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For decades, teacher unions in Idaho have abused a legal loophole to recycle K-12 education money into the Idaho Education Association (IEA) and its national counterpart, the National Education Association (NEA). Both the IEA and NEA act as Democrat advocacy groups at the state and national level. Legislation this session offers an opportunity for Idaho’s lawmakers to end this corruption once and for all after a similar proposal passed the House last year. 

Teacher unions in Idaho hold vast power and significant resources. Out of Idaho’s 117 public school districts, 83 are union affiliated. In many of these schools, membership to the union is a direct part of a new hire’s orientation process. These unions have also successfully bargained for privileged access to school resources and facilities. On top of that, many unions provide paid time off for teachers to participate in political activities. So, not only are new teachers coerced into joining and paid to politically advocate, but union presence is institutionalized in many districts.  

Left unchecked, unions have been exploiting taxpayer dollars for left-wing political advocacy. In most of Idaho’s unionized districts, union dues are automatically deducted from teacher’s paychecks. A portion of those dues are diverted to the NEA. In 2024 alone, the NEA spent nearly $40 million in ‘political activities and lobbying’. Some of these activities included calling on its members to:  

  • Engage in resistance against authoritarianism by supporting ‘No Kings’ protests (Fox). 
  • Lobbying for Democrat candidates ahead of the 2026 midterms (The Hill).  

The IEA isn’t innocent either. In 2025, they were caught motivating Democrat and independent teachers to switch parties in order to rig the GOP primaries. And in 2024, keynote speakers at their teacher conference routinely criticized Republicans and conservatives, comparing them to the Taliban. 

Thankfully, lawmakers have proposed a meaningful solution in the form of  HB 601. The bill, which the state GOP endorsed in principle last year, includes a series of provisions to prevent abuse like this from happening again. It stops automatic payroll deduction of union dues, prohibits paid time off for union activities (unless mentioned in a prior agreement), and restricts how unions can share contact information with school district employees. And, most importantly, the legislation would prevent government resources from being used to support teachers’ unions. 

By prohibiting use of public funds for teacher union activity, HB 601 would restore Idahoan parents’ confidence in their public school system, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent on students and classroom instruction, where they always belonged.