Guest: List of state GOP lawmakers taking teacher union money (and who's taking the most)

One would think that our nation’s pandemic experience during the last two years would give Alabama’s lawmakers, especially the “conservative” ones, a very good reason to side with parents and education reform during the current legislative session.

But there are nearly 1.6 million reasons why they might not, because that’s how many dollars 63% of all Republicans currently in the statehouse, 65 of 102, have taken from the Alabama Education Association (AEA) in recent years, according to campaign finance records kept by the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.

The top 20 alone account for more than 57% of the $1,580,833 total haul that records show our Republican state representatives and state senators have collected from the teachers union.

I searched the public database, added up the AEA’s contributions to each lawmaker, and here’s what I found:

The Top Twenty

State Rep. Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley: $117,625
State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Fairhope: $85,000
State Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman: $65,000
State Rep. Dickie Drake, R-Leeds: $57,500
State Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva: $50,000
State Sen. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer: $50,000
State Sen. Randy Price, R-Opelika: $47,604
State Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville: $47,500
State Rep. Tommy Hanes, R-Scottsboro: $40,000
State Rep. Ritchie Whorton, R-Owens Cross Roads: $40,000
State Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen: $32,944
State Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville: $32,500
State Rep. Corey Harbison, R-Good Hope: $32,500
State Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg: $32,500
State Rep. Debbi Wood, R-Valley: $32,500
State Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore: $30,000
State Sen. Jimmy Holley, R-Elba: $30,000
State Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre: $30,000
State Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville: $29,538
State Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville: $28,000

The Rest

State Rep. Tracy Estes: $27,500
State Rep. Wes Kitchens: $27,500
State Rep. Paul Lee: $26,398
State Rep. Will Dismukes: $25,000
State Rep. Bob Fincher: $25,000
State Rep. Jamie Kiel: $25,000
State Rep. Rhett Marques: $25,000
State Rep. Shane Stringer: $25,000
State Sen. Tom Butler: $22,500
State Rep. Steve Clouse: $22,500
State Rep. Steve Hurst: $22,221
State Rep. Brett Easterbrook: $20,000
State Rep. Gil Isbell: $20,000
State Rep. Craig Lipscomb: $20,000
State Rep. Randall Shedd: $20,000
State Sen. Jabo Waggoner: $17,500
State Rep. Alan Baker: $17,500
State Rep. Mike Holmes: $17,500
State Rep. Kyle South: $17,500
State Rep. Rodney Sulllivan: $17,500
State Sen. Clyde Chambliss: $15,000
State Sen. Larry Stutts: $15,000
State Rep. Matt Simpson: $15,000
State Rep. David Standridge: $15,000
State Sen. Arthur Orr: $12,500
State Sen. David Sessions: $12,500
State Rep. Allen Farley: $12,500
State Rep. Tom Whatley: $10,000
State Rep. Cynthia Almond: $10,000
State Rep. Reed Ingram: $10,000
State Rep. Joe Lovvorn: $10,000
State Rep. Kenneth Paschal: $10,000
State Rep. Proncey Robertson: $10,000
State Rep. Van Smith: $10,000
State Rep. Margie Wilcox: $8,000
State Rep. K.L. Brown: $7,500
State Rep. Danny Crawford: $7,500
State Rep. Harry Shiver: $5,500
State Rep. Chris Blackshear: $5,000
State Rep. Joe Faust: $5,000
State Rep. Lynn Greer: $5,000
State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter: $5,000
State Rep. Mac McCutcheon: $5,000
State Rep. Jeff Sorrells: $5,000
State Rep. Andy Whitt: $3,000

Worth Mentioning

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who is also president and presiding officer of the State Senate: $50,000
State Auditor Jim Zeigler: $5,000

Caveat

Sometimes AEA contributions are filed on the state’s online database under “Alabama Voice of Teachers For Education Association,” which is the name of its political action committee. Other times its “Ala. Voice of Teachers for Education,” and “AVOTE” or “A-VOTE.” There might be even more ways it’s filed, but I’m not sure.

All those search term distinctions, even that dash, cause the report to generate different contributions, so who knows how much AEA money is actually given to each Republican lawmaker. The above numbers are “at least” figures.

You can visit the Secretary of State’s website and search the database yourself. It’s fairly easy, and will show you who else is contributing to each lawmaker.

Why this Matters

First, human nature causes one to give more attention to people who give us something — whether it’s adulation, criticism, love, pleasure, or in this instance, campaign cash.

Second, a group like the AEA isn’t going to throw its money away by contributing to lawmakers who’ll oppose its agenda, which has historically been one grounded in maintaining the status quo, one that’s favored more centralized authority, and one that has opposed giving parents more control over where and how and from who their children receive an education.

And with thousands of teachers across the state paying dues, and in the past without a choice, the AEA grew into a financial juggernaut that had an outsized influence on state policy that eventually grew well beyond the boundaries of education issues alone.

That’s why the Alabama Republican Party adopted a rule long ago banning its members from accepting money from the national and state teachers union.

So, under the AEA’s oversight, Alabama’s education system languished in mediocrity and failure, and languishes there today, while our sister states have adopted many reforms aimed at helping local systems, and parents, find better, more tailored solutions to educating their children.

Third, and here’s the kicker — there’s a really big education reform bill before the State Legislature that the AEA strongly opposes. From Al.com:

The Parents’ Choice Act, as introduced by (State Sen. Del) Marsh, would establish a path for parents to tap state money normally used on their child’s public school education — about $5,500 per student per year — and use it to pay for private school, a public school outside their district, home schooling expenses or other alternate education paths.

Many “conservative” Republican lawmakers are hesitant to support the bill, according to reports, and some reformers are concerned it won’t pass, or at least not without being significantly watered down.

The Opposing View

Lawmakers will say that accepting a campaign contribution from a person or entity doesn’t mean they’ll support whatever that contributor wants. And they’d be right to say that, because it’s the law.

And they’d also say that the AEA isn’t supporting them so they’ll vote for issues that align with the teachers union, but the other way around — they support laws that protect teachers, first, and that’s why the AEA has chosen to contribute to their campaigns.

They might even say that these attempts at reform are counterproductive and won’t work.

Maybe so, but that’s for their constituents to decide.

Going Forward

Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

These Republican lawmakers represent many of the state’s most conservative-minded communities, and it stands to reason that their constituents would want to enact every measure of education reform possible, especially in this “Year of the Parent” moment we’re seeing in education across the country.

If taking money from the teachers union is a good thing, then they’d be proud to be on this list, especially those on the top. They might even share it with their constituents to show how much support they receive from the AEA.

But if these lawmakers are not proud to be on this list, or worry what their constituents might think, then they ought to take a long, close look at the Parents’ Choice Act, and then show our state’s parents who they really represent.

(J. Pepper Bryars is Alabama’s only reader supported conservative journalist. You can support his writing by subscribing here.)