Michael Greer, a longtime member of the National Education Association and California Teachers Association, says the unions have moved away from improving classroom instruction and toward building political influence.
“It’s all about power,” said Greer, a retired special education teacher who spent 26 years in the unions. He described the California Teachers Association as the state’s most influential lobbying organization, with reach that extends to the national union.
Greer has also served as a local CTA chapter president and on the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees. He said the unions’ priorities look very different from when he first became involved.
Back then, he recalled, union leaders focused on helping teachers improve their work, including teaching reading, math and science. Conferences offered practical training and workshops, which participants would then bring back to their colleagues. “That has changed completely,” he said.
His criticism comes as independent reports have tracked substantial political spending by the country’s two largest teachers unions, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers. The North American Values Institute, which monitors ideological activism in education, estimates that the NEA spent at least $547 million on political activity and advocacy from fiscal years 2016 through 2025. That figure includes $458.9 million reported as political and lobbying expenses and $88.2 million in direct contributions to progressive organizations. The AFT reported $383.2 million in political activity and lobbying over the same period, according to the institute.
A separate analysis by Parents Defending Education said national teachers unions have directed more than $660 million to left-leaning political groups and causes since 2015. Including state and local affiliates, the report put total union political spending above $1 billion.
The report identified donations to Democratic-aligned political action committees, including the Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC, as well as progressive organizations. The State Engagement Fund received more than $60 million, while the For Our Future Action Fund received over $40 million, according to the analysis.
Greer said the unions’ political focus has changed what members are taught to do. In his view, training has shifted from classroom skills toward union membership, strikes and social-justice activism. “We got away from teaching teachers how to teach,” he said, “and moved toward teaching them how to change the social system.”
The debate over union priorities is unfolding amid ongoing concerns about student achievement. Federal education officials have said national assessment results show only about three in 10 students are proficient in reading and math. More than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer funding has gone to education since the U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979.
Greer said the CTA works with educators across party lines, including by helping teachers attend both Republican and Democratic state conventions. The union may cover up to $800 in hotel and transportation costs, he said.
Still, Greer said his objections to the shift toward political advocacy have made him an unusual voice within California education circles. He believes the union is not doing enough to support teachers in classrooms and is instead working to influence laws and regulations.
“I’ve seen it as a school board member, and I’ve seen it as an NEA-CTA delegate at national conferences,” he said. Greer added that he is concerned about how union dues are spent, arguing that the focus should be on children and what they learn.
The NEA and CTA were asked to comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
