Shrinking influence? Teacher association in North Carolina 63% smaller than decade ago, audit says
October 18, 2024
Heavily supported by Democrats at the gubernatorial and General Assembly level, the North Carolina Association of Educators has membership of 25,679 at close of 2023, according to a state audit.
It is second-largest of employees’ associations behind the 40,181 in the State Employees Association of North Carolina and an estimated 63% smaller than a decade ago. The office of Democrat Jessica Holmes, the appointed state auditor filling the remainder of the term for Beth Wood, released the audit on Tuesday.
Speculation has long been the norm for actual membership in the NCAE. The auditor is granted authority to perform the analysis, but associations are not compelled to give information.
North Carolina does not have a teachers union, defined as collective bargaining. The NCAE is a state affiliate of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union; rallies periodically at the Legislative Building on Jones Street as issues arise; and generally, is supported more by Democratic lawmakers than the Republicans who have three-fifths majorities in the chambers.
Education claims more than half of the state’s budget this fiscal year, as it did last year.