The John Locke Foundation has launched a statewide campaign to encourage teachers to leave the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE).
The Locke Foundation is asking educators to reject the union’s tactics and its outsized influence on public policy decisions.
According to the press release, the “NCAE alleges to speak for nearly 100,000 public school teachers in North Carolina. Since the NCAE has only about 17,500 members, and membership is dropping dramatically, it is an outrageous claim.”
The press release states, “The NCAE says it represents the views of its members. Since 1990, the National Education Association, the parent organization of the NCAE, has been the single largest political contributor in the education field. During that time, nine of every 10 contributions went to Democratic candidates even though a 2017 Education Week Survey found only 41% of teachers identified as Democrat, 30% as Unaffiliated, and 27% as Republican. That’s pure Democrat politics, not inclusive representation.”
The Locke Foundation notes that the NCAE supported Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the 2019 state budget that included sizable pay raises for teachers and educators. “That action hurt teachers, yet NCAE prioritized sending a political message to the Republican leadership in the General Assembly over rewarding work in the classroom.”
The Locke press release states, “Professional development offered by the NCAE reflects its commitment to the controversial and divisive tenets of Critical Race Theory. For example, at its May 2021 “One Team, One Goal” virtual professional development learning conference the NCAE Center for Instructional Advocacy offered a workshop titled “Decolonizing Our curriculum and Abolitionist Teaching.”
Dr. Terry Stoops, director the Center for Effective Education at Locke said, “Parents overwhelmingly disapprove of educators who use their classrooms to advance a variety of fashionable left-wing causes. Yet, NCAE consistently champions partisan politics and social justice activism at the expense of children’s academic and social and emotional needs. It is a political operation masquerading as an educational support organization.”
Teachers are not required to join the NCAE and those who have joined can opt out for the upcoming school year if they do so by Sept. 30. The dues for teachers in Guilford County are reportedly $559 a year.
Thanks to the Locke Foundation for offering additional details about what is a self-centered organization that spends a great deal of time and a huge sum of member monies on politics.
To our educators I say PLEASE GET ALL THE FACTS ABOUT ANY ORGANIZATION THAT YOU THROW YOUR SUPPORT, AND HARD EARNED MONEY TOWARDS.
As the movement for free government schools gained momentum in 19th century Britain, those who opposed the concept worried that government schools, run and operated by employees of the state, would invariably result in a curriculum that was statist, anti-capitalist and communitarian. The contemporaneous Christian schools were doing a sterling job educating the poor. The middle class and wealthy sent their children to excellent private schools.
They feared that institutions regarded as “free” but were effectively agencies of the state would inevitably become incubators for socialism, and for the aggrandizement of the state.
Can you tell me that those 19th Century concerns were unfounded?
PS
Just check out a video released today by Project Veritas in which a California High school teacher (who flies an Antifa and a gay flag in his classroom) openly declares that he’s “about as far Left as you can get”, and declares that he has “180 days to turn them into revolutionaries”.
He’s a Communist. And he is NOT leaving his political beliefs at home.
NCAE is a leech organization. They take dues money and do nothing for the teachers. New teachers get pressured to join.
Worse than worthless. That is probably why they get on so well with our governor-kindred spirits.
Thanks to John Locke Foundation for their keeping us aware of underhanded way that the Dems are trying to destroy NC with their Woke propaganda.I am so glad that we in NC have a good foundation of Old Philosophy people that have not subscribed to this mess that the Democrats are pushing on all,including the Military.