PWEA

Schools

Prince William Education Association to Remain Under VEA Trusteeship

By Uriah Kiser

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) has voted to keep the Prince William Education Association (PWEA) under state trusteeship, extending a takeover that began in July after an audit raised questions about the local union’s finances and governance.

The decision came Sunday, August 24, 2025, after a nearly 16-hour hearing the day before in Manassas. In an email to members, trustee Linda J. Cook, a former Fairfax local president, said the VEA Board of Directors had “carefully considered” testimony and affirmed the trusteeship imposed initially on July 21.

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Schools

Emails Undercut Claims of Security Threats Behind PWEA Trusteeship

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. — Newly obtained emails cast doubt on claims that security threats forced George Mason University to decline hosting a hearing on the future of the Prince William Education Association.

The VEA had previously suggested that threats and disruptive behavior forced the cancellation of an in-person hearing at George Mason University’s Manassas campus. But emails from GMU officials indicate no such threats were ever reported.

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Breaking News

PWEA Hearing Set for Saturday—Now Virtual After GMU Declines to Host

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. – A hearing meant to decide the future of the Prince William Education Association, the largest local teachers union in Virignia, will go forward this Saturday. It will be held virtually after George Mason University declined to host the event.

Suspended PWEA president Maggie Hansford said earlier this week that members had been left in the dark. She told Potomac Local News that members only received a single email from a state-appointed trustee saying the hearing would run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at GMU’s Manassas campus. Members were also told they must choose either to attend in person or online, but not both.

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Manassas

VEA Hearing to Decide Fate of Prince William Teachers Union Raises Questions Over Witnesses, Transparency

By Uriah Kiser

MANASSAS, Va. – The Virginia Education Association (VEA) will convene a hearing on Saturday, August 23, 2025, to determine the future of the Prince William Education Association (PWEA), the largest local teachers union in Virginia, which was placed under emergency trusteeship last month. But as the date approaches, controversy is mounting over whether the individuals who voted to impose the takeover will testify.

In an email exchange obtained by Potomac Local News, the hearing officer confirmed he does not have the authority to compel testimony from any individual, including members of the VEA Board and staff who voted to remove PWEA’s elected leadership. As a result, those decision makers may not appear and would not be subject to cross-examination during the proceedings.

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Opinion

VEA Must End Trusteeship, Restore Prince William Teachers’ Union

By Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) owes an immediate and transparent explanation to its largest local, the Prince William Education Association (PWEA). For over three years, PWEA has led all VEA locals in record-breaking member recruitment. It operates with a nearly million-dollar annual budget, maintains $500,000 in savings, owns its office, and carries no debt—unlike the VEA, which rents its headquarters outside Richmond.

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Originals

Exclusive: Hansford Blocked from Returning to PWCS After VEA Takeover of Local Teachers Union

By Alan Gloss

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) has told suspended Prince William Education Association (PWEA) president Maggie Hansford it will not consider her for employment, citing concerns raised in the Virginia Education Association’s (VEA) recent takeover of the local teachers union.

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Originals

PWEA Shake-Up: Alcohol, Pajama Parties, and Union Infighting — Ousted Board Members Speak Out

By Alan Gloss

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) will hold a formal hearing on August 23, 2025, to determine the future of the Prince William Education Association (PWEA), which it placed under emergency trusteeship in late July.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you. Thank you.

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Prince William

Locked Out: PWEA Office Shuttered, Members Barred as State Union Control Deepens

By Potomac Local News

New images obtained by Potomac Local News show school supplies and personal items—once housed inside the union office—discarded in a dumpster outside the building. According to a PWEA member who shared the photos, union employees have been unable to retrieve their belongings.

The latest development adds to the turmoil surrounding the VEA’s July 21 decision to take control of PWEA, the largest local teachers union in Virginia, citing what it described as “gross financial mismanagement” and falsified board records. The VEA has not publicly commented on why the office is locked or why staff and members are being denied access to their property.

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Prince William

VEA Imposes Emergency Trusteeship on Prince William Education Association

By Potomac Local News
[Photo: Prince William Education Association Facebook page]

In a letter sent July 21 to PWEA members, VEA President Carol Bauer wrote that the state union had found “gross financial mismanagement,” including altered board minutes meant to obscure the absence of authorized spending controls. VEA claimed PWEA officers ignored financial rules, failed to document expenditures properly, and reimbursed each other without proper oversight.

“You deserve the truth,” Bauer told members in the letter, promising to rebuild PWEA into “the strong, honest union you deserve.”

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Breaking News

Got Union Dues? PWEA Under Fire for Financial Troubles

By Potomac Local News
Photo from PWEA Facebook page

Updated at 4 p.m.

MANASSAS, Va. – The Virginia Education Association (VEA) is calling for stronger financial controls at the Prince William Education Association (PWEA) following a sharp drop in the local union’s cash reserves—from $1.4 million to just $63,000 in two years.

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