National Education Association

National Education Association
Basic facts
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Type:	501(c)(5)
Top official:	Lily Eskelsen García, President
Year founded:	1857
Website:	Official website

The National Education Association (NEA) is a 501(c)(5) professional organizational and labor union, representing public education professionals. It is the largest labor union in the United States.

Mission

The stated mission of the National Education Association is quoted from the NEA website below:

“

Our mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.

”

History

The National Education Association building in Washington, D.C.

NEA was founded in 1857 by one hundred educators. In 1966 it merged with the American Teachers Association. Since that time, its membership has increased to over 3.2 million.

Background

The NEA is a volunteer-based organization that relies upon its members to perform much of the Association's work. In turn, the members are supported by a network of staff at the local, state, and national levels. The stated goal of NEA's work is encapsulated in its tagline: "building great public schools for every child."

At the local level, affiliates perform a variety of activities (as determined by the local members), which may range from raising funds for scholarship programs to conducting professional workshops on issues that affect faculty and school support staff to bargaining contracts for school district employees.

State affiliates regularly lobby state legislators for funding and other resources; they seek to influence education policy and they campaign for higher professional standards for educators and support professionals. The extent to which the NEA and its state and local affiliates engage in political activities, especially during election cycles has, however, been a source of controversy.

At the national level, the NEA lobbies the United States Congress and federal agencies on behalf of its members and public schools, works with other education organizations and friends of public education, provides training and assistance to its affiliates, and generally conducts activities consistent with the policies set by its elected governing bodies.

Structure

Public school funding in Texas

September 27, 2017: Louis Malfaro, president of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote an op-ed calling upon the legislature and governor to increase state funding for public schools, claiming, "Since the early 2000s, funding for public education in Texas, adjusted for inflation, has been flat. Texas remains near the bottom of state rankings (36th nationwide) in classroom spending, more than $2,300 less per pupil than the national average."
Is Malfaro correct?

Read Ballotpedia's fact check »

NEA's 3.2 million members are served by 14,000 local affiliates (including some 800 higher education affiliates), 51 state-level affiliates (50 state associations and the Federal Education Association), and roughly 555 staff members working at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in regional offices.

In 2006, the NEA and the AFL-CIO also announced that, for the first time, stand-alone NEA locals as well as those that had merged with the AFT would be allowed to join state and local labor federations affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

Advocacy areas

NEA lists the following issues as its current focus:

• Achievement Gaps
• Affordable Health Care
• Career and Technical Education
• Charter schools
• Child Nutrition
• College Affordability
• Common Core State Standards
• Community Schools
• Early Childhood Education
• Educator Tax Relief
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
• E-Rate Program
• Green Schools & Environmental Education
• Higher Education/Student Loans
• Human & Civil Rights
• IDEA / Special Education
• Immigration
• International Relations
• Leading the Profession
• Minority Community Outreach
• NEA's Bully Free, It Starts with Me
• Pension Protection
• Priority Schools Campaign
• Privatization
• Professional Pay
• Reading
• Recovery Act (ARRA)
• Rural Schools
• School Safety
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)
• Social Security Offsets (GPO/WEP)
• Teacher Quality
• Testing
• Union Rights
• Vouchers

Political activity

2016 elections

In October 2015, NEA President Lily Eskelsen García announced that the NEA would endorse 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. García stated the following:

“

The National Education Association proudly supports Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Clinton is a strong leader who will do what is best for America’s students. For more than four decades, Clinton has fought to make sure all children have a fair opportunity to succeed regardless of their ZIP code. Clinton will continue to advocate on behalf of students, educators and working families because she understands the road to a stronger U.S. economy starts in America’s public schools.

”

2014 elections

As of November 2013, NEA has spent $1,646,370 in the 2014 election cycle: $310,370 went to Democratic candidates, $55,500 to Republicans and the remaining $1,280,000 was soft money given to political organizations.

2012 elections

NEA spent $14,899,964 in the 2012 election cycle: $2,260,847 on Democratic candidates, $177,707 on Republicans, and $12,486,260 as soft money given to political organizations.

2012 Expenditures

The following table displays the top 10 candidates who received the most money from NEA.

Top 10 largest National Education Association expenditures in 2012
Candidate	Party	State	Office	Total	Desired Result
Barack Obama		N/A	President	$61,577
Kathleen Hochul		NY	House	$19,000
Tammy Baldwin		WI	House	$17,080
Derek Kilmer		WA	House	$16,000
Christopher Donovan		CT	House	$15,000
Elizabeth Esty		CT	House	$15,000
Pete Gallego		TX	House	$15,000
Chris Murphy		CT	House	$15,000
Elizabeth Warren		MA	Senate	$14,550
Ron Barber		AZ	House	$14,250

Federal bills

2015-2016

Below is a list of the bills the NEA supported and opposed during the 114th United States Congress.

NEA's stance on federal legislation.
Bill	Description	NEA stance
HR 5055	Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations (U.S. House)
HR 5003	A bill to reauthorize child nutrition programs, and for other purposes.
HR 4901	A bill to reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, and for other purposes.
HR 4725	A bill to reduce the Federal deficit through reforms in spending under Medicaid, CHIP, and the Prevention and Public Health Fund (official title to be confirmed).
HR 4042	A bill to provide grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs.
HR 3817	A bill to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to clarify the availability and appropriateness of training for local food service personnel, and for other purposes.
HR 3795	A bill to improve certain provisions relating to charter schools.
HR 3762	Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act
HR 3696	A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to prevent Medicare part B premium and deductible increases for 2016.
HR 3604	A bill to establish a grant program to assist States to establish or expand universal prekindergarten in public schools and public charter schools.

Ballot measure activity

Overview of ballot measure support and opposition

The following table details NEA's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

Ballot measure support and opposition for NEA
Ballot measure	Year	Position	Amount	Status
Maine Minimum Wage Increase, Question 4 (2016)	2016	Support	$131,000	aApproved
Arkansas Minimum Wage Initiative, Issue 5 (2014)	2014	Support	$50,000	a
Illinois Minimum Wage Increase Question (2014)	2014	Support		a
Missouri Teacher Performance Evaluation, Amendment 3 (2014)	2014	Oppose		d
Nevada Margin Tax for Public Schools Initiative, Question 3 (2014)	2014	Support		d
Washington Class Size Reduction Measure, Initiative 1351 (2014)	2014	Support	$1,833,000	a
Oklahoma State Question 744 (2010)	2010	Support		d
California Proposition 1A (May 2009)	2009	Support	$3,010,888	d
Maine Auto Excise Tax Repeal, Question 2 (2009)	2009	Oppose	$350,000	d
Washington Lower Property Taxes, Initiative 1033 (2009)	2009	Oppose	$328,600	d
Arizona Majority Rules, Proposition 105 (2008)	2008	Oppose	$500,000	d
Colorado Education Funding and TABOR Rebates, Amendment 59 (2008)	2008	Support		d
Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative, 424 (2008)	2008	Oppose		a
Utah School Vouchers, Referendum 1 (2007)	2007	Supported veto		Vetoed
Missouri Minimum Wage Act, Proposition B (2006)	2006	Support	$200,000	a
Ohio Minimum Wage Initiative (2006)	2006	Support	$710,000	a
Maine Education Funding Carryover Initiative (2004)	2004	Support		a
Washington Charter School Authorization, Referendum 55 (2004)	2004	Oppose		Vetoed
Florida Minimum Wage, Amendment 5 (2004)	2004	Support		a
Utah Radioactive Waste, Initiative 1 (2002)	2002	Support		d

Finances

Most NEA funding comes from dues paid by its members ($295 million in dues from a $341 million total budget in 2005). According to the NEA's website yearly membership dues are $300.

Federal law prohibits unions from using dues money or other assets to contribute to or otherwise assist federal candidates or political parties, in accordance with their tax-exempt status. The "NEA Fund for Children and Public Education" is a special fund for voluntary contributions from NEA members which can legally be used to assist candidates and political parties. Critics have repeatedly questioned the NEA's actual compliance with such laws, and a number of legal actions focusing on the union's use of money and union personnel in partisan contexts have ensued.

Opposition

Teachers before students claims

Substantial criticism has been leveled against the NEA and other teachers unions for allegedly putting the interests of teachers ahead of students and for consistently opposing reforms that critics claim would help students but harm union interests. The NEA has supported class size reductions and across-the-board salary increases for teachers: two measures that increase the number and compensation of NEA teachers. On the other hand, the NEA has often opposed measures such as merit pay, school vouchers, reforms to teacher tenure, curriculum reform, the No Child Left Behind Act, and many accountability reforms. In a 1999 interview, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan said that "ever since the judges have gotten heavily into education, and the National Education Association has gotten into control of that "Department of Education", test scores go down, there’s violence in classroom, things are going wrong." Also criticized is the NEA's alleged "goal of changing public opinion on homosexuality, starting with the youngest generation,"[26] according to a former chairman of the NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus.

Voucher programs

Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs, has criticized the NEA and other teacher unions for its lack of support for voucher programs, merit pay, and the removal of bad teachers. On February 17,2007 at an education reform conference in Texas, Jobs said, "What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn’t get rid of people that they thought weren’t any good?”

Membership

NEA has come under fire for taking advantage of laws in some states that compel, under certain conditions, membership in the association. In a case brought before the U.S. Supreme Court ("Davenport v. Washington Education Association)" on behalf of 4,000 Washington State teachers who are not NEA members but are nonetheless forced to pay NEA dues, the Court partially addressed the issue of collection and use of dues by unions such as the NEA.

Noteworthy events

Call for Education Secretary Arne Duncan's resignation

A July 4, 2014 vote by members of the National Education Association called for Education Department Secretary Arne Duncan's resignation. A majority of the 9,000 delegates attending the convention in Denver, Colorado made the vote because "the Department's failed education agenda focused on more high-stakes testing, grading and pitting public school students against each other based on test scores." The vote originated from the California Teachers Association after Duncan commented on the court case Vergara v. California, which dealt a blow to tenure rules in the state. Motions calling for Duncan's resignation have been raised at each of the NEA's annual meetings since 2010, but none had received the majority vote for passage. Then-NEA former President Dennis Van Roekel defended the vote, claiming the union would continue to push the administration to put forward policies "that are influenced by those who know best— educators working in our classrooms and in our schools — rather than profiteers." When asked to for Duncan's comments on the vote, a department spokesperson stated, "Secretary Duncan looks forward to continuing to work with NEA and its new leadership."

The American Federation of Teachers approved a motion on July 13, 2014, urging Duncan's resignation if he did not make improvements.

Leadership

NEA is governed by an executive committee and a board of directors. The president of the NEA is Lily Eskelsen García and the vice president is Becky Pringle. Below is the list of the NEA executive committee:

• Eric Brown
• Kevin F. Gilbert
• Maury Koffman
• Shelly Moore Krajacic
• George Sheridan
• Earl Wiman

For a list of the board of directors, see the NEA page here

Affiliated programs

2016 super PAC

On May 11, 2016, Politico reported that several of the country's unions (the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association), along with Tom Steyer, planned to create a new super PAC focused on opposing Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Senate candidates in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Nevada. The super PAC is seeking to take back "pro-worker" rhetoric from Trump by raising and spending $50 million, with the unions contributing around $1 million each. According to Politico, this would be the first super PAC funded by labor unions. The committee will be run by Paul Tewes, a political operative, who has worked both with unions and the Democratic party. Tewes is a former political director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and was a senior director of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.

On May 16, 2016, The Washington Post reported that the AFL-CIO had received criticism regarding the super PAC from eight building trade unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO: North America’s Building Trades Unions; the Laborers’ International Union of North America; the International Union of Operating Engineers; the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers; the United Association Union of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders, and Service Technicians; the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association; the International Union of Elevator Constructors; and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, & Allied Workers. In a letter sent to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, union leaders attacked the proposed alliance with Tom Steyer because of his opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have provided union jobs if it had been approved.

The letter stated that "[t]he AFL-CIO has now officially become infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict to many of our members’—and yes, AFL-CIO dues paying members’ lives. This is a disturbing development and one that requires a further explanation." In a separate letter, president of the Laborers' union Terry O'Sullivan declared, "[w]ith your blessing and support, Tom Steyer has purchased the backing, prestige, and control of the AFL-CIO, and will now use it to advance his own agenda, promote his own views, and further his own political ambitions. This scheme if the logical outcome of an obsession with, and a desire to throw open the doors of labor to, outside organizations that are completely out of touch with the needs and concerns of ordinary, blue-collar working Americans."

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "National + Education + Association"

All stories may not be relevant to this organization due to the nature of the search engine.

National Education Association News Feed

See also

• No Child Left Behind Act
• Common Core

External links

• Official website
• Facebook page
• NEA Media Twitter feed
• YouTube channel
• NEA Accountability Project Landmark Legal Foundation
• "NEA Fund for Children and the Public"
• "National Education Association." Infoplease. Based on Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2007.
• "NEA Accountability Project. Landmark Legal Foundation."
• "Learning for a Cause"
• "American Federation of Teachers Web site"
• "Department of Education"
• "Davenport v. Washington Education Assoc."
• "Title 36, Chaper 1511 of the United States Code."
• "NEA Teacher's Toolkit"
• "OpenSecrets.org NEA Money"
• "UnionFacts NEA Money" (dead link)