Teachers union poured nearly $8 million into fights against school choice and girls' sports measures, watchdog finds

The National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union, and its state affiliates spent nearly $7.8 million on ballot measure fights in three states in 2026, according to a report from the education watchdog Defending Education, first reported by Fox News Digital.

Defending Education said it found an NEA guidance document stating that "unions may spend unlimited amounts from their general treasuries on ballot measures in any state," and calling for "strategic and financial assistance" to defeat ballot measures the union opposes.

Most of the money went to fighting school choice in Arizona. In the first half of 2026, a PAC called Protect Education, Accountability Now received about $7.08 million from the Arizona Education Association and the NEA for an anti-school choice campaign, the report says.

In Arizona, the state affiliate also gave $75,000 to a group opposing Proposition 318, which requires schools and athletic associations to restrict private spaces and sports teams by biological sex. Voters approved it.

In Washington state, the Washington Education Association gave more than $391,000 to a group that opposed two measures, a parents' rights measure and a measure requiring sex verification for women's sports. The sports measure passed. In Alaska, the NEA Advocacy Fund gave $250,000 to the campaign against Ballot Measure 2, which sought to repeal ranked-choice voting.

"I 100% believe that the union has done a lot of damage and continues to do a lot of damage," said Erika Sanzi of Defending Education, a former teacher and NEA member. The NEA did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.