Some teachers in the St. John School District have disaffiliated with the Washington Education Association (WEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) because they no longer wanted to give money to causes they didn’t believe in.

“Many of the teachers in St. John were just fed up with funneling huge amounts of their paycheck to advocate for immoral causes that the WEA and the NEA advance,” said Cindy Omlin, executive director of Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE). “They thought those causes were hurting children, and they were tired of it.”

The NWPE helped St. John teachers with negotiation options, legal and liability insurance, and benefits such as medical insurance.

Omlin wants teachers to know they have the right to oppose causes that conflict with their beliefs.

“They have federal rights that allow them to resign from the union and exercise their religious-objector rights to send their union dues to a charity,” she said. “Or, they can request a rebate for the amount of dues that does not go towards representation.”

The NEA supports issues such as same-sex unions and the abortion agenda.