Largest teachers’ union funds battle against school choice in Nebraska.

Teachers’ Unions: A Rampant Increase in ⁤Left-Wing Political Spending

The nation’s largest teachers’ union is making significant investments to ‌put an end to Nebraska’s first-ever⁢ school ⁣choice program for K-12 students, ‌as revealed by financial ‍disclosures reviewed ‌by​ the Washington ‌Free ​Beacon.

The ⁣nonprofit‍ group Support Our Schools Nebraska, which aims to force a ‌referendum to terminate ⁤the state’s new school choice⁤ program, has received a whopping $800,000 from the National ⁤Education Association, accounting‍ for‍ approximately 80 percent⁤ of the group’s total funds. Additionally, the ⁢union’s‍ state-level affiliate has contributed another $60,000 to Support Our ‌Schools Nebraska, and ⁤the nonprofit is led by‍ a ​local⁤ union⁤ leader who is also a ​member of the National Education Association.

The⁤ association’s campaign against school choice is indicative of the overall surge in political spending by teachers’ unions in ⁢recent years, with the majority ​of these funds ⁢being directed ⁣towards ​Democrats and liberal causes. According ⁢to the Government Accountability Institute,‍ the National Education Association spent ⁤more than​ twice⁢ as much on political activities and lobbying in 2021 than it did on member representation. ​Furthermore, ⁢in‌ the 2020 election cycle, 95 percent ‍of the union’s federal campaign contributions went to Democrats.

“This is who ‌the NEA has always been,”​ remarked Erika Sanzi, the outreach director of Parents Defending Education, in an ⁢interview with the Free Beacon. Sanzi finds the association’s political efforts even more concerning considering that teachers’ unions ⁢advocated for school⁢ closures, resulting in a setback for students’ progress and leaving many ⁢at ​risk of falling behind.

The‌ National‍ Education Association, which⁤ boasts a membership of ⁤over three million, did not ⁣respond to a ​request‍ for comment.

Nebraska’s ​school ⁤choice program, known⁤ as the Opportunity Scholarships Act, allocates ‍$25 million per year in tax credits for individuals or entities‌ that donate​ to nonprofit ‌scholarship⁣ organizations. These organizations then distribute the donations to low-income families, enabling ‍them ‍to⁢ send⁤ their ‍children to⁢ private schools. Despite this, Support Our Schools ‍Nebraska argues that the program ‌will ⁣harm ‌public schools and low-income families‌ while benefiting ​the wealthy,‍ a claim that ⁢Nebraska’s Republican governor, ⁢Jim Pillen, refutes.

“These scholarships will be awarded to the students who need them the most,” wrote Pillen in⁤ a May column. “They will provide students with the opportunity⁤ to attend schools they would otherwise be unable to‍ afford.”

Nebraska’s⁤ program specifically prioritizes families with a household income⁢ that does not exceed 100 percent ‌of the ⁤federal poverty level. It also gives priority to special needs students,‍ students ⁣in foster care, and students from military families.

Leading Support ⁢Our Schools Nebraska is Tim Royers, the president of ⁤the Millard Education Association, a local affiliate of ‌the National ⁣Education Association. Royers is actively collecting ‍signatures from registered voters ‍to‍ initiate a referendum ‍that‌ would revoke the Opportunity ‍Scholarships ⁤Act. In response, another group called‌ Keep Kids First is ⁤mobilizing voters who support the ‌policy.

“The teachers’ union ⁢perceives ‍opportunity scholarships as a threat to their control over‍ the classroom,⁢ students, parents, and taxpayers,” states ⁤the group on its website. “The teachers’⁢ union⁤ opposes the notion⁢ that low-income families should have the same educational opportunities as financially well-off families when it ⁤comes to K-12 education.”