Maybe it’s due to poor promotion, or maybe it’s a hoax. But after five days, a fundraiser for the Newark Teachers Union has raised $0. As of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, a GoFundMe page for the union had zero donations since its creation on Sept. 14.
The union hasn’t promoted the fundraising page on its Facebook or dormant Twitter accounts, but the page has been shared 83 times on Facebook. The page says it was created by John Abeigon, who is listed on the union’s website as its president.
The union has a long way to go to reach its $100,000 fundraising goal to “stop the War on Teachers!”
“With Newark educators, their unions, students and public education under constant attack, the Newark Teachers Union is announcing an innovative way not just to fight back, but educate the public about why public education must be supported and strengthened,” the page says. “We need to fight back, but we don’t have access to the same funding sources as those who want to destroy our public schools.”
Mike Antonucci of the Education Intelligence Agency site pointed out the union fundraiser, and that the union shouldn’t have trouble raising $100,000 without a fundraiser.
“NTU has an annual budget of about $3.4 million and is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, a parent organization whose budget is $188 million,” Antonucci writes. “The idea that it requires a GoFundMe campaign for $100,000 is laughable.”
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
