NEA RA Day 5

Carrie, my state contact from Tennessee

Today was the last day of NEA business. We had a lot of items to address. We started with legislative amendments. NEA supports eliminating discrimination in immigration laws regarding unmarried partners passed. NEA supports a goal of Medicare for all residents 22 years old and younger passed. Modifying a current legislative priority about harassment to add the word "mobbing" failed.  Another legislative amendment that NEA support legislation that protects children's rights regardless of legal status failed, because it is already covered elsewhere. NEA opposes legislation overriding collective bargaining agreements about seniority failed, because this is already covered elsewhere. NEA supports technology to control wireless devices in the classroom failed.  NEA supports a U.S. Constitutional amendment to state that corporations are not natural persons under the law (as ruled by the Supreme Court) failed. The NEA Legislative Program has been adopted with the amendments.

We heard a speech from Michelle Shearer, high school chemistry teacher from Maryland, who was honored as the National Teacher of the Year. She said to give pep talks, invite people to your classroom, ask higher order questions, and be proud to be a teacher.

New business items. Item about creating a training on NEA history failed. Item on researching elementary truancy and behavior impacting high school drop out rates failed. Item about the words "reform" and "status quo" as related to education failed. Item about having articles in NEA Today about NBCT passed.  Item to publish information on successful media campaigns in NEA Today passed. Item on International Summit of the Teaching Profession" failed. Item on urging Obama campaign to support global education passed. Item on providing data on website about combating attacks on public education passed.  Item to collaborate with teachers in unions around the world passed.

We discussed and debated amendments to resolutions, which have passed as amended.

Susan McFarland, Salt Lake Teachers Association President with SLTA VP and Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, UEA President

Here is a link to the policy statement on teacher evaluation and accountability as approved yesterday at the NEA RA.  NEA.org

NEA Executive Director John Wilson of North Carolina is retiring. He is being replaced by John Stocks of Wisconsin.

More new business items. Item to educate members on problems with limited health plans passed. Item to denounce the loss of seniority passed. Item to fight against fees for essential items failed, due to arguments about tax-cap states. Item about advocating for healthy and adequate school lunch referred to committee.  Item to include world languages in K-12 curriculum passed. Item to encourage participation in "Rebuild the Dream" and moveon.org referred to committee. Item to oppose "Teach for America" contracts when there is no teacher shortage passed. Item to develop a plan to help alleviate budget pressures from unfunded mandates, especially IDEA passed. Item to fund minority community outreach throughout NEA passed.

There were 8,231 delegates with over 4,000 guests. The total cost of new business items was just over $85,700.  We listened to some summary committe reports and speeches from the newly elected officers. Over $1,000,000 was raised for PAC this week. 18,500 messages about education issues were sent to Congress over the last week. Total PAC for the 2010-2011 year is $4,744,000. Official end time 7:07 local time.

Since this was the first time I have attended the RA, I was focused on following the business at hand.  There were lots of special interest caucus meetings I did not attend. It is amazing that nearly 9,000 delegates who represent their local associations can come together, have civil dialogue about issues some feel passionately about, and actually make decisions to guide the organization for the next year.  The democratic process works!

NEA RA Day 4

Lots of new business items today. Item to require NEA candidates for office to make a video for distribution failed. Item to identify and recruit retired members passed. Item to require NEA to inform members about the "I'll-informed intrusion of billionaires on education" passed. Item to share information on retirees between states for organizing purposes passed. Item to share information on retirees between states for organizing purposes passed. Item directing NEA to develop an Arts Advocacy Toolkit failed due to high cost. Item to share information on retirees between states for organizing purposes passed.  Item to have a report compiled about the unfunded costs of special education submitted to Congress to remind them about their promise to fund IDEA passed. Item to spend $25,000 on training about issues surrounding healthy schools (mold, mildew, etc.) failed.

I sang in the choir. It was an awesome experience!

The NEA delegates voted 72% to endorse President Barak Obama for re-election.

The Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability passed with some amendments. As soon as this is available electronically, I will post it. Most of what is called for in this policy statement is already incorporated in the JPAS process.

The constitutional amendment to change the percent of teachers on NEA committees failed. The bylaw amendment that NEA will not lobby for or against legislation regarding abortion failed. The bylaw amendment establishing broad statements of purpose failed. The bylaw amendment to increase dues by $10 for the next 5 years to go to the crisis fund passed.

Legislative amendments. NEA supports regulation of political contributions by corporations passed. NEA supports legislation addressing violent acts to minority communities failed. NEA supports that the federal government tax all earned income for Social Security, not just the first $106,800, passed.  Legislative amendment that NEA opposes misuse of federal funds passed. Amendment changes "school campuses" to "educational institutions" to be tobacco free passed. Amendment adds "expansion" to federally guaranteed parental and medical leave passed.  Legislative amendment NEA supports federal laws that honor state certification requirements passed. Amendment to add "juvenile offenders" to "incarcerated juveniles" passed. NEA supports funding for healthy environments with proper custodial services passed. NEA supports ending discrimination of school employees passed.  NEA opposes sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole failed, because it is out of the purview of the association.

Earnest Jameel Williams, bus driver from North Carolina, was honored as ESP of the Year.

More new business items were addressed in the afternoon. There are 97 total.  Item to educate members about the public school privatization movement failed. Item to have NEA give information to members about financial helps to avoid foreclosure failed. Several items were referred to committee.  Item to work on the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project passed. Item that NEA provide more communication on how members can be involved in crises passed. Item to form local/state Media Response Committee to report efforts to NEA failed. Item to have NEA contract with union employees for the RA failed, because this is already in practice.  Item that NEA support non-classroom certified teachers passed. Item to endorse the Campaign for New Priorities referred to Executive Committee. Item directs NEA to look at school reconstitutions failed.

Since this year is the 10th anniversary of 9-11, we watched a moving video in remembrance.

 

NEA RA Day 3

This morning was the high security day due to Vice President Joe Biden coming to speak.  It took about 90 minutes to get through the security line.

 From the back of the line looking forward

From the front of the line looking toward the back

We had some time to just talk and wait until everyone came through security so VP Biden could enter and speak. Vice President Joe Biden gave an excellent speech about the "new republican party" and how their underlying philosophy has changed. What he said made a lot of sense.

 Debate happened on a constitutional amendment that would change the percentage of teacher representatives on NEA committees. This is because some committees, depending on their duties, need more representation by student, retired, or ESP members.

Discussion on by-law amendment about NEA not lobbying for or against legislation regarding abortion. NEA does not have a position on abortion. There have been 4 cases where NEA has defended the right of teachers who became pregnant through rape to carry their babies to place for adoption and keep their job.

By-law amendment about broad, overarching statements of purpose did not have much discussion. This is more of a clarifying change.

 The last by-law amendment is about increasing dues $10 for the next 5 years (2016-2017 dues would go down $10) to replenish the NEA Crisis Fund, which has been depleted over the last few years. UEA benefitted from this fund in our fight against vouchers. Many states have used the money recently. This would be $0.84 a month.  We will vote on the constitution and by-law amendments will be done by secret ballot tomorrow.

New business items.  Item to have NEA negotiate free Internet at hotels so delegates can "go green" failed. Item to have NEA create a report of employment data so students know that there are other options in addition to college passed.  Item about NEA's anti-bullying campaign including students and teachers passed. Item directing NEA to publish information from AARP on social security passed.  Item about the outsourcing and privatization of some non-teaching school services (nurses, SLP, OT, PT, psychologists, etc.) passed.  Item about student privacy and parental consent on ASVAB failed.  Item is about the possible endorsement of President Obama for re-election, that should we choose to endorse, that NEA leadership meet with President Obama and express our need for him to listen to teachers on educational matters failed.  Item about boycotting Koch industries referred to Executive Committee.  Item about educating members about corporate America's hostile takeover of the middle class passed.  Item directing NEA to call for the removal of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education failed.

The student members just did a flashmob dance to a pepped up version of "I had the time of my life."

Governor Beshear of Kentucky was honored as the Education Governor of the Year.

More new business items.  Another item against privatization passed.  Item establishing a common reimbursement program for NEA committees referred to Executive Committee.  Item about Scotopic Sensitivity failed.  Item about 25 teacher salaries being paid for with the cost of one bomb. This turned into a debate about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan failed.  Item requesting that NEA celebrate GLBT teachers in the June NEA Today passed.  Item about parents being able to opt students out of high-stakes testing failed.  NEA will establish a position against public school privatization passed.

Now we are going to be discussing the proposed policy statement on teacher accountability and evaluation. Key parts of the policy statement include that teachers should be regularly evaluated by a trained evaluator, have multiple indicators of teacher practice, teacher contribution and growth, and contribution to student learning and growth.

The Evaluations must provide meaningful feedback. JPAS meets all of these criteria. We are fortunate to have a valid and reliable evaluation tool. So many states do not have a formal system, let alone one that is valid and reliable

In addition, Evaluations should be kept confidential, teachers should continually enhance their practice, teachers should have an opportunity to improve if their practice does not meet standards, and if the teacher does not improve, s/he may be counseled to leave teaching or be terminated through a fair dismissal process.

Again, JPAS has all of these items as part of the whole system. We are going to debate this tomorrow. The meeting is adjourned.

I am going to NEA choir practice for sound check. We sing tomorrow on Independence Day.

 

NEA RA Day 2

The NEA RA is began today. 

It started with a party-like atmosphere to get people energized.  This short video shows the atmosphere on the first day of the NEA RA.

 

Illinois Governor Quinn spoke. He thanked all school emploees for what they do. Illinois has had teachers at the table every step of the way in working on reform. Good education is most important part of government. 

Illinois Education Association president spoke. The state raised income tax to help fund education. The state was a safe haven for legislators from Wisconsin and Indiana. Introduced committee who organized RA.

We listened to debate about amendments to the standing rules. These must be changed before addressing other business, because they govern how the work of the RA will be done.  We finally adopted the standing rules, with 2 of the 6 amendments passing.

An inspiring speech was given by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.

Nominations for NEA elections are were made.  Dennis Van Roekel is running for president again. He is opposed by Mark Airgood. Lily Eskelsen is running for re-election as vice president and her opponent is Ceretsa Smith.  There are 5 candidates running for 2 executive board positions. Earl Wiman, Tania Kappner, Len Paolilo, Ed Guzman, and Princess Moss.

In the afternoon, the "Wisconsin 14" were honored for leaving the state to block a vote on anti-union bills. There is a recall election in Wisconsin for 9 or the 33 state senators. An NEA Board Member is running for one of those seats.

Then came the new business items. The first about the reauthorization of ESEA passed.

Next item was about a Save Our Schools Rally that has been organized for July 30 in Washington DC and it passed.

One about Arne Duncan and how his actions that have alienated teachers passed.

An item to have NEA file a lawsuit over the unconstitutionality of the sanctions against failing schools failed.

An item to professionalize substitute teaching passed.

A charge to NEA to investigate electronic voting options failed.

An item about tracking the amount of money new business items cost and keeping a running total was referred to RA Committee.

A request to have a countdown clock for speakers to see so they can best manage their speaking time failed.

Analyzing public desire for "value added" teacher evaluation and accountability passed.

To change the definition of "high-performing" which does not include the use of test results passed.

Wait to endorse President Obama for re-election until January 2012 failed.

The last item today was to accept the financial and audit reports.  These are some of the highlights.  NEA current asset to liability ratio is 3.44:1. This is excellent! Unrestricted net assets are at $159 million up from $143 million last year. NEA membership is down 30,000 people. Student and retired membership numbers are up.  NEA is fiscally sound. Expect to experience membership growth again.  Budget modifcations of $17 million are needed to balance budget. There will be reductions in staff and staff benefits, travel and conference expenses, and less paper by going digital. The budget is 1/3 staff, 1/3 state and local projects, and 1/3 NEA programs.  Adoption of financial reports passed.

These are long days, but I am learning a lot!

NEA Representative Assembly Day 1

This morning was the Utah Caucus. Both Dennis Van Roekel (NEA President) and Lily Eskelsen (NEA VP) came by to campaign since they are both up for re-election. The individuals running against them are the "Tea Partiers" of the NEA. I am planning to vote for both of them and hope in doing so I represent your desires for who you would like to lead the NEA.

 Sorry the pictures aren't great.  I am using the JEA camera and still learning.

Also at the caucus this morning, we discussed the policy statement on Teacher Accountability and Evaluation, the proposed $10 dues increase for the crisis fund for the next 5 years, and endorsing President Obama for 2012. These are the three big controversial issues facing the RA this year.

In the afternoon, I headed to the convention center to register, check out the booths, and go to the hearing on the policy statement on Teacher Accountability and Evaluation. Most people were supportive of the overall position with some wanting to tweak language and correct grammatical errors. As soon as an electronic version of the policy statement is available, I will post it.

Howard Stephenson

UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh sent out the following request to contact Senator Howard Stephenson regarding his disparaging remarks about teachers in low-socioeconomic schools as well as the association.  See this Salt Lake Tribune article near the end and this Deseret News article, also near the end for his quotes.

"As your UEA President, I am troubled by recent comments made by Senator Howard Stephenson. He has referred to teachers that work in difficult-to- staff schools as mediocre and has also referred to fellow teachers that belong to the UEA as a group that promotes mediocrity.

"I hope that you are as troubled by this sentiment as I am and I am asking you to take the time to contact Senator Stephenson to express your concern about his mischaracterization of our profession and of our Association. In addition, it is time we shed light to the general public about our feelings regarding Senator Stephenson’s lack of respect for what we do every day. Please write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper expressing your views on this issue.

 

"As your president, I am working to try and improve relationships and the public perceptions of the challenges you face each day in your classrooms.  I hope you will join me in sharing what an incredible difference you are making in the lives of the students with whom you work. 

"You can contact Senator Howard Stephenson by emailing him at hstephenson@utahsenate.org  or by calling him at 801-572-1038.

If you do contact Senator Stephenson, would you please let me know in a separate e-mail?  I would like to have an idea of the concerns you have shared with the Senator. Also, please copy me any letters to the editor you may write.

"Thank you for all you do for the students you serve."

Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, M.A., NBCT

UEA President

Education Funding in Utah

Kim R. Burningham of the State School Board sent this to UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh.  The information is good and falls in with the TEF message of Taxes, Economic Development, and Funding for Schools.

Previously, I compared Utah’s low per pupil funding for education to that of New Jersey which is nearly

three times as high, and where the State Court recently declared the New Jersey appropriation inadequate!   I thank you for the responses that many of you sent.  One individual, although still supportive of the general tenor of my article, said that Utah’s makes a high effort, insisting that our effort was among the highest in the nation.  I felt a need to respond.

The truth is that our efforts in Utah are rapidly declining.   

The Utah Foundation Research Report, April 2006 dispels the myth that Utah’s effort is relatively high.   This generally regarded objective source provided astounding analysis.   The Foundation concluded, “In the early and mid-1990s, the paradox [Utah’s high effort but low funding] was quite stark—Utah’s funding effort was very high, even fifth highest in the nation in 1995 and within the top states for most of the decade.  However, that paradox no longer exists. [Underlining and bolding mine]   Utah can no longer lay claim to a very high, or even above-average effort for funding education.”

In an alarming graph, the Utah Foundation demonstrated how Utah’s public education revenues and current spending per $1,000 of Personal Income has slid steadily downwards in recent years.   We may have been 5^th highest in revenue effort in 1995, but in 2004, we had dropped to 27^th.  In “spending”, we were 7^th highest in 1996, but by 2004 we had dropped to 36^th.   This, even though we have far more children per taxpayer.

Public Education Revenue Per $1,000 Personal Income  (The chart in the Utah Foundation report provides statistical analysis for every year.  I have selected four sample years for brevity sake.)

Year	Utah	Rank	U.S.	Utah % of U.S. Average
1992	$60.06	7	$49.09	122.3%
1995	59.59	5	48.71	122.3%
2000	51.32	16	48.05	106.8%
2004	49.62	27	50.53	98.2%

Public Education Current Spending Per !,000 Personal Income

Year	Utah	Rank	U.S.	Utah % of U.S. Average
1992	$52.32	8	$43.68	119.8%
1995	50.29	9	42.90	117.2%
2000	41.93	26	41.27	101.6%
2004	40.46	36	43.68	92.6%

The Foundation provides excellent analysis claiming this reduction in effort may be traced to four major tax policy changes in Utah.  The effort that used to go into education, now appears to go into “health, human services, corrections, and transportation infrastructure.”

The report concludes that “if Utah still exerted the funding effort that existed in 1995, when the state was the fifth highest in the nation, Utah would have had an additional $1,200 per pupil available in public education revenues in 2004.  That would have been an increase of $600 million or 20% above the actual funding for that year.  Finally, that would have raised Utah’s overall ranking [in education funding per pupil] from 51^st to 47^th.”

It appears more important in Utah to build roads than educate students.   If you doubt this, remember the recent special session where the Legislature reversed Governor Herbert’s veto of a bill that set aside money for transportation, while education funding sinks lower.

Speaking to the issue of our comparatively weak funding of education, another respondent to more previous email wrote me:  “I think it’s education malpractice that causes long-term, lifelong harm.  If it were the hospital and the hospital knew it was critical to have diagnostic tools (MRI, c-scan, pathology lab, etc.) to best treat and diagnose those with illnesses and the hospital said, ‘By the way, we have the funds, but we’d rather pave the parking lot, redo the furnishings in the doctor’s offices, and we also want to pay for the lifetime health insurance of any medical staff who works at this hospital,’ the hospital would be sued.”

Appallingly, the figures explain that not only is our per pupil expenditure low, but our effort is in serious decline.

Kim R. Burningham