February 7, 2014 | Posted At: 03:15 PM | Author: Alexander Russo | Category: (Who Cares What) Research Says , Campaign 2012 , Campaign 2014 , Foundation / Advocacy Follies , Teachers, Teaching, Unions
Charts: Check Out The NEA's $5.6M Super PAC Contribution (2013)
The nation's largest teachers union comes in 4th on this CPI listing of top Super PAC donors, with $5.6 million in contributions, right after the DGA, Mike Bloomberg, and Tom Steyer:
Think about this next time you hear or read someone like Diane Ravitch talking about corporate involvement in education -- or -- even more important! -- are about to say or write something about school reform involvement in electoral politics. via I Love Charts.
This is false equivalence. Corporate involvement in education is an entirely different issue from teachers' involvement in education. Teachers are among the most involved stakeholders there are.
Posted by: CarolineSF | February 07, 2014 at 15:42 PM
Yes, I agree with Caroline. I'm a teacher, not a Democrat, and I would be happier if my union fees didn't reliably go to Dems. But there's no equivalence. The unions are a proxy for teachers. I suspect most teachers--even the ones who would rather not pay union fees--agree with the bulk of union spending.
To say that's the same as a billionaire spending money to influence public policy is sheerly nuts. I'm not saying one is better or worse. But the idea that they're the same, or equivalent, is ludicrous. It's the unions *job* to represent teachers in the political arena.
Posted by: Education Realist | February 09, 2014 at 14:13 PM