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I know “teachers’ unions” is short hand for those who run the public schools. But even the leaders of the union do not in fact do this, except by mobilizing public opinion to oppose any diversion of funding from the public schools. The main beneficiaries are, however, the Public Schools, by which I mean: The bureaucracy: the Department of Education, the state education agencies, the local school administrators, and lastly, the teachers. Then we have the education schools in the colleges, which are really training schools for the public schools; the major textbook publishers, which sells billions of dollars of school material to the schools, and nowadays. the computer industry. which sells even more. We have the sports industry, which sells hundreds of millions of dollars in sporting equipment to the schools, which supply recruits to the college teams, which supply recruits to the pro leagues.The entertainment industry also benefits hugely. We have the construction instruction, which earns billions each year in new construction. I could go on. But in summary, who profits from public education as its is: What might be called the educational-industrial complex which is outspent each year only by the medical-industrial complex, each of who dwarf the military-industrial complex.

I can’t disagree at all with your post.

The “education complex” is more than just the teachers unions. They are just a handy name to use to point out the problems of government interference. The complex is huge and goes up and down the halls of government. Federal, State and local, all these groups and all these people profiting from the incarceration of children for their financial benefit. It disgusts me.