.htm> – $7,500
U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute <http://www.ushli.org/> – $25,000
Utahns for Public Schools <http://www.utahnsforpublicschools.org/> – $231,944
Vote No: Protect Our Constitution <http://www.ctvoteno.org> – $25,000
WAND Education Fund <http://www.wand.org/wand_edfund_home.htm> – $12,500
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation <http://www.mlkmemorial.org/> – $142,927
Washington Internship Institute <http://www.ielnet.org/> – $5,000
Will Steger Foundation <http://www.willstegerfoundation.org/> – $9,370
Women’s Campaign Forum <http://www.wcfonline.org/> – $20,000
Working America <http://www.workingamerica.org/> – $800,000
Youth Development Research Fund <http://www.ydrf.com/> – $5,000
Most of NEA’s income comes from members’ dues, with a small percentage derived from advertising and other miscellaneous revenues. However, in 2007-08 NEA was also the recipient of sponsorship funds from major corporations: $25,000 from Verizon, $67,000 from Target <http://www.eiaonline.com/intercepts/2008/07/02/2008-nea-convention-episode-1-the-empire-strikes-gold> , and $71,000 from Hyundai.
Liberty Is For Me 