The Illinois Federation of Teachers spends millions on politics, but teachers can say ‘no’
The union embraces political spending tactics the Chicago Teachers Union uses in an effort to further its political goals.
Members send their hard-earned money to the Illinois Federation of Teachers — and the union turns around and spends millions on politics.
And now that Stacy Davis Gates is president of both IFT and the Chicago Teachers Union, teachers can expect more money to go to politics. CTU’s political spending has quadrupled since she took the helm in 2022.
But teachers in the 200 districts represented by IFT have an option: They can opt out of the union in August and keep their money from funding CTU’s political agenda.
IFT spent over $1 million on politics in 2025 alone
IFT spent $1,057,611 on political activities and lobbying in 2025, down just slightly from 2024. But members can expect the union’s political spending to increase under Davis Gates.
Most of IFT’s political spending was not itemized in its most recent report to the U.S. Labor Department. More than $951,000 went to officer and employee salaries for political work and lobbying, but the report doesn’t say what causes or candidate campaigns those employees worked on.
Regardless of a member’s personal leanings, IFT’s politically motivated spending runs counter to the organization’s purpose of representing teachers on core compensation and educational issues.
CTU has quadrupled its political spending under Stacy Davis Gates
CTU spent over $4.2 million on “political activities and lobbying” in its 2025 fiscal year, according to its recent report. That’s a record high since it started filing federal reports, double its 2024 political spending and quadruple what it spent on politics the fiscal year Davis Gates took over as president in mid-2022.
Most of the money CTU spent on politics in 2025 went to the union’s own political action committees. It funneled $2.5 million to CTU-PAC and an additional $800,000 to PAC Local 1.
At least $2.4 million was specifically earmarked for CPS school board races. It also funneled at least $80,000 to Our Schools Action, which education news site Chalkbeat called “a coalition of community groups of which the CTU is a member.”
CTU may want to take a step back from its relentless political activities, as members recently rejected a dues hike that would pay for its leaders’ political activities.
IFT and CTU are putting politics first — not teachers and students.
Teachers have a choice. Public school employees in Illinois don’t have to be in a union — or pay fees — to keep their jobs or receive the benefits in their contracts. Learn more at LeaveIFT.com.