The left-leaning National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union, has adopted a resolution outlining its official support of homosexual "marriage." But Kansas' teachers apparently aren't having any part of it.

The resolution, identified as “New Business Item E” on the group’s web site, was adopted during the NEA’s annual convention, which was hosted in California last month.

According to the resolution, the “NEA will support its affiliates seeking to enact state legislation that guarantees to same-sex couples the right to enter into a legally recognized relationship pursuant to which they have the same rights and benefits as similarly-situated heterosexual couples.”

The resolution also said the group would take action to provide support for federal legislation that would afford homosexual couples the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples.

The resolution was adopted just two years after the group’s former president said the NEA had no plans for taking a position on gay marriage and instead was busy focusing on education. Former President Reg Weaver issued the statement in 2007 after conservative groups voiced concerns the teachers' union would take an official stance on the subject.

"While I understand that the e-mails and phone calls you are receiving are generating concern, we must not allow the tactics and manipulations of these divisive groups to derail our process," Weaver said. "NEA has no position on same-sex marriages, and leadership is not seeking to establish such a position. We are focused on Great Public Schools for Every Child.”

Weaver has since been replaced by Dennis Van Roekel as president of NEA.

The NEA did not return Kansas Liberty’s requests for comment, but Cynthia Menzel, communications director for the Kansas National Education Association, said that the KNEA has not adopted any language supporting same-sex marriage.

Menzel said that the 170 Kansas delegates who attended the meeting unanimously supported having an equal-rights resolution that did not mention homosexual marriage.

“Kansas delegates supported language adopted which specifically did not support same-sex marriage,” Menzel told Kansas Liberty. “The Kansas delegation would not have supported it if the same-sex marriage language was in there.”

Menzel said the group adopted an equal-rights resolution that included language promoting equal rights for students and teachers and opposing discrimination in any form.

Menzel said the NEA had given each individual state group the choice of adopting language of its choice, so the state groups were not forced to conform to the NEA language.

Menzel said she “can’t imagine” that the KNEA would be taking any positions on homosexual marriage in the Kansas Legislature through lobbying.

“We lobby for things that impact public schools and impact student learning and teachers,” she said. “Making sure every child has an education is much more important to us.”

During the 2009 legislative session, the KNEA had a strong presence supporting school funding and increasing state revenue. The group’s political action committee is consistently at the top of the most influential PACs in Kansas, with its widespread donations benefiting Democrat and "moderate" Republican legislators who support school funding increases.

According to the KNEA’s 2008 tax form, the teachers' union had net assets of $4.22 million during the tax period of July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, and generated $8.58 million in total revenue during the same time. The majority of the group’s revenue comes from membership dues.

Judy Smith, state director for Concerned Women for America, said it was encouraging that the KNEA decided not to adopt the same language as the NEA.

“I am glad to hear the KNEA isn’t going that direction, and I think that is reflective of the attitude of most Kansans,” Smith told Kansas Liberty.

In 2005, Kansas overwhelmingly passed an amendment banning same-sex marriage with 70 percent of Kansans supporting the ban.

Smith said she was surprised the NEA was even focusing on same-sex marriage since it is not an issue that directly influences students’ education.

“At this point, rather than being an advocate of education, they have become a lobbying group for radical issues,” Smith said. “This shows their true colors.”

Resources

Weaver statement on same-sex marriage
http://www.knea.org/news/2006/samesexmarriage.html

Read entire “New Business Item E” here
http://www.nea.org/grants/33354.htm

NEA
www.nea.org

KNEA
www.knea.org