St. HOPE Public Charter School Teachers Win 9-Year Battle Against Union
Sacramento Teachers Oust National Education Association Union Bosses in Sacramento After Majority Demands Decertification
Free legal help from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys empowers educators to break free from unwanted union control
Sacramento, CA — After nearly nine years of fighting unwanted union representation, teachers at St. HOPE Public Schools have achieved a major victory. The Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), an affiliate of the California Teachers Association (CTA) and National Education Association (NEA), has been removed from power at PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School, and Sacramento Charter High School.
This success story — documented in a trilogy of press releases from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation — shows what determined educators can accomplish when they band together and seek professional legal assistance.
The Long Road to Freedom
- 2018: SCTA gains monopoly bargaining power over the charter schools.
- 2021: Teachers attempt to decertify the union, but California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) blocks the vote for years using unsubstantiated employer misconduct claims — a common delay tactic.
- January 2026: St. HOPE teacher Beth Simonton submits a majority-backed petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) requesting a decertification election. She receives free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
- February 25, 2026: NLRB Region 20 orders a vote for March 11 after rejecting the union’s claim that St. HOPE is a “political subdivision” exempt from federal law.
- March 5, 2026: Just days before the election, SCTA union officials disclaim interest in representing the teachers — conceding defeat to avoid a humiliating loss at the ballot box.
Over 50 teachers are now free from SCTA’s exclusive representation, contract dictation, and divisive tactics.
NLRB Ruling: St. HOPE Public Charter School Teachers Have Rights Under Federal Law
In a significant legal victory, the NLRB ruled that St. HOPE — founded by a private individual with minimal public official control — is a private employer under the National Labor Relations Act. This means charter school teachers in similar situations can pursue decertification through the NLRB rather than being trapped in the more union-friendly state PERB systems like the California PERB in this case. This precedent could help charter school educators across California and the United States who want to escape unwanted unions.
What Teachers Are Saying
“I’m truly grateful that my colleagues and I were able to band together and send SCTA union officials on their way… They did not represent the interest of the educators at St. HOPE, and we look forward to being independent from the union. We are FAMILY!”
— Beth Simonton, St. HOPE teacher who led the effort
“Ms. Simonton and her fellow St. HOPE educators should be commended for their success in breaking free from SCTA union officials… No workers should have to face challenges like this simply to vote a union out.”
— Mark Mix, President, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
A Model for Other California Charter School Educators
This victory follows a similar successful decertification at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego, where teachers also received help from the National Right to Work Foundation and finally voted out their union in 2023 after years of delay tactics.
California charter school teachers now have more options to exercise their rights and escape forced unionism.
Get FREE Help— Just Like the St. HOPE Teachers Did
If you and your colleagues at a charter school (or any public school) are tired of union bosses pitting teachers against each other, dictating work rules, or blocking your voice, you have rights.
Contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation today for confidential help:https://www.nrtw.org/free-legal-aid/
You don’t have to fight alone. The St. HOPE teachers proved that when educators unite with the right legal support, they can win — even after years of resistance.
Share this victory with your colleagues. Freedom from unwanted union control is possible.
Related National Right to Work Legal Foundation posts:
St. HOPE Charter School Teachers Win Effort to Remove Union Officials From Power
Sacramento St. Hope Educators Ask Federal Labor Board to Hold Vote to Eject SCTA Union Officials
Based on official press releases from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (March 2026).