'No longer focused on children, only on political power': Long-serving member's explosive charge against US teachers unions

The largest teachers unions in the United States have made gaining political power their main goal rather than the quality of education, a long-serving member of the unions has charged. Michael Greer, a member of the National Education Association (NEA) and the California Teachers Association (CTA) for 26 years, made the allegation in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Greer, a special education teacher, said, "It's all about power." In his words, the CTA is the most powerful lobbying group in California, and that influence extends into the national union.

Greer once served as president of a local CTA chapter and as a member of the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees. He now chairs the Del Norte County Republican Party.

He said that when he first became a union president, the organisation was about teachers. "We were focused on helping educators become better at what they do — helping them teach reading, math, and science," Greer said. Union conferences at the time featured practical instructional workshops and classroom training.

"We took those programs back and taught our colleagues how to implement them. That has changed completely," he said. His complaint is that unions now teach teachers how to become union members, how to go on strike, and how to gain social justice power.

Greer's remarks come at a time when independent analyses have shown that the nation's two largest teachers unions — the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — have directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward political activism, lobbying, and progressive advocacy groups over the last decade.

According to an investigation by the North American Values Institute (NAVI), an education watchdog tracking ideological activism, the NEA spent at least $547 million on political activity and advocacy between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. That total includes $458.9 million officially designated as political and lobbying expenditures, along with $88.2 million in direct contributions to progressive organisations. During the same period, the AFT reported $383.2 million in political activity and lobbying, NAVI found.

A separate report from Parents Defending Education found that national teachers unions have funnelled over $660 million to left-wing political groups and causes since 2015. When state and local affiliates are included, total union political spending tops $1 billion.

According to the report, that money went to major Democratic-aligned political action committees — including the Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — as well as progressive groups like the State Engagement Fund (over $60 million) and the For Our Future Action Fund (over $40 million).

In Greer's words, this political spending has changed what unions expect from their members. "We got away from teaching teachers how to teach and moved toward teaching them how to change the social system," he said.

This emphasis on political activism comes amid persistent declines in student academic achievement. Federal education officials recently noted that national assessment data shows only about three in 10 students are proficient in math and reading, despite more than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer funding spent since the U.S. Department of Education was created in 1979.

Education Secretary McMahon has also called for a "reset" of the education system in this situation.

Greer acknowledged that the CTA maintains relationships across party lines at the state level — the organisation funds teachers of both major political parties to attend state political conventions, covering up to $800 for hotel and transportation.

Yet he said his vocal opposition to the union's shift has made him a rare ideological outlier within the organisation. "That's why I'm known as one of the 'bad boys' in California education," Greer said. "I've spoken out because they aren't helping teachers on the ground floor where instruction actually happens — they are helping themselves gain the power to alter laws and regulations."

He added, "I've seen it as a school board member, and I've seen it as an NEA-CTA delegate at national conferences. They are no longer focused on children and what they are learning. It's about what teachers can do for political power, and that's where my problem lies as I watch my union dues being spent."

Fox News Digital reached out to the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association for comment but did not immediately receive a response.