Republicans Rep. Mark Harris of North Carolina and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are expected to introduce the National Education Association Charter Repeal Act in their respective chambers, The Daily Caller reports.
Founded in 1857, the NEA received its charter from Congress in 1906 and now represents more than 3 million educators nationwide. But critics say the organization has become too politicized, meaning far to the left, and has strayed from its mission.
Through its political action committee, the NEA Advocacy Fund, the NEA raised $27 million for the 2024 election. Virtually all of it went to Kamala Harris, other Democrats and their causes, according to The74, an education news website.
The fund raised $25 million in 2020 and $31 million in 2022.
Corey DeAngelis, executive director of the Educational Freedom Institute, said on Washington Watch Wednesday that revoking the NEA charter is absolutely the right move.
The group’s recent annual meeting in Portland, led by its president Becky Pringle, underscored all that is wrong with the NEA, he told show host Tony Perkins.
“Diversity … equity … inclusion … We cannot allow this administration or anyone else to reduce these three sacred values to a simple three-letter slur,” Pringle said in an address to membership.
“Becky Pringle is an unhinged lunatic,” DeAngelis said. “She’s the head of the largest teacher’s union in the country. Do you want this person educating your child? This is free advertising for homeschooling.”
In the comfort of their own meeting, some in the membership were more brazen in discussing their political ambitions for the students they serve.
“Their teacher of the year, the person that they elevated to give an award at their annual convention, said the quiet part out loud. That person said that her job, teaching, is 'deeply political.' Talk about letting the mask slip,” DeAngelis said.
What exactly is a federal charter?
The NEA is the only labor union in the United States with a federal charter.
A charter is a special status granted by Congress under Title 36 of the U.S. Code. It’s typically reserved for patriotic, historical or educational organizations.
Most labor unions are incorporated under state law and governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
The NEA received its charter in 1906 not as a labor union that favored a political party, which rewarded it for the support, but as a professional educational organization. At that time, when President Roosevelt was in the White House and telephones were considered a luxury, the NEA functioned more like an academic or civic society rather than a collective bargaining group.
At its founding, the NEA focused on professional development, curriculum standards and national education policy.
Six years ago, the NEA would not even vote to make students their top priority.
At the 2019 convention, delegates were presented with “New Business Item 2,” which 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.”
That common-sense motion was defeated in a closed-door vote.
The politicization of the NEA is being pushed by the group’s leadership, not most teachers, DeAngelis said.
“Some of their resolutions were so insane that they called to spend thousands of dollars basically to label their political opponent, Trump, a fascist,” he said.
Along the way the leaders of teachers could have read over their resolution more carefully.
“In their resolution, they misspelled the word fascism. This is supposed to be the union representing educators, and you almost can't make this stuff up. They misspelled a word that they're trying to label the president, the duly elected president of the United States,” DeAngelis said.
Liberal worksheet of the NEA
In recent years the NEA has adopted resolutions affirming the rights of transgender students to use bathrooms and participate on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In 2022 the NEA published guidance supporting inclusive pronoun use and classroom visibility for LGBTQ-plus students.
The NEA has taken positions affirming abortion and climate change.
It has adopted resolutions calling for police reform including the reallocation of school resource officer funding.
It has long supported Medicare-for-All or similar single payer health systems.
“There are so many resolutions that are just off the wall, and it really just goes to show you this is a political organization,” DeAngelis said.
In the last three years House Republicans Bob Good (Virginia) and Scott Fitzgerald (Wisconsin) have introduced legislation to repeal or reform the NEA charter.
“They are a left-wing organization, basically a money-laundering organization for the Democrat Party. Becky Pringle? She’s still an at-large member of the Democrat National Committee. There’s an incestuous relationship between these two groups.
“We should revoke their federal charter. They’ve had this special privilege, this backing by Congress. We need to yank it. They should not be elevated over other groups.”
