I hope you had a great summer! Welcome back. You’ve probably already had your fill of motivational speakers, roster surprises, and mandatory PDs.

Remember that you are returning to the most strategic place of influence in our nation—our public schools. About 50 million of our nation’s youth are joining you there, and they desperately need educators and other adults who walk as ambassadors of Christ to show them not just that they are meaningfully loved, but that living a different story is possible. The story you are walking out—one characterized by joy, life, and peace, even though imperfectly—is contagious. Let it shine!

Another issue that often surfaces at this time of year is union membership. I still remember vividly when my five-year uncomfortable connection with my teachers’ union ended in 2005, when the state association spent $20 million in union dues to oppose a ballot initiative. Shockingly, it had nothing to do with education and directly and clearly undermined Biblical morality. I could no longer send them nearly $1,000 every year without violating my conscience.  

Frankly, I never bought into the union mindset—stoking fear and outrage to project power and demand rights, prioritizing teacher benefits over student outcomes, protecting incompetent or unprofessional educators, and removing incentives for excellence. In my view, the labor union model of representing industrial workers against exploitative factory bosses does not transfer well to professional educators and does not reflect the Biblical ethics of vocation, service, and trust in God.  

So I got out. I knew that meant I wouldn’t be attending union meetings and could not vote on my contract, but those were small prices to pay for a clean conscience. Throughout my remaining 10 years of teaching, I did not experience additional rejection or stigma, though I always knew that was possible. I worked intentionally to be a blessing to my school and maintained positive relationships with my colleagues, and those efforts bore fruit. 

Along the way, I discovered something: in Christ, I have far more power to influence the climate and create culture in my school than I ever thought possible. I hear from many teachers unwilling to leave their unions because they don’t want to make waves, create conflict, or be a distraction. If this is you, let me tell you that with Jesus, you are far more powerful than you realize. I would bet that many of your colleagues are looking to belong to a community with a positive vision, and you can help build it.

Furthermore, let me add that as I have traveled across the nation speaking to educators, I’ve learned that their experiences with their unions are unique and often bring up a lot of emotions. If you feel God would have you stay in your union, then you should obey. But please prayerfully consider the following: 

Since my exit back in 2005, the union agendas have only grown more extreme, and sadly, the Christian educators in our nation are willingly, and unnecessarily, paying for it. 

Despite the fact that public school teachers have diverse political views (A 2017 EdWeek survey found that 57% were either Independent or Republican), the national teachers’ unions continue to funnel their political contributions almost exclusively to Democratic and leftist causes. The National Education Association (NEA) hit 98% and 99% during the last two election cycles, joining the historic trend of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). 

What about state affiliates? Even in conservative states, most of our state unions use teachers’ dues money to disproportionately bankroll leftist political causes as well. I was surprised to learn that even in deep-red Idaho, 93% of the state teachers’ association contributions benefitted Democrats. More predictably, in my state of California, the California Teachers Association just contributed $3 million to help our governor further gerrymander state Congressional districts to benefit only one party.  

Furthermore, state and national teachers unions have used their members’ dues in recent years to support leftist ideology, including biological boys in girls’ sports, radical sex education, Critical Race Theory, Planned Parenthood, and encouraging teachers to hide their students’ mental health/gender identity from parents. The sad truth is that unions are supporting causes that directly and clearly undermine the Biblical worldview…and the church is helping pay for it. 

My analysis (footnote in linked page) suggests that educators who love and serve Jesus are contributing over $600 million each year to state and national teachers unions, with a significant portion (likely between 20-30%) of that money being spent directly on politics. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this needs to stop. 

Common Objections

When confronted with this information, I often hear two objections from teachers:

First: “But I like my local union!” 

I understand why some educators appreciate their local unions—they negotiate contracts and are available to answer questions or potentially defend their members. But many are not aware of how little of their dues stay local. In every state for which the information is accessible, between 60% and 90% of dues do not stay local but instead go to the state and national unions. A common average is about 80%, but in states like Pennsylvania and Illinois, the situation is worse—only 10% of union dues stay local. 

I have an idea. Rather than continuing to fund the 80% to contribute the 20% to your local, why don’t you keep 100% and then use some of your pay that was being taken by the union to bless your school and your colleagues? I love the example of one of our Christian Educators members from Michigan who takes what he previously spent on the union and funds a scholarship for a graduating senior who exhibits Christian character, enabling him to both bless his school and testify to his faith. 

The second common objection is: “But my union president told me I could opt out of the political part.”

Some teachers respond by saying they can opt out of the political part by checking a box on their membership application form. However, this checkbox is probably not what you think:

1. The “checkbox” spending is usually only applicable to a small amount of money given directly to candidates, and typically only local ones at that. 
2. The Wall Street Journal and the Competitive Enterprise Institute have exposed that the vast majority of political spending by unions is not controlled by the checkbox. For example, all of the following are paid for by dues regardless of any checkbox:

• • Super PAC spending (the NEA super PAC alone spent $30 million in the 2022 election cycle. 
  • Get out the vote drives & voter education (e.g., those postcards they mail to your house telling you how to vote)
  • Salaries of staff whose work is often 100% political
  • Contributions to allied organizations that do political work (The NEA and AFT have given $43.5 million to leftist political organizations since 2022)
  • Issue spending

If you belong to a union, you are most definitely supporting their politics.

Options for Educators

Thankfully, due to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, teachers now have a constitutional right to completely leave unions without paying any fees. You can keep 100% of your union dues simply by resigning from membership in your union. But what if some accuse you of not paying your fair share? Remember that it is the unions who have built a system where you (unless you opt out) have to essentially make large political contributions just to be a teacher. You are simply declining to participate. You can do a deeper dive on these issues at christianeducators.org/unions.

Whether or not you leave your union, consider joining Christian Educators. Get support and protection from a Biblical worldview, and let us help you build a positive community at your school.