New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission recently released a study on special-interest spending in that state. NJ.com’s Matt Friedman reports that, between 1999 and 2013, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the main teachers’ union in the state, spent more money than any other group, accounting for nearly a fifth of “campaign contributions, independent spending and lobbying [of] lawmakers and the executive branch.”

The union defended its political spending, as Friedman reports:

Ginger Gold Schnitzer—the NJEA's director of government relations—said it's no surprise that her union tops the list. . . .

"These lawmakers make really important decision[s] for us. So if our members want to have any influence over these aspects of their personal and professional lives, they have to care a great deal about who holds these positions, and we have to get them information to make good decisions," Gold Schnitzer said. "They determine everything from (teachers') salaries, their health benefits and pensions to how many days a year they work, what kind of hours, and what kind of things they spend their time on when they’re working."

Obviously, the NJEA’s political spending is driven by the fact that government owns and operates most K–12 schools and heavily regulates private schools and homeschooling. . . .

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