On April 10, the lower house of the California legislature passed an amendment to the Education Code that would allow teacher unions to post political propaganda in public schools. Today, section 7050 of the Code prohibits school district "funds, services, supplies, or equipment" to be used "for the purpose of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure or candidate, including, but not limited to, and candidate for election to the governing board of the district." In other words, school bulletin boards, mailboxes, etc. cannot be used to post or distribute political literature. But Assembly bill 503, now before the state Senate, provides that such prohibitions do not apply to an "employee organization" that exercises its right to use institutional bulletin boards, mailboxes, and other means of communication so long as postings are not in public view. In other words, teacher unions (i.e. "employee organizations") may post signs and distribute letters in support of their candidates or preferred policies so long as these can be seen only by those who work in schools. If enacted, these changes would further strengthen the unions' grip on public education, allowing favored candidates to use school bulletin boards and teachers' mailboxes for their campaigns while prohibiting other candidates from doing the same since they are not promoted by "an employee organization."
California Education Code Section 7050-7058
"Turning school campuses into union propaganda centers," by Lance T. Izumi, The Pacific Research Institute Capital Ideas, Volume 8, Number 16, April 24, 2003