National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI), known also as NEA Rhode Island, is a statewide teachers union in Rhode Island and the official state-level affiliate of the National Education Association, the largest teacher’s union in the United States and a notable force in left-of-center political organizing and lobbying. The union supports many traditional pro-union education policies such as significant education spending increases, as well as many other left-of-center policy priorities such as bans on ownership of certain firearms. The union’s president, Valerie Lawson, is a state senator serving in Democratic Party leadership. ^{1 2 3}

Background and History

The modern NEA Rhode Island was originally founded in 1845 and predates the National Education Association. The union was formerly known as the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction and later the Rhode Island Education Association. In the union’s early history, it encouraged the creation of local libraries, the introduction of music education in schools, and the establishment of a State Board of Education. The modern era of the union began in 1966 when the state granted power to teachers’ unions to negotiate contracts with school districts. ⁴

The group also encouraged the creation of a state teachers’ college, now Rhode Island College, and has since introduced programs for legal aid, instructional development, lobbying and political action, and public relations. ⁴

Activity

NEA Rhode Island is the largest teachers union in the state and is affiliated with the National Education Association and labor-affiliated and left-wing groups including the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, the RI Institute for Labor Studies and Research, Learning First Alliance RI, and Clean Water Action. ³

While NEARI’s website states that it has approximately 12,000 members, it was reported that at the end of the 2021-2022 school year the union had 9,360 members and had lost 456 that year as national teacher union numbers dropped by 59,000 across the nation following the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision that prohibited government-worker unions from compelling payment of fees in non-right-to-work states like Rhode Island. ⁵

Lobbying Activity

NEA Rhode Island has a significant influence on the legislative process in Rhode Island. The union’s 2024 legislative agenda called for pension plan changes, gun control, and significant changes to state education funding. On gun control policy, the union has been a staunch supporter of bans on certain common rifles deemed “assault weapons” and gun storage regulations. The union also advocates to make school meals free for all students, a proposal that has drawn skepticism from many in the state government’s Democratic leadership for not being feasible from a state budget standpoint. ²

NEARI’s president is State Senator Valerie Lawson (D), a state legislator and teacher who was elected to the top post in the union in 2023 after having taught in East Providence Schools for over 30 years. In 2023 Lawson was elevated to state senate Democratic leadership as majority whip. ¹

Criticism

NEA Rhode Island drew criticism in 2023 for suing a Rhode Island mother after she sent several open records requests to the state concerning school instruction in critical race theory and student-pronouns policies. The parent, Nicole Solas, “revealed she was the topic of a ‘secret meeting’ held by the most powerful teacher’s union in the country, after she asked staffers at her child’s school whether or not they were teaching students radical gender theory.” The Daily Mail reported that Solas further shared that she had been sued by NEARI “as part of a years-long ‘harassment’ campaign carried out by the union and staffers at her five-year-old daughter’s school district.” ⁶

1. Lavin, Nancy. “Teachers union leader to take on power role in State Senate.” Rhode Island Current. October 6, 2023. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2023/10/06/teachers-union-leader-to-take-on-power-role-in-state-senate/
2. Russo, Amy. “Here’s what one of Rhode Island’s largest teacher unions wants from lawmakers.” Providence Journal. February 6, 2024. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/education/2024/02/06/neari-reveals-its-wish-list-including-free-school-meals-for-all/72490881007/
3. “Overview.” NEA Rhode Island. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.neari.org/about/about-overview
4. “History.” NEA Rhode Island. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.neari.org/about/history
5. Antonucci, Mike. “Teachers Union Membership Drops by 59,000 Across the Nation.” The 74. December 7, 2022. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.the74million.org/article/teachers-union-membership-drops-by-59000-across-the-nation/
6. Hammer, Alex. “Rhode Island mom slams teachers’ union for having ‘secret meetings’ about her after she asked them if they were teaching critical race theory on curriculum.” Daily Mail. March 5, 2023. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11823529/Rhode-Island-mom-slams-teachers-union-secret-meetings-asked-lessons.html