Contracts. Impasse. Mediation. Oh my!

We’ve all seen the headlines, the crowd of red shirts and the talking points about “fighting for teachers and students.” But as a teacher – and a former union member – I’m here to tell you: What’s happening with the Mesa Valley Education Association isn’t about students. It’s political theater, and it’s about control.

Let’s start with a bit of history.

Teacher unions were initially formed to give educators a voice in working conditions. In the early 20th century, teachers – primarily women – were underpaid, lacked job security and had no influence in how schools were run. The National Education Association, founded in 1857, and the American Federation of Teachers, founded in 1916, played key roles in organizing teachers across the country, advocating for fair wages, reasonable hours and professional respect.

These were worthy and important goals, and for a time unions provided a needed balance in an education system where teachers were often powerless.

But like many institutions that gain influence, the mission evolved – and not necessarily for the better.

Today, the NEA and AFT are some of the most powerful political organizations in the country. They donate tens of millions of dollars to political campaigns, including local school board races, and support candidates who align not only with educational priorities but also with partisan agendas. That’s true nationally, and it’s true right here in Mesa County.

MVEA (the local union) has been the largest donor in recent school board elections, ensuring that its chosen candidates are well-funded and, once elected, are expected to adhere to the union’s line. When board members did, the red shirts were quiet. Now that voters have elected board members who don’t owe their seats to union money, the union is angry – and very, very loud.

Suddenly, every board decision is an “attack on teachers.” Every negotiation is “hostile.” Every disagreement is “dangerous.” The messaging is intended to instill fear and mistrust in the community, but who does it serve?

As a current teacher, I can tell you what matters most to those of us in the classroom:

• Strong discipline policies.
• Relevant, rigorous curriculum.
• And support from leadership that puts students first.

These aren’t partisan issues. But many of the policies that frustrate teachers – the lack of consequences for disruptive behavior, rigid mandates or politicized curriculum – have been backed by the very unions claiming to “speak for us.”

A large number of policies that the union has issues with are being brought about by national and state regulations, and the local board has only so much it can do. Often policies that teachers are frustrated with have been created by legislators that the union and its members are funding at the national and state levels.

Do MVEA members realize they’re paying dues to an organization that supports national union leaders like Becky Pringle (NEA) and Randi Weingarten (AFT), who now spend more time on activism and political resistance than they do on literacy or math recovery? Have they seen the priorities being pushed at the national conventions? Because I have, and they don’t reflect what’s happening in my classroom.

This is a hard truth: If you pay into a system that props up a national political machine, you can’t be surprised when that machine stops caring about your students.

Locally, MVEA has spent years shaping the board. Now that their influence has slipped, they’re ramping up the fear mongering. But this isn’t about teacher salaries or students’ well-being. It’s about regaining political control.

So, let’s ask real questions:

• Why is MVEA louder now than when student achievement was declining under the school board directors they funded and supported?
• Why are union-endorsed candidates often vague on discipline and academics, but loud on protests and politics?
• And how do local union members feel about the national organizations they’re funding?

I left the union not because I stopped caring, but because I realized they had.

Our kids deserve better than political theater. They deserve a school system focused on learning, not lobbying. And our community deserves transparency and accountability, not fear tactics and scripted outrage.

The red shirts may shout the loudest, but they don’t speak for all of us.

Christy Anderson is a K–3 elementary educator with 25 years of experience in Mesa County Valley School District 51. She was formerly an active member of the local teachers’ union, and she now serves as an ambassador for the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). In addition to being an advocate for students and teachers, she is a parent and a local Realtor for Bray and Co. Real Estate.