PWEA
“The meeting that we had, this representative assembly, was the least democratic thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It was truly horrific,” Jayne Cobern, a Prince William Education Association representative, told InsideNoVa. “People are leaving left and right – we are hemorrhaging members.”
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I was proud to be part of PWEA under its previous leadership — a team of board members and reps who genuinely cared about educators and worked tirelessly for members, not for show. They listened, they answered, and they put people first. What we have now under VEA control couldn’t be more different.
This trusteeship has turned into a blatant power and money grab disguised as “rebuilding.” It’s not about supporting educators — it’s about control. The VEA can’t even answer the office phone or respond to emails, yet somehow finds time to cash our dues checks. That’s not leadership — that’s greed.
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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.
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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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, 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.
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.