During morning caucus, the resolutions team went over some suggested amendments and new resolutions. One new resolution on White Supremacy. This generated some emotional and challenging conversations. We also learned that VEA delegates helped raise $24,000 for the NEA Fund for Children (the Political Action Committee Fund).
We hurried over to the convention center (as fast as our buses could take us in traffic) and proceeded directly to the polls to vote for candidates for NEA Executive Director and NEA ESP Director at Large. We elected two NEA Executive Directors, but will need to vote in a run off for one more NEA Executive Director and one NEA ESP director, as well as proposed constitutional and bylaw amendments.
At the start of each session, delegates engage in at least 90 minutes of New Business Items (NBI). We made it to NBI 23 before we stopped to hear from the 2018 NEA Friend of Education Award recipient Ted Dintersmith. Before we could break for lunch, we had to have the elections committee report...which wasn't ready, so back to NBIs! Once the report was ready and presented, we then broke for an hour at 2 pm CST.
After the hour long break, we adjusted the schedule a little so the NEA Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning gave her speech and also shared the stage with two of her former students. Read an article from NEA Today about Mandy and her students' speeches.
After the speeches, it was time to debate proposed Constitutional and Bylaws Amendments. Per the rules, before we can vote on them, via secret ballot, we must debate them, so we had to discuss them before we left today so we can vote on them tomorrow. VEA President Jim Livingston spoke in opposition to proposed Constitutional Amendment 5 "To establish the Representative Assembly as the only body to recommend or endorse presidential candidates for both the primary and general election." He shared the experiences VEA had with the recent gubernatorial election and early endorsement of Ralph Northam.
At 5:40 pm, we had enough time to discuss one more NBI then adjourned at 6:00 pm.
Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from Today were:
1.) During VEA Caucus, Delegates of various backgrounds, races and experiences openly partook in challenging and power conversations brought on by Resolution New I. And our Delegation voted in support of that resolution.
2.) The delegate assembly was surprised and thrilled by the NEA Choir’s modified rendition of “The Greatest *Work*” (from “The Greatest Showman”). It. Was. Awesome!!
3.) Two Students of NEA Teacher of the Year spoke and shared the importance of education. “Students are your stars and you are the night sky. The power of education has no borders.”
