Teachers union facing years of deficits seeks to become Oregon's largest PAC, internal documents show
The largest teachers union in Oregon is looking to become the state's biggest political action committee by 2026, internal documents provided to Fox News Digital by Defending Education show. The Oregon group is also proposing new member assessments, expanding its political influence and advancing resolutions on a variety of issues including taxation and artificial intelligence.
The Oregon Education Association (OEA), which represents almost 41,000 educators and education support staff, is an affiliate of the National Education Association. In a section of its 2026 Representative Assembly Handbook labeled "strategic metrics," the group lists out its goals by category. In the "Transforming Politics: Creating a pro-public school environment" category, the OEA states that it aims to be the largest PAC in Oregon by Fall 2026. Under the same category, the OEA states that it is seeking to "increase engagement and success of endorsed candidates."
In a new report, watchdog group Defending Education details OEA's goals, activities and spending based on internal documents, campaign finance records and tax filings. The organization argues that OEA's political ambitions are reflected both in its strategic planning documents and its spending history.
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State campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that the OEA contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to political organizations, ballot measure campaigns and candidates. This included contributions to to Legislative Accountability 1 and Transparent Elections for Grassroots Engagement. The state records also show OEA donated to campaigns for John Wasielewski, Michael Sugar and Lesly Muñoz, among others.
Defending Education's report also cites contributions to then-gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek's campaign. Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify those contributions through the records reviewed for this report.
The OEA's strategic planning documents also outline racial and social justice goals. Under the Racial & Social Justice category, the OEA stated that its goal for 2026-27 was to "improve pK-CC funding to build racially and culturally responsive schools that attract and retain historically marginalized students and educators."
The OEA handbook also laid out a series of proposed resolutions, including one calling for heavy taxation for billionaires and top income earners, another opposing AI-powered weapons and guidance limiting the use of AI as a tool to reduce staffing in schools.
Even as it strives to be Oregon's largest PAC, the OEA acknowledges that it must work to reach a balanced budget, saying in its 2026 Representative Assembly handbook that it has had budget deficits since the 2018-19 school year.
The organization said in its documents that it "has been projecting budget deficits (expenses in excess of revenues) since 2018. We are making progress toward returning to a balanced budget."
"Expected budget deficits have decreased $2.1 million from 2021 to 2026, while assumed reserve strengthening has increased to 1% of membership dues in the past 2 years," OEA's documents read.
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At the same time, OEA leaders are proposing a bylaw that would impose a $20 annual assessment per member for a "Public School Funding Campaign" for a period of three years unless extended by the union's Representative Assembly. With nearly 41,000 members statewide, the assessment could generate roughly $820,000 if approved.
Meanwhile, the OEA projects that personnel spending will surpass $23.8 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year, according to budget documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. The documents also show that salaries and benefits account for roughly 79.3% of projected expenditures.
Defending Education argues that the union's political goals, spending priorities and policy agenda show an increasing focus on activism.
Rhyen Staley, Director of Research at Defending Education, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that the OEA presented "another example of how teachers unions utilize member dues to fund left-wing political campaigns and far-left activism."
Staley argued that the union's political ambitions come as Oregon students struggle to keep up in crucial subjects. According to 2024 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Oregon students scored 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. There needs to be accountability for these organizations that continue to benefit while children and families struggle," Staley said.
Fox News Digital reached out to OEA for comment.