Del Norte County Educator Says Teachers Union Has Traded Classroom Focus for Political Power

A retired Del Norte County educator and longtime teachers union member is accusing the National Education Association (NEA) and the California Teachers Association (CTA) of abandoning classroom instruction in favor of political influence, saying the organizations have become “no longer focused on children.”

Michael Greer, a special education teacher with 26 years of membership in the CTA and NEA, previously served as a local CTA chapter president and sat on the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees. He now chairs the Del Norte County Republican Party.

“It’s all about power,” Greer said. “In California, the California Teachers Association is the most powerful lobbying group in the state, which also transfers into the national union.”

Greer said the union’s priorities have changed dramatically since he first became involved in education leadership. “When I first became a union president, it was about the teachers. We were focused on helping educators become better at what they do — helping them teach reading, math, and science,” he said, recalling union conferences that once centered on practical instructional workshops. “We took those programs back and taught our colleagues how to implement them. That has changed completely.”

A National Pattern of Political Spending

Greer’s comments come alongside independent analyses showing the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — the nation’s two largest teachers unions — have directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward political activity over the past decade.

An investigation by the North American Values Institute (NAVI), an education watchdog that tracks ideological activism, found the NEA spent at least $547 million on political activity and advocacy between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. That figure includes $458.9 million in political and lobbying expenditures and $88.2 million in direct contributions to progressive organizations. The AFT, NAVI found, reported $383.2 million in political activity and lobbying over the same period.

A separate report from Parents Defending Education found that national teachers unions have funneled more than $660 million to left-wing political groups and causes since 2015. Including state and local affiliates, total union political spending exceeds $1 billion, according to the report.

That report also identified recipients including Democratic-aligned political action committees such as the Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC, as well as progressive groups like the State Engagement Fund, which received more than $60 million, and the For Our Future Action Fund, which received more than $40 million.

Greer said this shift in spending priorities has changed what unions ask of their members. “What it has changed to is teaching teachers how to become union members, how to go on strike, and how to gain social justice power,” he said. “We got away from teaching teachers how to teach and moved toward teaching them how to change the social system.”

Achievement Gaps Persist

The union’s political emphasis comes as national student achievement remains stagnant. Federal education officials have 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.

Greer acknowledged the CTA maintains some bipartisan practices at the state level, including funding for teachers of both major parties to attend political conventions. “The CTA actually funds teachers to attend both the state Republican and Democratic conventions,” he said. “They will cover up to $800 for hotel and transportation, so teachers can participate.”

Still, Greer said speaking out against the union’s political focus has made him an outlier within the organization. “That’s why I’m known as one of the ‘bad boys’ in California education,” he 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.”

“I’ve seen it as a school board member, and I’ve seen it as an NEA-CTA delegate at national conferences,” Greer added. “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.”

The NEA and CTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.