An AP wire story out yesterday revealed that “The Utah Education Association received small donations from teacher unions in Wyoming, Colorado, Ohio and Maine” in support of its efforts to defeat a school voucher plan passed by the Utah legislature. The plan goes before voters in November. According to the article, voucher opponents, led by the teacher’s unions, have raised more than $1.8 million, a million dollars more than voucher supporters have raised for their side.
Counted among that $1.8 million is this $1000 contribution from the Maine Education Association.
Why would the MEA spend $1000 to fight school vouchers in Utah? The same reason they have fought reforms like charter schools here in Maine for years – to protect their power and influence.
How sad it is that instead of working to improve Maine’s schools, the MEA is focused instead on crushing a promising and innovative school reform effort thousands of miles away, and using the dues paid by hard-working Maine teachers to do it. Our teachers deserve better.