The Issue: The California Teachers Association, the Labor Union that represents the K-12 education teachers in California announced it had donated $1 million this week to the campaign against Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriages in California.  Also, last week the CTA announced endorsed positions on Propositions 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9- none of which have anything to do with education.

The California Teachers Association (CTA) is “California’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 340,000 public school teachers, counselors, psychologists, librarians, other non-supervisory certificated personnel, and Education Support Professionals.”  Membership and dues payment is mandatory for all teachers in the state of California.

Many people, teachers included are upset about the CTA’s decision to use $1 million of the Association’s money specifically on proposition 8.  Rather than being an education advocate, the CTA has expanded it’s mandate to defend the public policy of California.  They now take positions on issues as far reaching as healthcare, public safety, gay marriage, public safety and criminal justice.

It seems that the CTA might have become more than just another Union and PAC, but rather an open-ended progressive lobbyist group.  I feel sorry for all of the teachers who have no concern for these propositions but are forced to contribute to the partisan efforts to support or oppose them through their union dues.

To their credit the CTA’s mission states “to improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.”

This justifies the actions of there leadership, but makes obvious the flaws in their mission.  No wonder education is going down the tubes.  It’s more important to spend the education lobby’s money on stopping a gay marriage ban, rather than reforming education.  Perhaps by focusing all of the attention (and money) on the Prop 8 campaign, everyone will forget that California K-12 Education ranks last in the United States and that teachers care more about other special interests than their students.

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