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It’s routine for teachers unions to deploy generous resources for their favorite political candidates. They give millions of dollars and provide thousands of volunteers for Democratic candidates across the nation every election cycle.
It’s not unusual for many of those volunteers to pack their bags and work for candidates in other states. But perhaps it is (or should be) surprising when they walk away from dire circumstances in their own communities to engage in political canvassing.
The Washington Post recently reported:
“[Sara] Gordon works for the American Federation of Teachers in Buffalo, and she’s in Ohio as part of an effort to bolster Obama, partly by taking advantage of new rules that allow union members to more aggressively go after non-union voters.”
So what is Gordon leaving behind? Try a 54 percent graduation rate in the Buffalo school district. According to the New York Times, 27 percent of 8th graders pass the K-8 test. A meager total of 40 percent pass the science portion while just 26 percent pass the math portion.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the Buffalo City School District spends a whopping $25,106 per student, which is far above the national average. Yet the academic results are pitiful, and somehow education leaders are off in other states campaigning for President Obama.
Forgive us, but we thought teachers unions were supposed to be mainly concerned about the quality of education in the communities they serve.
But maybe engaging in politics, and purchasing favor with elected leaders, is more important to the unions.
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Kyle Olson
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Kyle is Founder and CEO of Education Action Group Foundation, a non-partisan non-profit organization with the goal of promoting sensible education reform and exposing those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
