Dues to LAE Support Democratic Politicians

I am not a terribly political person by nature. I believe in certain tenants of fairness very strongly, though. I started looking at all of this information because I was curious as to why dues for the teacher's union in Vermilion Parish were nearly $500 a year. The chart below details how much money the Louisiana Association of Educators gives to political candidates and committees each year and breaks it down by partisan affiliation. As you can see, LAE gives much more money to Democrats than Republicans.

If you're a teacher in Vermilion Parish who's a member of the union, then you're giving 50% of your dues to an organization that is not only using your money to support politicians, but is doing so in an overwhelmingly partisan way. While I can't seem to find information on the Vermilion Association of Educators' spending habits...I'd be willing to bet that they get involved in politics in a partisan way as well.

Chers Bebes

A great event is happening in Lafayette on October 13th. Make plans if you want to attend.

Questions and Contact

Thanks so much to those who have reached out. Unfortunately, I've already had people trying to figure out who I am, so I'll be keeping my gender and location concealed from now on. I do not want the repercussions that come with exposing teachers union contract details in a small Parish.

I do want to thank all those who have offered help. I will be reaching out to some of you. The best thing you can do is share this blog with other teachers and begin a conversation about why it is that we're paying so much in teachers union dues and why LAE has a monopoly in our Parish.

Why Do Teachers in Vermillion Pay So Much in Union Dues?

My interest in the teacher's union contract began as a way to understand why union membership was $40 a month (almost $500 a year) in Vermilion Parish. Teachers do not make a lot of money to begin with, but pulling $500 out of our salary is tough.

The Louisiana Association of Educators, the only teacher's union in Vermilion Parish because they've been given a monopoly by the Vermilion Parish School Board, is giving significant money to the National Educators Association. This is one of the largest lobbying organizations in the United States.

Recently, LAE officials admitted that some 20% of union dues for each teacher go to the national organization (the NEA). LAE officials were quoted here saying, "Dues typically total about $40 per month, with the proceeds divided among the organization’s national, state and local offices — roughly 20 percent, 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively."

What this means is that at $40 per month, for 12 months, the average teacher in Vermilion Parish is contributing about $480 to the LAE. Roughly $100 of that is being given to the NEA, which they then use to support certain political candidates and groups, which teachers in Vermilion Parish may or may not agree with. For example:

This shows hows skewed the NEA's contributions are by party. If you are a Republican, Independent, or conservative Democrat, it's highly unlikely your views are being represented in this graph. The ~$100 a year that you're contributing to NEA is being used to largely support certain Democratic politicians. Even if you are a Democrat who supports those that the NEA supports, wouldn't you rather be the one making decisions about how to spend your money in politics and who to support? If you're non-political, wouldn't you rather save that money?

Anonymous

I've received a few emails and contacts from people on Facebook (you can find me here) asking me who I am or what school I'm at. I appreciate that people want to connect with me personally, but unfortunately I think I need to remain anonymous. Teachers are unions are known to seek retribution on whistleblowers and besides, I'm not looking to get into the news. I'm not the news, our teacher's union contract is.

I'll be publishing some of what I've found tomorrow. I hope you'll come take a look at what I've found and share it with other teachers in Vermilion Parish.

Stand Tall

This is important to remember, especially in Vermilion Parish.

Digging Deeper

I've had a bit of a break-through in my research into how teacher's are treated in Vermilion Parish. I want to be sure that it is all legitimate and legal before I share it with the world, but it really is incredible. I'll just say this--I can't believe that the teachers and parents of Vermilion Parish will like this very much. Politics is nasty and we should keep it out of our public schools.

I'll post something very soon on this. Still trying to sift through all the information when I'm not on lunch duty, carpool lane, or grading papers.

Preaux Teacher, Pro-Vermilion

Welcome to Preaux Teacher. I should do a short introduction before I delve into why this blog exists. I am a teacher, who prefers to remain anonymous, in Vermilion Parish. I live in Abbeville, Louisiana, and am a lifelong native of the area. I have a passion for education and have long been dissatisfied with how teachers are being treated in our great parish and state.

In this blog, I will delve into issues related to teachers union contracts, costs of services for teachers, and support services for my fellow educators in Vermilion Parish. I hope you'll join me by following me on Facebook or Twitter. If you have any thoughts, feel free to email me.