SDEA

You should receive some acknowledgement of your request from the union within a few weeks.

In some cases, union dues are automatically deducted from employees’ paychecks. Verify whether this is your current method of making dues payments to SDEA and, if so, monitor your paychecks to make sure the dues deductions stop. If the deductions continue for more than a couple of pay periods after submitting your opt-out request, contact the union.

Alternatively, if you are currently paying SDEA dues via credit card or automatic Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments from your bank, you should also contact your financial institution directly to stop the payments.

Finally, keep in mind:

Opting out is your constitutional right. However, unions like SDEA sometimes place restrictions on when they will accept opt-out requests. If the union refuses to immediately cancel dues deductions from your pay, ask them to provide you with written documentation and contact us for assistance.

SDEA does not publicly disclose its current dues amounts, but a reasonable estimate runs anywhere from $700 to $1,000 per year.

 Your dues do not just include the amounts owed to SDEA, but also your local SDEA affiliate and SDEA’s national affiliate, the National Education Association (NEA). According to SDEA documents from the 2018-19 school year, annual dues for SDEA and NEA alone — not including your local association — were $619 at the time. Local dues vary but are often at least an additional $100-$200, meaning full-time educators were likely paying $800 or more.

The NEA has raised its dues every year since, and state and local NEA affiliates typically increase their dues each year as well.

Finally, SDEA automatically takes an additional $15 for the union’s statewide political action committee, and another $2 for its ballot measure fund.

Yes. If you are represented by the union, then it has arranged to be the “exclusive representative” of educators in your district, meaning the terms of the union contract continue to govern your employment even if you cease paying dues.

In exchange for the monopoly on this particular service, SDEA is legally obligated to represent all employees in the workplace, including those who choose not to join the union as members.

The collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union and your employer will continue to set the terms and conditions of your employment, and the union will continue to represent you in grievances, contract enforcement, discipline assistance or other proceedings governed by the collective bargaining agreement.

No. Your compensation, health benefits, retirement, and anything else provided by the district will remain unchanged if you opt out of SDEA.

While the terms of the contract will still govern your employment, union officials commonly prohibit nonmembers from participating in internal union affairs, such as attending union meetings, voting for union officers or participating in contract ratification votes. You’ll also be ineligible for any special “members only” benefits, such as discounts on additional insurance, scholarship programs, or deals the union has arranged with businesses. You may no longer receive the union newsletter or similar publications.

The NEA does provide members with access to supplemental liability coverage through its Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Program. When you leave the union, you will lose access to this specific insurance.

 However, South Dakota law specifically authorizes your school district to carry liability insurance for its employees. SDCL § 13-10-9 provides that any school district may “carry public liability insurance protecting its employed personnel against liability… while performing their duties as employees of the school district.”

Check with your district to verify that it provides liability coverage. After all, even the NEA believes “it is the responsibility of your employer,” not the union, to provide the first line of defense against liability in the classroom.

If you still need or want additional liability protection beyond what your district provides — but don’t want to pay dues to the NEA and SDEA — you have options. Educators can obtain free liability insurance through the Teacher Freedom Alliance, or they can purchase a policy through other independent professional education associations like the Association of American Educators or Christian Educators Association International.

People have many reasons for not wanting to support the union. Some simply do not believe that the services the union provides are worth the dues it charges. Others may find the union’s one-size-fits-all agenda does not serve them well because they are new to the profession, have a specialty that is not acknowledged in bargaining, or they believe their effectiveness is undercompensated. Some resent the union’s role in enabling and defending underperforming employees. Many find the union’s political activity and use of dues to advance partisan causes, candidates and ideology distasteful. Still others believe that union officials are corrupt and unaccountable to their membership.

Unions representing public employees are not governed by the usual consumer protection or anti-trust laws, so abuse is common. Unions can charge whatever they wish. They can spend dues money on anything they want. Often, they do not have to disclose how dues money is spent to members. They can speak for employees without consulting or informing them. They can injure some members’ interests while advancing the interests of others. Unions can even prevent employees from getting help in their workplace from other sources. They are not governed by any obligation to provide quality service, and almost never have to seek approval of the people they represent in an election to continue as the exclusive representative.

SDEA is a private organization with minimal obligations to disclose financial information to members or the public.

However, unions must file federal tax returns on Forms 990 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and these are public documents. According to SDEA’s most recent IRS filing, the union collected $1.8 million in dues from its members during the 2024-25 school year.

During that same period:

• At least $2.1 million — more than what SDEA earned in dues revenue — went to pay union officer and staff salaries, benefits, and other compensation.
• $143,464 was spent on travel for union staff.
• $21,336 was spent on conferences, conventions and meetings.
• $30,345 was spent on advertising and promotion.
• SDEA Executive Director Ryan Rolfs was paid $185,102 in total compensation, while former SDEA president Loren Paul received $152,543 in total compensation.
• At the time of its most recent filing, SDEA had cash reserves of over $800,000.

As a condition of SDEA’s affiliation with the National Education Association (NEA), a portion of your dues also go to support the operations and advocacy of the NEA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., which is required to file annual financial reports with the U.S. Department of Labor.

National Education Association

According to its most recent federal filing, the NEA collected over $390 million in dues and fees from members of its state and local affiliates during the 2024-25 school year.

In that year alone:

• $51.7 million was spent on divisive political candidates, causes and lobbying.
• Over $123 million was paid or contributed to largely ideological organizations. To name just one example, The NEA donated $310,000 to the Democracy Alliance, a left-wing donor network founded by George Soros.
• $16.5 million was spent on airfare, hotels and travel.
• Over $10 million was spent on conferences, events, food and catering.
• $16 million was paid to outside consultants and law firms.
• The NEA paid 708 officers and employees, 481 of whom were paid six figures. NEA president Rebecca Pringle received $514,755 in total compensation.
• Additionally, as of September 2025, the NEA had stockpiled $152.6 million in spare cash.