Spend tens of millions on pet projects while students fall behind
In Oregon, the state's largest teachers union stands at a crossroads familiar to institutions that wield both moral authority and political ambition: it seeks to become the most powerful political action committee in the state even as its own finances have run in deficit for nearly a decade. The Oregon Education Association, representing 41,000 educators, is proposing new member fees to fund a public school campaign while projecting nearly $24 million in personnel costs — a portrait of an organization whose internal scale and external reach have grown faster than its revenues. The tension between institutional self-interest and the educational outcomes of the children its members serve has become the central question observers are asking.
- The OEA has formally declared its intent to become Oregon's largest PAC by Fall 2026, a goal written into its own strategic planning documents alongside targets for increasing the electoral success of endorsed candidates.
- Despite shrinking the gap over five years, the union has not achieved a balanced budget since the 2018-19 school year, and personnel costs alone are projected to consume nearly 80 percent of all spending in the coming fiscal year.
- To raise roughly $820,000, union leadership is proposing a $20 annual assessment on each of its 41,000 members, tied to a three-year public school funding campaign that requires membership approval.
- Oregon fourth-graders and eighth-graders score significantly below national averages in math and reading, giving watchdog groups a pointed counterargument to the union's expanding political footprint.
- The union's policy agenda extends well beyond the classroom — encompassing billionaire taxation, AI weapons restrictions, and racial equity initiatives — fueling critics' claims that electoral and ideological priorities have eclipsed student outcomes.
The Oregon Education Association, representing nearly 41,000 teachers and school support staff, has set a striking institutional goal: to become Oregon's largest political action committee by the fall of 2026. Internal planning documents, reviewed by Fox News Digital, spell out the ambition directly, placing it alongside targets for improving the win rate of union-endorsed candidates. The announcement arrives at an uncomfortable moment — the union has run budget deficits every year since 2018-19.
Union leadership acknowledges the financial strain but points to progress: projected shortfalls have shrunk by $2.1 million since 2021, and reserves are being rebuilt. To accelerate that recovery, a proposed bylaw would charge each member $20 annually for a three-year "Public School Funding Campaign," potentially generating around $820,000. Meanwhile, personnel costs — salaries and benefits — are projected at $23.8 million for 2026-27, representing nearly 80 percent of all expenditures.
The union's political spending is already substantial, with campaign finance records showing contributions to ballot measure campaigns, political organizations, and individual candidates. Its broader policy agenda includes proposals on billionaire taxation, restrictions on AI in schools, and equity-focused education funding — a wide ideological portfolio that critics say signals misplaced priorities.
Watchdog group Defending Education, which obtained and analyzed the internal documents, argues the pattern is damaging. Research director Rhyen Staley cited 2024 federal assessment data showing Oregon students scoring well below national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade math and fourth-grade reading. He called it "infuriating" that the union continues directing tens of millions toward political and internal goals while student outcomes lag. The union did not respond to requests for comment, leaving the membership vote on the new assessment — and the union's political trajectory heading into 2026 — as the unresolved questions at the center of this story.
The Oregon Education Association, which speaks for nearly 41,000 teachers and school support staff across the state, has set its sights on becoming Oregon's largest political action committee by the fall of 2026. Internal documents reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal the ambition plainly: in a section of the union's 2026 Representative Assembly Handbook marked "strategic metrics," the goal appears alongside other political objectives, including plans to increase the success rate of candidates the union endorses. The move comes as the union simultaneously grapples with a persistent budget problem that has shadowed its finances for years.
Since the 2018-19 school year, the OEA has operated with deficits—expenses outpacing revenues. The union acknowledges this directly in its own planning documents, though it notes progress: the projected shortfalls have shrunk by $2.1 million between 2021 and 2026, and the union has begun rebuilding reserves. Still, the gap remains. To help close it, union leadership is proposing a new bylaw that would assess each member $20 annually for a "Public School Funding Campaign" lasting three years, unless the union's Representative Assembly votes to extend it. With roughly 41,000 members, that assessment could raise approximately $820,000 if approved.
The union's political spending has already been substantial. Campaign finance records show the OEA has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to political organizations, ballot measure campaigns, and individual candidates. Among the recipients were Legislative Accountability 1 and Transparent Elections for Grassroots Engagement, as well as candidates including John Wasielewski, Michael Sugar, and Lesly Muñoz. The union also directed funds toward then-gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek's campaign, according to documents reviewed by the watchdog group Defending Education, though Fox News Digital could not independently verify those contributions through state records.
Beyond electoral politics, the union's strategic documents outline a broad policy agenda. Resolutions under consideration include calls for steep taxation on billionaires and top earners, opposition to AI-powered weapons systems, and restrictions on using artificial intelligence to reduce school staffing. The union has also set goals around racial and social justice, including efforts to improve funding for pre-kindergarten through community college programs in ways that support historically marginalized students and educators.
Personnel costs dominate the union's budget. In the 2026-27 fiscal year, the OEA projects spending $23.8 million on salaries and benefits—roughly 79.3 percent of all projected expenditures. Defending Education, the watchdog organization that obtained and analyzed these documents, argues that the union's simultaneous pursuit of political dominance, substantial internal spending, and activist policy goals reflects a shift in priorities away from classroom outcomes.
Rhyen Staley, the organization's director of research, framed the union's trajectory as troubling. He pointed to 2024 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showing Oregon students scoring significantly below the national average in fourth-grade math, fourth-grade reading, and eighth-grade math. "It should be infuriating for parents and community members that while the union continues to spend tens of millions on pet projects and their own salaries, Oregon continues to rank poorly when it comes to educational outcomes," Staley said in a statement. He called for accountability from organizations that, in his view, benefit while children and families struggle.
The union did not respond to requests for comment. The question now is whether the membership will approve the new assessment and whether the union's political ambitions will be realized in the 2026 election cycle—all while the organization works toward the balanced budget it has not achieved in nearly a decade.
Citas Notables
It should be infuriating for parents and community members that while the union continues to spend tens of millions on pet projects and their own salaries, Oregon continues to rank poorly when it comes to educational outcomes.— Rhyen Staley, Director of Research at Defending Education
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a teachers union need to become the largest PAC in a state? Isn't that a political role, not an educational one?
The union sees it as leverage. If you're the biggest PAC, you shape which candidates get elected and which don't. That shapes education policy, funding, labor agreements—everything that touches schools. From their view, it's not separate from education; it's the infrastructure that protects it.
But the documents show they've been running deficits for eight years. How do you spend your way to political dominance while you're losing money?
That's the tension. They're asking members to pay more—the $20 assessment—partly to fund this political push. They're betting that political power will eventually translate into better contracts, more funding, better conditions. It's a long game.
The watchdog group says Oregon kids are scoring below average in math and reading. Does the union's spending on politics and salaries explain that?
Not entirely. School funding is complex, and test scores depend on many things. But the criticism is fair: if you're asking members for more money and spending heavily on administration and politics, you're making a choice about what matters most. That choice becomes visible.
What happens if the members vote no on the assessment?
Then the union has to find another way to fund its political ambitions while closing the budget gap. It becomes harder. The assessment is a test of whether members believe in the strategy.