FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2010

Contact: Ben DeGrow, Policy Analyst

303-279-6536, ben@i2i.org

NEA Spends Teacher Dues on Negative

Political Ads
$1.9 Million from Members Used against Colorado U.S.
Senate Candidate
GOLDEN, Colo.—The Independence Institute is calling out the nation’s largest
teachers union for spending large sums of teacher money on negative political
advertising in Colorado.
The National Education Association (NEA) has reported spending nearly $1.9
million in independent expenditures to purchase ads to attack U.S. Senate
candidate Ken Buck. The money is drawn from general dues funds collected from
education employee members in Colorado and nationwide.
The NEA’s new $547,000 radio ad purchase follows a $1.35 million anti-Buck
television campaign rated by the Denver Post as “leans deceptive.”
“Many teachers don’t like their money used this way,” said Independence
Institute education policy analyst Ben DeGrow. “Besides leaving the union, there
really isn’t anything they can do about it.”
All members who join an NEA-affiliated local or state union are obligated to
support the NEA with dues contributions. While the NEA contribution is entirely non-
refundable, a designated political share of automatic contributions to the Colorado
Education Association ($39) and to many local union offices (up to $24) are
available for refund if requested each year before a deadline.
In addition to the anti-Buck ads, NEA’s Colorado state and local affiliates have
reported spending $1.24 million of member funds on state-level elections. More
than 99 percent of the unions’ political giving has supported Democratic candidates,
parties or 527 committees.
This year the Colorado Education Association has sent more than $250,000 to
the 527 group “Accountability for Colorado,” heavily criticized by Denver Post
columnist Vincent Carroll for producing “very likely the sleaziest piece of paid
political advertising this year in Colorado.”
“The least the union could do is ask first before taking teachers’ money to
spend on politics, especially this kind of dishonest and nasty advertising,” DeGrow
said.
The Independence Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy
research organization based in Golden, Colo. More information on Colorado teacher
membership options and related topics is available online at
IndependentTeachers.org.
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13952 Denver West Parkway, Suite 400 · Golden, CO 80401 ·
www.independenceinstitute.org