Economics, Markets & Public Control
Documented opposition to privatization, vouchers, tuition tax credits, and for-profit schooling; support for progressive taxation, strong social safety net, and single-payer healthcare language; and the Colorado Education Association (NEA affiliate) resolution on capitalism.
NEA — Privatization, vouchers, for-profit schools
Long-standing policy statements and resolutions oppose privatization or subcontracting that:
- Reduces resources available for quality public education
- Allows public funds for religious education or weakens church-state separation
- Places public employees’ economic security at risk so private-sector workers can perform the services
- Causes or maintains racial segregation
Explicit opposition to voucher plans and tuition tax credits that subsidize private/home school with tax monies, and to for-profit schools (inherent conflict between serving children and stockholders). Preference for publicly and democratically controlled education without undue private/business influence.
NEA — Economic fairness language
Resolutions support progressive taxation, estate taxes, higher minimum wage, affordable higher education, and a strong social safety net to reduce extreme income inequality. Support for adoption of a single-payer health care plan.
Colorado Education Association (NEA affiliate) — Capitalism resolution (2023)
The CEA passed a resolution stating that capitalism “requires exploitation of children, public schools, land, labor, and/or resources” and is “in opposition to fully addressing systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy (gender and LGBTQ disparities), education inequality, and income inequality.” An earlier draft reportedly called for dismantling capitalism and replacing it with a “new, equitable economic system.” The introducer noted it would allow advocacy for anti-capitalist policies.
This is the clearest affiliate-level language matching “anti-capitalist” framing found in reporting. National NEA/AFT documents more often attack specific market mechanisms in education than capitalism as a system.
Political alignment
NEA and AFT political spending and endorsements are overwhelmingly aligned with Democratic candidates and progressive causes. This is well-documented in FEC and LM-2 data and secondary analyses; it is relevant to “pro Democrat / big government” characterizations but is not itself a curriculum or classroom “story.”