How do you feel about the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE)? In an op-ed published in The Dispatch, Mary Cridlebaugh, who has been a member of NCAE since 1960, argued that ideological, angry Republicans voted to discontinue the dues checkoff allowance given to members of the NCAE and Professional Educators of North Carolina (PENC). She contended that the NCAE is blameless because it is simply an organization that “seeks to influence public policy on education through the use of logic and persuasion.”
Former member Patrick Reilly complained that the NCAE forced him to remain a member. Reilly was disgusted with NCAE’s role in the passage of the lottery, so he wanted to discontinue his membership. But he encountered resistance from NCAE officials. In a letter to the editor of the News & Observer, he wrote, “I was told I did not have the right to resign, that there was only a two-week window at the start of the school year when that would be allowed. Really. I was forced to remain a member. My paycheck continued to have dues deducted until the next year when that window was reopened.”
The NCAE is asking members to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), which will allow the organization to withdraw dues from member checking accounts directly.
