Dismantle the teachers union cartel

OPINION:

The recent elections make it clear: Socialist politicians are poised to rack up more wins unless we confront the root cause of their growing appeal among the young. That root is the government school system, a vast apparatus that indoctrinates millions of impressionable minds each year, convincing them that big government is the solution to every problem.

The far-left brainwashing unfolds for seven hours a day over 13 formative years. Just as American children step off this factorylike conveyor belt, they become eligible to vote, and they are primed to buy into the socialist lies they have been sold.

Consider the evidence from a TIPP poll of 18- to 25-year-olds, conducted for the League of American Workers just before the November elections. It found that young voters are overwhelmingly in favor of teachers unions (48% net favorable), despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that they function as de facto money laundering operations for the Democratic Party. The same poll showed young voters had a 10% net positive rating of socialism.

More than 99% of campaign contributions from Randi Weingarten’s American Federation of Teachers went to Democrats in the past election cycle. The union’s New York affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers, even endorsed socialist Zohran Mamdani, whose platform includes government-run grocery stores, a policy that history has shown leads to mass famine.

Yet young voters, who overwhelmingly supported Mr. Mamdani, emerge from a government-operated school system that normalizes the idea of state-run institutions providing essential services. Such conditioning makes radical proposals seem palatable.

The radicalization doesn’t stop at high school graduation. It intensifies in colleges that have been thoroughly infiltrated by the left. Data from OpenSecrets indicates that 95% of political contributions from Harvard University affiliates went to Democrats in the past cycle. A Harvard Crimson poll found that less than 3% of professors identify as conservatives. Small wonder, then, that exit polls showed those with more time in these ivory tower echo chambers were likelier to vote for socialists.

The government school system has morphed into a one-sided political machine, churning out Democratic foot soldiers bent on steering the country toward socialist decay. Despite public outcry, the Virginia Education Association stood by its endorsement of Jay “two bullets” Jones for attorney general, even after it came out that the candidate had wished death upon children for political gain. All from a union purporting to represent educators who care for children.

Meanwhile, Ms. Weingarten’s union funneled $500,000 to Abigail Spanberger’s campaign, which coordinated with the Portsmouth Public School District for an Aug. 8 event on school property. The Liberty Justice Center, joined by five Virginia residents, sent a legal letter to the state attorney general demanding an investigation into potential felonies. The rental agreement? Zero dollars charged during work hours — an undisclosed in-kind contribution from taxpayer resources to boost Democratic candidates. Such practices show the school system serving as an arm of the Democratic Party.

Conservatives can’t win this ideological war simply by having more children, though they are doing just that. Data from the Institute for Family Studies shows that conservative women born from 1985 through 1989 have a completed fertility rate of 2.1, whereas that number is only 1.7 for liberal women. This means conservatives in that age group have a 24% fertility advantage.

The radical left has a more insidious strategy. They shape American culture without needing large families of their own. By infiltrating government schools, they mold other people’s children into agents of their socialist agenda.

To save our country, conservatives, independents and moderate Democrats must dismantle this far-left appendage of the Democratic Party: the teachers unions. Start by empowering rational teachers, those focused on academics rather than activism, to opt out. Starving unions of dues will force bosses such as Ms. Weingarten to prioritize members over political pet projects and electing socialists. That money belongs in teachers’ pockets, not politicians’. Opting out is easier now, with alternatives such as the Teacher Freedom Alliance offering free liability insurance.

School choice is the broader weapon. Letting education dollars follow the child incentivizes districts to emphasize learning over indoctrination, keeping families satisfied. It also empowers parents to select schools aligned with their values, shielding children from ideologies that clash with home teachings.

Public school systems also need reform. Florida led the way with Senate Bill 1264 in 2024, mandating lessons on communism’s historical failures. Other states should follow, exposing the perils of big-government experiments.

The stakes are existential. Without dismantling the union cartel, socialists will continue capturing young voters, election by election. Yet with targeted action — opting out, expanding choice and reforming curricula — we can reclaim education and preserve a free society.

• Corey DeAngelis is a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and a visiting fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research.