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NEW TEACHERS’ GROUP SEEKS MD. FOOTHOLD

An organization working to break the stranglehold of teachers’ unions on public schools held its first official meeting in Maryland on June 5.

At the meeting in Glen Burnie, two spokespersons for the Association of American Educators outlined their upcoming campaign to start a state affiliate offering Maryland teachers an alternate professional organization that would not spend members’ dues on political causes or push a left-wing agenda.

At the June 5 meeting were a dozen representatives of conservative groups such as the Association of Maryland Families and Concerned Women for America.

The groups oppose much of the agenda, such as sex education, “gay rights” indoctrination, and access to birth control methods, promoted by the National Education Association and its state and local affiliates.

In contrast, AAE’s aim is to provide a non-partisan association for teachers similar to those for doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.

The AAE has established affiliates in 12 states and has over 30,000 at-large members in all 50 states.

This year it is targeting Maryland for state affiliation.

But getting their message out is the tough part, says AAE Communications Director Heather Reams:  “Access is a huge thing for us,” she admits.  “The unions try to keep us out.”

AAE’s game plan is to begin with a series of town hall meetings.  From there it hopes to influence county school boards to allow access to their teachers through new teacher orientations, convocations, faculty meetings and mailboxes, and other channels.

The gist of AAE’s message to Maryland teachers is:  1) You are not required by law to join the teachers’ union, and 2) We’ve got a cheaper, more effective alternative for you.

AAE already has 200 teacher members in Maryland, who learned about the organization by word-of-mouth, but they want to increase their numbers so they will be a serious alternative to the Maryland State Teachers Association and its county affiliates.

“In Maryland we’re aiming first for the ‘low-hanging fruit,’ the counties where it is easier for teachers to get out of the union and where there are more Republicans and churchgoers,” says AAE Outreach Coordinator Brian Burkhart.

Baltimore City and the larger Maryland counties, such as Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s, have what Reams describes as “compulsory unionism”:  even if you opt out of the union, you still have to pay an agency fee of about 85 percent of your dues for union contract negotiations.

AAE is focusing its initial efforts on the 17 counties, with 41 percent of Maryland’s teachers, that, says Reams, “are basically ‘right-to-work’ – you don’t have to pay an agency fee if you get out of the union.”

In addition to staying out of political issues and social agendas, AAE has another big draw:  membership dues offer teachers twice the liability insurance coverage at a fraction of the cost.

Its $150 annual membership dues provide up to $2 million in liability coverage, compared to NEA dues of $450 to $500, which provide only $1 million in coverage.

AAE is not a union, stresses Burkhart; it does not participate in contract negotiations or collective bargaining.

But, says Reams, “The younger teachers are not interested in collective bargaining.  They want to negotiate their own contract.”

Reams and Burkhart recognize that Maryland has a strong teachers’ union.

“But lots of times, the places that have a strong union will vastly overreach and do some stupid things,” says Burkhart.

“At the town hall meetings, we fully expect to have people from the unions try to disrupt the meetings,” he adds.  

“It’s unpleasant, but I will enjoy playing devil’s advocate; it paints them as unprofessional.”

Resigning from the union is a bit tricky.

“The unions are pretty sly,” says Reams.  “You can join the union at any time, but there are only certain times, varying from county to county, during which you can drop out.”

Last year, in addition to imposing its liberal social agenda on public school students, the National Education Association doled out over $65 million, obtained from teachers’ union dues, to liberal advocacy groups and political causes that have little or nothing to do with improving education.

The AAE does not contribute its members’ dues to either left- or right-wing causes, says Burkhart.

It does provide professional development, conferences, teacher scholarships, classroom mini-grants, and a voice on educational issues.

“We have conservative and Republican members, but we also have Democrats,” says Burkhart.

“It’s not a Republican-Democrat issue – not just a gay marriage-abortion issue.

“We want to be a positive alternative – an organization to help teachers be professional and independent.”

More information on the Association of American Educators is available at www.aaeteachers.org, or by phoning 1-800-704-7799.