The Alternative to Teacher's unions - Isn't!

By Jeff Simpson

Interesting article today in the Wisconsin State Journal regarding the American Association of Educators. 

AAE promotes itself as The Association of American Educators (AAE) is the largest national, non-union, professional educators' organization, advancing the profession by offering a modern approach to teacher representation and educational advocacy, as well as promoting professionalism, collaboration and excellence without a partisan agenda.

However it is really the furthest thing from that.   As Molly Beck points out:

While it markets itself as being without a political agenda unlike teachers unions, the American Association of Educators gets significant funding from conservative-leaning foundations and often advocates for school choice and publicly rejects what it calls “forced unionism.”

Some teachers just wanted a “have really been searching for a less politically charged alternative”.  So they found one - or not:

The Bradley Foundation from Milwaukee has sent about $645,000 to the AAE since 2008. Rosno said the foundation has given the AAE a grant to create a Wisconsin chapter office. The Walton Foundation also has given the association about $1.5 million since 2009.

Nothing says apolitical in public education like $2,000,000 grants from the etreme right wing Walton and Bradley Foundations.

But wait there is more:

It cost $180 per year to join and you get absolutely nothing for your money except some serious irony.  See in the AAE they have actual highly paid bosses.

 Members of those organizations also appear among the AAE Foundation’s board of directors. Secretary and treasurer Becky Norton Dunlop is vice president of the Heritage Foundation, and Alan P. Dye is the legal counsel to ALEC.

Then there is this kicker that makes it all worthwhile:

 Though the association calls itself nonpartisan, the group publicly supports or opposes matters related to education or unionism if a certain percentage of members vote to take a position, according to its website.

So if a majority of their members approve of something, they advocate for it?  I wonder who else does that?