$123 Million in DEI Contracts. $669 Million in Union Political Spending. A New Report Documents How the National PTA Pushes It Into Your Local School.
The Receipts Cover 303 School Districts in 40 States.
A new report from Defending Education — a watchdog that has filed more than 2,000 public records requests since 2021 — documents in granular detail how the National Parent Teacher Association uses its federated structure to mandate DEI programs across local chapters: anti-racism audits, ICE response toolkits, anti-racist libraries, and gender-ideology materials. The report names specific chapters, specific resolutions, and specific dollar amounts tied to the agenda.
The National PTA is the tip of a documented iceberg. The National Education Association — led by NEA President Becky Pringle at a salary of $481,000 per year — channeled $669 million in union dues to left-wing political operations since 2015, per Defending Education’s DivertED tracker. The AFT, under AFT President Randi Weingartenat $499,000 per year, is under active House Committee investigation for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in first-class travel. Between them, 98% of both unions’ political contributions go to Democratic candidates and causes.
- $123M+DEI consultant contracts — 303 school districts, 40 statesDefending Education's investigation via 300+ FOIA requests documented 41 DEI consultant groups collecting $123 million from 303 school districts across 40 states. Amplify: $70.5M (largest single contractor). Improve Your Tomorrow (CA): $4.5M+. National Equity Project: $1M+. Woke Kindergarten (Hayward, CA): $200,000 from a single district.
- $19.8MFederal Title I/II/IV/IDEA grants diverted to DEI programsDefending Education's HijackED investigation documented $19.8 million in federal education grants — Title I, II, IV, and IDEA funds intended for disadvantaged students — spent on DEI, Social-Emotional Learning, and restorative justice programming across 61 school districts between 2014 and 2025.
- $669MUnion dues spent on left-wing political operations since 2015Defending Education's DivertED tracker documents NEA and AFT combined channeling $669 million+ in union dues to left-wing political advocacy, lobbying, and electoral operations since 2015. 98% of NEA political contributions; 98% of AFT political contributions — all to Democratic candidates and causes.
- 23,683Schools implementing DEI across 46 states + DCDefending Education's DEI in K-12 list (updated February 25, 2025): 46 states + DC; 745 districts; 23,683 schools; 14.6 million students actively implementing DEI through formal policy, strategic plan, or documented practice.
- $600MFederal teacher training grants canceled by Trump — February 2025The Trump Education Department canceled $600 million in teacher training grants deemed 'divisive' in February 2025. The department also launched EndDEI.Ed.Gov, a portal for parents to report discriminatory DEI practices, and ordered all states to certify they are not using DEI programs or risk Title I funding.
Washington State PTA (2020): Resolution titled “Dismantling Institutional and Systemic Racism” — mandated anti-racism and equity audits, unconscious bias training, and DEI committees at all local chapters statewide.
Montgomery County, MD PTA: Hosted “ICE Response & Organizing Tools” meeting briefing families on immigration enforcement responses — developed in consultation with the National PTA.
San Francisco 2nd District PTA (Karen Meiselman, president): Self-declared “an anti-racist organization” and launched anti-racism training programs.
Portland, OR — Abernethy Elementary PTA: Stocked a “racial justice parent resource library” with titles including “White Fragility” and “How To Be An Antiracist.”
Ohio State PTA: Position statements opposing state DEI-related legislation; advocacy for LGBT youth protections in state policy.
In July 2025, the NEA’s 434-page 2025 Handbook was leaked and published publicly. Among its documented contents: designation of “white supremacy culture” as “the primary root cause of institutional racism, structural racism, and white privilege.” An explicit call for illegal racial hiring quotas. A call for “educational reparations.” And an erasure of explicit reference to Jews from Holocaust language — later revised after the exposure went viral. The NEA subsequently removed the handbook link from its website. The handbook had already been adopted.
“Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice” training (December 2–4, 2025): Distributed gender transition guides from Cornell University, “Gender Unicorn” materials, and pronoun guidance to K-12 teachers.
“Advancing Racial Justice through Union Work” training (January 13–15, 2026): Anti-racism training for union members operating in K-12 classrooms.
NEA leadership salaries: Becky Pringle (president): $481,000/year. Randi Weingarten (AFT president): $499,000/year. Both are among the highest-compensated labor leaders in the United States.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)introduced the STUDENT Act (S. 2428 / H.R. 4658, 119th Congress) which would: require NEA to halt CRT/DEI measures; strip the NEA’s Washington D.C. property tax exemption; mandate annual Congressional reporting; require member dues opt-in; and end taxpayer subsidies. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is separately investigating Randi Weingarten’s financial disclosures, including “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in first-class travel.
Teachers' unions prioritize power over students. They are political PACs — funded by teacher dues — not educational organizations. $669 million to left-wing causes since 2015. Every dollar came from union members, most of whom had no choice but to pay.
BREAKING: New report documents how the National PTA uses its federated chapter structure to mandate DEI programs — anti-racism audits, ICE response toolkits, gender-ideology curricula — across thousands of local parent-teacher associations nationwide. $123M in DEI contracts across 303 school districts. Full report at defendinged.org.
We ended DEI in America.
Confirmed Trump statement from the February 2026 State of the Union address — sourced via K-12 Dive and multiple news outlets. Refers to Trump executive orders targeting K-12 DEI programs, the Education Department's $600M grant cancellations, and the EndDEI.Ed.Gov portal launch.
Abused their authority by imposing discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-based standards.
Confirmed Trump executive action language on DEI-based standards — April 23, 2025. Sourced via White House Fact Sheet.