Delaware State Education Association (DSEA) represents over 13,000 teachers throughout the State of Delaware. DSEA is associated with the National Education Association (NEA), a national union that represents over 3 million members across all 50 states. As a nonprofit organization, DSEA must file a Form 990 financial disclosure form with the IRS. This filing reveals that the union spends mainly to sustain itself rather than supporting its membership.
According to DSEA’s latest filing, salaries, benefits, and other personnel costs for the union’s 31 employees were by far the largest expense for the union, accounting for $3.8 million, or 70 percent of total expenses in 2021. Executive Director Jeff Taschner was the top earning employee, bringing in $246,000 in total compensation during the 2021 reporting period. Union President Stephanie Ingram earned $213,807, over 3.5 times more than the average Delaware public school teacher.
Outside of compensation and benefits for its employees, the DSEA spent about $504,000 on benefits for its membership. From 2018 to 2021, membership support only accounted for between 6 and 10 percent of all expenditures. In 2021, occupancy was a top cost, with the union paying $470,296 for rent and similar expenses. The union also spent over $200,000 on travel.
In 2021, DSEA brought in $6.1 million in revenue, with 86 percent of this coming from membership dues. From 2018 to 2021, membership dues accounted for between 87 and 90 percent of DSEA’s revenue. Most of the remaining revenue came from the NEA, a total of $728,068. DSEA’s revenue has steadily increased from $5.7 million in 2018 to $6.1 million in 2021.
DSEA’s expenses remained steady, ranging between $5.2 and $5.5 million from 2018 to 2021. Overall, the union’s net financial position increased by nearly $1.8 million due to the union consistently spending less than it takes in.
DSEA’S MEMBER DUES PAY FOR POLITICS
DSEA reported spending $36,457 on political campaign activities in 2021. DSEA’s website hosts a legislative action center, which offers legislative tracking, information on public meetings, and advocacy information from the NEA. The union also invites members to volunteer to assist with political activities, such as interviewing and campaigning for candidates.
In addition to this, the union operates a political action committee (PAC), the DSEA Advocacy Fund for Children and Public Education. According to campaign finance reports, during the 2021–22 election cycle, the DSEA Advocacy Fund spent $71,250 on politics. Of this, 97.8 percent, or $69,750 went to Democratic candidates and only $1,500 going to Republican candidates. This one-sided political spending is surely not representative of the political views of DSEA’s membership.
Delaware State Education members also pay dues to the National Education Association. For more information on how those dues are spent, see the link below.