Last year, Shift reported on certain state Supreme Court justices who received political contributions from the Washington Education Association (WEA) even though the court was in the midst of deciding a lawsuit brought by the WEA that would decide the fate of charter schools in Washington State. Of course, the WEA had filed that lawsuit to try to overturn the will of the voters that approved public charter schools in 2012.
Well, the Washington Policy Center recently pointed out that the lawsuit aimed at charter schools isn’t the only reeks-of-conflict-of-interest contribution the WEA has made to justices. The WEA maxed out in campaign donations ($1,900) to four justices who sought re-election last year also conflicts with McCleary v. State of Washington—another lawsuit the WEA was involved in as one of the lead plaintiffs.
WEA union executives stand to benefit financially for the increase in spending required by McCleary. Increases in school budgets—however needed—means more money in the pockets of the WEA due to mandatory union membership for public school teachers. Already, most teachers are forced to pay as much as $1,000 per years in dues and fees to union executives.
In the end, it’s another case of the WEA looking out for the WEA—certainly not for the interests of children.
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