Media
Teachers Compelled To Fund ACORN
The group ACORN has been in the news more often than it probably prefers to be, especially of late. But such is its notoriety. ACORN is not new to scandal, and has been riddled with corruption for years. Besides the prostitution videos it has been involved in voter scams, embezzlement, tax evasion, and election law violations. The problem is not that ACORN is center of such ill-repute; the problem arises when individuals are forced to cover the costs of such an organization, without their consent. That includes taxpayers, as well as Pennsylvania’s unionize teachers.
In an email alert, the Keystone Teachers Association of Pennsylvaina (KEYTA) explain the predicament educators are in, because they are compelled to pay union dues (or “fair share fees”). Teachers who are members of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) have been contributing to ACORN through annual union dues. A portion of dues that educators pay to the PSEA is automatically forwarded to the national arm. Since 2007, the NEA has funded ACORN to the tune of $300,000 from thse union dues.
Most union members think their fees being spent on collective bargaining or enhancing the teaching profession. But ACORN is just one of many organizations that receive funding from the NEA, most with little or no connection to supporting children or teachers.
Members of the Keystone Teachers Association have come to KEYTA for services like professional liability insurance because “they cannot in good conscience assist in funding corrupt organizations, such as ACORN.”