Erika Donalds did not mince words in a recent on-camera discussion when she declared that teachers’ unions have become an institution that does more harm than good for America’s children. Her blunt assessment—that unions serve adult agendas, not student learning—cuts to the uncomfortable truth too many in the education establishment refuse to face.
Donalds speaks from experience, not from a think-tank bubble: she’s the founder of multiple charter schools and leads education ventures that put kids first, not political priorities. Her work with OptimaEd and several classical and virtual academies gives her the on-the-ground credibility to call out a broken system and demand real alternatives.
Her critique is straightforward and damning—teachers’ unions have become political machines that funnel virtually all their money and energy into electing Democrats and promoting left-wing agendas instead of improving literacy and math scores. Conservatives have watched for years as taxpayer dollars get quietly channeled toward ideological training and conference speakerships while classrooms continue to fall behind.
Donalds has repeatedly urged concrete reforms: decertify monopoly bargaining units, protect teachers’ paychecks from mandatory dues collection, and give parents real choice through charters and vouchers. These are common-sense solutions that return power to families and teachers who actually want to teach, instead of empowering a cartel that treats public education like a revenue stream.
Make no mistake—this is not an attack on teachers. It’s an attack on the corrupt union bosses and the entrenched system that rewards failure and punishes innovation. If conservatives are serious about rescuing the next generation, we must back leaders who will strip the political PACs from public education and replace them with accountability, school choice, and a relentless focus on basic skills like reading.
Americans who love their country should rally behind Donalds’ fight: support charter expansion, demand transparency about where education dollars go, and push for union reforms that let great teachers thrive rather than protecting mediocrity. Our children deserve better than a classroom turned into a political staging ground—patriots must act now to reclaim our schools for students and parents.
