The American Federation of Teachers gathered in Washington, D.C., this month for its biennial convention, and the proceedings left little doubt about the organization’s true priorities. Speakers consistently behaved as if they were addressing a political rally rather than an education event.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the audience to “throw MAGA extremists out of the Congress in November” and labeled the effort “regime change.” Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock assured the crowd that “you keep showing up, and we will win come November.”

The president of the California teachers’ union urged members that “we need to be in the streets” to “fight back against this fascist regime.” His shirt displayed the slogan “Solidarity is the Lesson Plan,” with “May Day” visible on the book depicted.

Weingarten’s convention was a radical-left political rally. The resolutions approved by the roughly 3,000 delegates confirmed the focus. One measure declared May 1 a “Day of Civic Action” for political protests and directed that students receive “trainings,” “political education,” and participation in “marches and rallies.” In short, the union wants to use our kids as political pawns.

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Another resolution called to “abolish ICE.” Delegates also advanced a measure to keep secrets from parents, condemning passage of the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act.” The act requires schools that receive federal funds to obtain parental consent before changing a minor’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on school forms, and before altering sex-based accommodations such as bathrooms or locker rooms. It further prohibits the use of federal dollars to promote gender ideology. The clear aim of the union’s opposition is to socially transition kids at schools without parental consent.

A further resolution instructed the union to “mobilize for the 2026 elections,” framing those contests as a “which side are you on” moment. Delegates endorsed making D.C. a state, a move designed to pack the Senate. They supported a bill to repeal President Trump’s nationwide school-choice program, even though most of the bill’s co-sponsors attended private school or sent their own children to private school.

Additional measures backed “gender-affirming care,” including sex-change surgeries, hormones, and puberty blockers “across all stages of life,” and sought to force health insurance plans to cover “comprehensive reproductive and gender-affirming care.” The practical result is an effort to make insurers pay for abortions and sex-change surgeries.

These political priorities dominate the agenda while American students continue to lag in basic reading and math. National assessments show proficiency rates remain dismal, years after pandemic learning losses. The AFT’s attention stays fixed on partisan combat. Last election cycle, 99.89 percent of the union’s campaign contributions went to Democrats.

Weingarten held an at-large position at the DNC for decades. She has served as AFT president since 2008 and just secured another two-year term. The organization imposes no term limits, and only the convention delegates vote for the top officers.

The hyper-politicization helps explain why an AFT committee recommended a resolution aimed at blocking groups such as the Freedom Foundation and Americans for Fair Treatment from convincing teachers to leave the union. Those organizations assist educators in exercising their First Amendment rights to stop subsidizing political activity they reject. When leadership spends its energy defending a political monopoly rather than improving classrooms, the pattern becomes unmistakable.

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Teachers join the AFT expecting support for professional standards, classroom resources, and student outcomes. Instead, they encounter an organization that treats education as a secondary concern. The convention featured almost no discussion of curriculum reform, teacher evaluation, or measurable academic gains. Political mobilization, ideological litmus tests, and opposition to parental authority filled the schedule.

Parents and taxpayers fund public schools to educate children, not to underwrite a permanent campaign apparatus. When union leaders invite Democratic lawmakers to deliver campaign speeches, pass resolutions on immigration enforcement and Senate packing, and train students for marches, they abandon any claim to neutrality on education policy. The AFT’s own contribution records show near-total alignment with one political party. That alignment is not incidental. It is the operating model.

Weingarten’s long tenure without term limits concentrates power among a small group of delegates who share the same partisan outlook. Ordinary teachers who simply want better working conditions and stronger schools have little voice in the process. The recommendation targeting opt-out groups further reveals the leadership’s priority: preserve the flow of dues into political coffers.

The convention record stands as evidence. Speakers framed the event as a battle for electoral control. Resolutions targeted ICE, parental notification, school choice, and health-insurance mandates. Student achievement was nowhere to be found. The teachers’ union functions as a political organization that has nothing to do with education.