Tina Dare has been elected secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), New Jersey’s largest teachers’ union and one of its most politically influential labor organizations; secretary-treasurer is the union’s third-ranking position, and it puts Dare on track for the presidency in 2033.
Dare, the NJEA government relations chair and a high school chemistry teacher from Gloucester County, defeated three other contenders for the job, per results posted yesterday by the NJEA: Monmouth County Education Association president Denise King, Union County Education Association president James Frazier, and Hillsborough Education Association president Henry Goodhue.
NJEA members – the union represents 200,000 teachers statewide – could cast their votes via mail-in ballots during the first two weeks of April. The NJEA did not release any information about the results beyond the winner.
“I’m honored and humbled to announce that I have been elected as your next NJEA Secretary-Treasurer!” Dare said in a post on social media. “Thank you for your incredible support, trust, and votes throughout this journey. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to serve and advocate on behalf of our members. I look forward to working with Steve [Beatty] and Petal [Robertson] to strengthen our union and protect public education in New Jersey. Let’s get to work!”
The NJEA’s top officers typically rotate through the union’s top three positions: first secretary-treasurer, then vice president, then president. Given that leaders are elected to two-year terms with a two-term limit, that sets Dare up to be president in eight years.
Ascending to the NJEA presidency in September will be Steve Beatty, the union’s vice president, replacing current president Sean Spiller. Petal Robertson will move from secretary-treasurer to vice president.
The NJEA has long been influential in New Jersey politics, not just because of its large membership roster but also because of its willingness to spend large amounts of money on its preferred candidates. The union typically supports liberal-leaning Democrats, including current Gov. Phil Murphy, a close NJEA ally who has benefited from millions in campaign spending by the NJEA over the years.
No one has ever been quite as much a beneficiary of the NJEA’s largesse, though, than its own current president. An NJEA-funded super PAC has spent tens of millions of dollars this year aiding Spiller’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign; Spiller is so dependent on NJEA spending that his own campaign operation has been almost entirely outsourced to the union’s super PAC.
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