The Work Continues

Although RA is over, the work continues.  NEA Leadership & Staff have plenty of work ahead of them as they implement the Strategic Plan and New Business Items approved by delegates.  Many NBIs were referred to committees so the committees will need to get to work as well!

One piece of work that is already underway is the NEA Task Force on the Future of Assessments.  This Task Force is co-chaired by NEA Vice President Princess Moss.  The work will "inform and challenge student assessment to be everything it should be: student-centered, meaningful, and equitable".  Throughout RA, delegates received text messages asking for input on the Draft Principles for the Future of Assessments (click HERE to check them out).  Delegates are also asked to respond to a survey with feedback by Wednesday, July 7.

Remember to keep a lookout in your email for the RA Today publications.  These have all of the information you need from RA to stay up to date.  Click HERE for yesterday's issue.

Finally, a special THANK YOU to all delegates!  Keep up the good work!

July 3, 2021

The Last Day!

The RA closed out with a video about our NEA Leadership.  Virginia's own Princess Moss is the NEA Vice President and is featured in the video (click HERE)!  

During the VEA Caucus, we heard from the Resolutions Committee and the Issues Committee.  After business, we had a bit of fun voting on a motion to send Chuck to Florida for vacation!  Check out the pictures of delegates showing District & Local pride as well as some furry guests!

Sandy Sullivan was 'swagged out' today and was unofficially named the most festive delegate!

At the close of the VEA Caucus, there were several points of personal privilege.  Phillip Hawkins & Denise Davis announced their candidacy for local government offices.  They will certainly be friends of education and we hope all VEA members will help support them in their journey.  Tracey Mercier was not in attendance, but is also running for a local office.  Four individuals declared their candidacy for statewide VEA offices.  They are listed below.  The * indicates that the person is running for re-election.  

• VEA President: Dr. James Fedderman*
• VEA Vice President:  Kimberly Adams and Carol Bauer*
• NEA Director (one seat is available):  Christina Bohringer*

We remembered and honored VEA Retired Member, Pat Kennedy.

• Many NBIs were referred to committee today.  This allows the NBIs to move forward and not risk the possibility of 'falling to the floor'.  You can keep up with NBIs here.  To see all of the speeches and remarks from this year's RA click HERE.

Top 10 Benefits of a Virtual RA!

As we reflect on this first ever virtual RA, we asked delegates to share their favorite things about the virtual platform.  Perhaps some of these items could be implemented in person as well? 🤔

1. Ease of voting and instantly seeing the results of a vote on screen.
2. Having the results of a vote given as a percentage - no guessing and no roll call votes!
3. Pictures of delegates with their state highlighted on screen while they are speaking.
4. Easy access to information or a person with answers through the 'World of Information' or technical support button.
5. Participating from the comfort of home - we were able to enjoy meals with family, wear comfy clothes, and take a nap during break.
6. Being able to run errands in between business sessions.
7. Speed of business and the engagement level of delegates.
8. Later start times - an 11 AM caucus sure beats a 7 AM caucus!
9. No bus ride from the hotel to convention center.  That makes being on time for business sessions so much easier!
10. Glimpses into fellow delegates' lives and meeting their family - human & animal - making connections we may not have made otherwise.

July 2, 2021

 Day Three!

Have you donated to the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education yet?  Remember your donations help elect friends of education!  

VEA's 2021 ESP of the Year, Brandi Wilder, gave us her why today:

Here are some of the reasons I donate to PAC. My family! From my own child to his half brothers to my nephews and nieces and cousins kids! I do it for the ALL the kids in my life! Yes that means my bus kids as well!

A few highlights: 

• During the VEA Caucus, we heard from the Legislative Committee, the Resolution Committee, and the Issues Committee.  Check out the VEA File Box for our adopted positions.  Our positions are also posted on the Facebook Page when the item is up for debate on the floor.

• Today we heard from POTUS & FLOTUS, the Secretary of Education, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, and the 2021 Friend of Education.  Most of our business sessions were focused on the legislative agenda and NBIs.  You can keep up with NBIs here.

• To see all of the speeches and remarks from this year's RA click HERE.

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from today:

1.) Special guests Dr. Jill Biden & Joe Biden!  Dr. Jill Biden is a Union Sister and NEA Member!  It was an honor to have POTUS with us, but Dr. Jill Biden was the highlight for us!  If you missed their visit, click HERE.  This was also streamed on Facebook live.  President Joe Biden applauded educators for the work we do and spoke of not returning to 'normal' after a pandemic, but building upwards and investments for students and educators.

2.) 2021 Friend of Education! Disability rights activist Judith Heumann is the recipient of the NEA's highest honor, the Friend of Ed Award.  Her story is inspiring as she fought for her own education and now advocates for the rights of individuals with disabilities.  See her story HERE and see the video of her remarks HERE.  Judy is in the documentary 'Crip Camp' available on Netflix.  We encourage you to check it out!

3.) Sharing the RA Experience!  When we signed up for a virtual convention, we knew we would be tied to our computer for a few days in a row and we knew we wouldn't be able to see our fellow delegates and friends in person.  What we might not have considered was the ability to share the RA experience with our family (both human and animal)!  Check out a few pictures of VEA delegates with honored guests!

Monann Davis & Ganddaughter 

Brandi Wilder & Son

Jeff Walker & Daisy kicked off the pet posts for the day!

Skippyjon's Human is Melissa Muszynski

Max's Human is Jro

Carla Okouchi & Her Feline Friend!

Meredith Humphrey's furry friend jumped up to listen to POTUS!

A virtual convention also allowed time for some other things to happen during lunch breaks! 

Phillip Hawkins volunteered at a food pantry organized by the American Legion Post 37.

Congratulations to Leah Kirk who was able to get a marriage license during break.

Reminders for Tomorrow:

• Caucus Meeting @ 11:00 AM using the same link from today. Wear your District or Local colors!
• NEA Fund:  Don't forget to visit the PAC room and donate to the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education.  You can also visit https://educationvotes.nea.org/donate/ to donate.  
• Join the NEA RA - Virginia Facebook Page.  If you do not have Facebook, please share your pictures with Jennifer Rokasky and forward any questions to Dominique Hubbard.
• Check your email for the next issue of NEA's RA Today.  Here is a link to today's issue.

July 1, 2021

 Day Two!

Day Two started right off with New Business Items and then Policy Statements.  We weren't without some technical difficulties and frustrations with debate being closed too early, but NEA President Becky Pringle calmly led us forward.  

A few highlights:

• Today we wore our favorite Racial and Social Justice themed shirts. 

• During the VEA Caucus, we heard from the Bylaws & Constitutional Amendments Committee, the Resolution Committee, and the Issues Committee.  Check out the VEA File Box for our adopted positions.  Our positions are also posted on the Facebook Page when the item is up for debate on the floor.

• Today we heard from Stacey Abrams as well as NEA's Education Support Professional of the Year and Higher Educator of the Year.  We also spent the first hour of each business session on New Business Items (NBI).  You can keep up with NBIs here.

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from today:

1.) Special guest Stacey Abrams!  Stacey Abrams joined us today and talked about the importance of voting rights.  She shared information on some bills making their way through the Senate that need our support.  You can take action HERE! If you missed the speech or want to watch it again, here is the entire speech!

2.) Debate!  Quite a few times today debate was cut short by individuals calling to close debate too soon.  After awhile, more delegates started to vote against closing debate and even moved to suspend the rules to ensure debate occurred.  This seemed to discourage the closing of debate too soon and we finally got to hear different perspectives.  Let's hope that trend continues throughout the rest of the RA.

3.) Shoutouts for Virginia!  Both Stacey Abrams and Kim Anderson recognized Virginia in big ways during their speeches.  Stacey Abrams celebrated Virginia's recent legislation that works to expand voting rights while Kim Anderson, NEA's Executive Director, congratulated Virginia on passing collective bargaining legislation.

Reminders for Tomorrow:

• Caucus Meeting @ 11:00 AM using the same link from today. Wear a black shirt or, if you have one, a black VEA polo.
• NEA Fund:  Don't forget to visit the PAC room and donate to the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education.  You can also visit https://educationvotes.nea.org/donate/ to donate.  You can also participate in the NEA RA Auction!
• Join the NEA RA - Virginia Facebook Page.  If you do not have Facebook, please share your pictures with Jennifer Rokasky and forward any questions to Dominique Hubbard.
• Check your email for the next issue of NEA's RA Today.  Here is a link to today's issue.

June 30, 2021

Day One!

It's day one of the 159th Annual Meeting of the NEA.  It is the first ever virtual representative assembly!  At VEA's caucus meeting, we heard from several of our committees 

A few highlights:

• VEA celebrates #Red4Ed.  Sandy Sullivan from Loudoun showed up in style!

• VEA remembers VEA Member Jonathon Kite.  We accessorized our red with crazy socks to remember and honor Jonathan.  Katie Bochert & Shaniqua Williams were the first to kick it off with a picture of their socks this morning!

• VEA conducts business.  
• The Issues Committee, led by Vice President Carol Bauer, shared positions on New Business Items through NBI 15.  As a caucus, we voted to accept the Issues Committee's recommendations.  These recommendations can be found in the VEA File Box.  The Issue Committee provides recommendations to help guide delegates.  If you do not agree with a position, please vote your conscience when voting.
• If an NBI is amended during new business, VEA leadership will make a recommendation on the amendment.  This recommendation will be posted on the Facebook page.  As always, take this as guidance, listen to the debate, and vote your conscience.
• The Candidate Screening Committee, led by Kimberly Adams, shared recommendations for the upcoming NEA Executive Committee elections.  The committee recommended Ronald 'Duff' Martin and Gladys Marquez.  We heard from all candidates and you can view their speeches on the NEA Delegate Resources webpage: https://ra.nea.org/delegate-resources/.

• NEA conducts business.
• After a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, the first business session included remarks from NEA President Becky Pringle and NEA Vice President Princess Moss.  The second business session was devoted to New Business Items (NBI).  You can keep up with NBIs here.

Your Blog Teams Top 3 Things from today:

1.) NEA Becky Pringle's speech!  Very inspiring and gives all the feels.  Seriously, take 30 minutes and watch the entire speech!

2.) Our first time delegates! It was great to see so many new faces and some of them spoke on the convention floor! 

3.) After a non RA last year, it's great to have an RA this year.  Everyone's making it work virtually, so we can do the work of the NEA!  Did you know that the NEA RA is "The World’s Largest Democratic Deliberative Assembly." ?!

 

Reminders for Tomorrow:

• Caucus Meeting @ 11:00 AM using the same link from today. Wear your favorite Racial or Social Justice themed t-shirt
• NEA Fund:  Don't forget to visit the PAC room and donate to the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education.  You can also visit https://educationvotes.nea.org/donate/ to donate.
• Join the NEA RA - Virginia Facebook Page.  If you do not have Facebook, please share your pictures with Jennifer Rokasky and forward any questions to Dominique Hubbard.
• Check your email for the next issue of NEA's RA Today.  Here is a link to today's issue .

NEA RA Virginia Delegation Pre-RA Caucus Meeting 6/7/2021

 The NEA Representative Assembly (RA) is almost here!  

On June 7th starting at 6 pm, VEA held it's first Pre-RA Caucus Meeting!  First a few orders of business: 

• VEA President James Fedderman was elected to Chair the Caucus,
• VEA Vice President Carol Bauer was elected to serve as Vice-Chair, and
• Sonia Smith, of Chesterfield Education Association, was appointed Caucus Secretary. 
• Adopted Polices and Procedures of for the Virginia Delegation for our caucus meeting

We were introduced to our NEA Directors:

• Charlotte Hayer, our senior NEA RA Director from Richmond City
• Christina Bohringer, our junior NEA RA Director from Alexandria
• Gwendolyn Edwards, an NEA ESP Director At-Large from Prince William

NEA New Business Item (NBI) A was introduced to our caucus and we adopted a position of support.

Shout out to our Team Captains! These captains are responsible for various tasks including attending NEA Committees and reporting back to the caucus or fundraising or communicating (howdy ya'll!)

• Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules: Christine Hawley from Staunton
• NEA Resolutions: Chuck Ronco form Prince William
• Candidate Interviews: Kimberly Adams from Fairfax
• Issues Committee: Carol Bauer from York
• Strategic Plan & Budget: Meg Gruber with VEA Retired
• NEA Elections: Ethel Williams from Suffolks
• Legislative Program: Clarence Collins from Spotsylvania
• Virtual Fund Table: Steve Whitten from Mecklenburg
• Communications Blog: Jennifer Rokasky from Prince William 

Fundraising for the NEA Fund - Virginia's Goal is $35,000 for the NEA Fund! This Fund works to elect public education champions!

Each delegate is encouraged to set up their PACtivist page! Go to http://www.edvotes.org/fundraise  

VEA Delegates have the following goals:

• FTE Delegates $200
• ESP Delegates $100
• VEA Board Members $350

Setting up a PACtivist page will help delegates meet their goal! They can email their colleagues and family members and ask them to join in supporting public education champions running for office. 

Check out the NEA Retired auction website! NEA Retired: NEA-Retired Auction | Powered By GiveSmart 

Items coming to your local's UniServ Office that will be distributed to delegates:

• Stickers
• VEA Bandana
• A pin with the NEA Virtual Design
• and first Time Delegates will receive a VEA Face Mask!

While we wait for NEA RA to start, check your wardrobe! On the following dates, VEA has an assigned shirt color:

• June 30th: #Red4Ed 
• July 1st: Social/Racial Justice Shirt
• July 2nd: Black VEA Polo (don't have a VEA polo, wear a black shirt of your choice!)
• July 3rd: Local Color Shirt

ON DECK: To register and receive Zoom access to this town hall, please select the event via your online delegate registration. Check your email registration from rasupport@nea.org

• June 30th: 8-9:30 pm 1st Virtual RA Delegate Tele-Townhall with President Becky Pringle
• June 21st: 8-9:30 pm  2nd Virtual RA Delegate Tele-Townhall with President Becky Pringle

July 7, 2019

It's the last day of the 2019 NEA Representative Assembly!  Your delegates are exhausted as it has been a long 3 days, but we are ready to do the work of the union and push through on this last day!

At this morning's caucus meeting we learned we met our PAC goal for the state of $25,000 and were treated to VEA President Jim Livingston dressed up as the hulk!




















The issues committee went through the rest of the NBIs for discussion.  The VEA members on the NEA Resolutions Committee thanked Angela Dews for her 6 years of service on that committee.

There's an interesting tradition right after caucus ends on the last day of the NEA RA; delegates will sometimes announce their candidacy for VEA officer positions.  Here's who announced:

• James Fedderman for VEA President
• Carol Bauer for VEA Vice President
• Angela Dews, Carla Okouchi, and Kevin Hickerson each announced candidacy for NEA Director.

These folks, and maybe more, will campaign through out the year, then the delegates to the VEA Delegate Assembly in Hampton, VA from March 26-28, 2020 will elect. (Mark your calendars and plan on attending! See your local officers and ask how you can attend!)

After announcements, we headed over to NEA RA Floor.  We have 81 NBIs to get through, plus some other business, and have to have it done by 8:00 pm.  The 2019 NEA RA officially ended by 6:18 pm!  Whew!

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from Today were:

1. Networking: Your blog team enjoyed getting to know and building friendships with others in and out of our state. 
2. PAC: We found out at the end of the RA, that we raised $1,360,000 for the NEA Fund! This money will go towards helping elect education friendly candidates to federal level officers. To learn more about the NEA Fund and how the endorsement process works, check out their website.  (Reminder, your dues dollars do not go towards candidates)
3. Princess Moss announces her candidacy for NEA Vice President!  Princess Moss served as VEA President for 6 years, on the NEA Executive Committee for 6 years, and as NEA Secretary-Treasurer for 6 years.  Virginia is proud of Princess and we are thrilled to support her on her journey to become the NEA Vice President! 

Delegate Highlight: Renee Beverly

Spotsylvania Education Association Member Renee Beverly has been working hard during the 2019 NEA Representative Assembly in Houston.  In fact, she has been a community outreach coordinator for the NEA RA for the past 10 years!

Before Renee became a coordinator, Virginia was dormant with the volunteer program.  Renee was asked to help restart Virginia's participation by Meg Gruber, a past president of VEA. Renee works with the other coordinators via teleconferencing and emailing to come up with activities that NEA Delegates can do during their stay in the host city.  

This year, Renee has taken the lead on working with "Teachers Aid" in Houston.   "The Teachers Aid program provides supplies to teachers in schools that meet the following criteria:

– Teachers Aid Agreement must be submitted.
– 60% of students are on free or reduced price lunch
– Participate in the Houston Food Bank’s Backpack Buddy Program or School Market."

The organizers worked to find volunteers, collect supplies, work on preparing meals, pack backpacks, and serving meals to homeless teens.  They also helped make clean bags, which contain toiletries for homeless, and pack purses with feminine items for homeless women.

Renee is also an active volunteer in Spotsylvania. Why does Renee volunteer and do community outreach? She says, "It's all about giving back. It's always been in my nature to help others, my community."

Renee (R) with volunteers

Renee with volunteers and with NEA Secretary-Treasurer Princess Moss

July 6th, 2019

We completed Day 3 of the NEA RA! As you may have noticed, this update is being posted on the morning of July 7th instead of in the evening of July 6th...your blogger is tired! :) 

After our morning caucus from 7-9 am, we headed over to the convention floor.  We had one election today to vote in a run-off for a an NEA Executive Director position.  In the morning we worked on NBIs....well we tried to. Sometimes on the floor, there are lots of questions or points of order that delegates bring up, so in 90 minutes we got through 4 NBIs.  We then heard from Matthew Powell of Kentucky, who is the 2019 Education Support Professional (ESP) of the year!  Matthew's speech was a tribute to the ESPs who helped him in his life as a student.  His speech was very moving, and I encourage you to watch it. After Matthew's speech, an award was presented to David Schneider, the 2019 NCHE Higher Educator of the Year, then we went back to do more NBIs until we received an elections report.

After lunch and more action on NBIs, we heard from 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, who works at the Richmond Juvenile Justice Center and he is a VEA Member!  Rodney's speech called for more teachers, especially teachers of color, so students may have a teacher who looks like them.  Watch his speech, you won't be disappointed.  We then moved on to proposed Legislative Amendments. Note this is an interesting process where the chair of the Legislative Committee can chime in and say if they find the amendment friendly or not.  The friendly amendments passed with ease from the body, and the ones not considered friendly, we debated.  Then, we moved on to proposed Resolutions Amendments.  Resolutions are NEA's belief statements.  VEA also has its own set of resolutions.  After that work, we went back to NBIs.  There are a total of 160 NBIs and we have 81 left for Day 4.  

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from Today were:

1. Rodney Robinson's speech.  Have you watched it yet?!
2. Bundling.  It's cold on the convention floor and you'll see some folks bundled in jackets or blankets. But we don't want to talk about that kind of bundling, we want to discuss a suspension of the rules so a delegate can make a motion to bundle certain NBIs and refer to them to appropriate committee.  The NEA Board of Directors will go around to makers of those certain NBIs and ask them if they would be willing to have their NBI referred and are given one minute to speak about their NBI at the mic.  This can help move through the NBIs more quickly. 
3. The LGBT Banquet. From our aspiring educator delegate, "The banquet was great not just because the food was great and the music was even better, but it was amazing to see so many people come out to celebrate a community that isn't always celebrated."

 From L-R: VEA VP Fedderman, NEA Secretary-Treasurer Princess Moss, VEA President James Livingston, and Rodney Robinson, the 2019 Teacher of the Year!

From L-R: NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia pictured with VEA Aspiring Educator Jessica

July 5th, 2019

Day 2 of the 2019 NEA RA was different, as compared to previous Representative Assemblies.  The day started out as usual...the issues committee met at 5:45 am, the Virginia Caucus started at 7:00 am and went until about 9:00 am.  During our caucus meeting, we received a report from the Resolutions Committee. Also, we had the task of electing a delegate to the NEA Resolutions committee for a 3 year term and an alternate.  After both candidates spoke, we voted, and elected Carla Okouchi, of Fairfax Education Association, to represent Virginia on the NEA Resolutions Committee and Lorraine Corbin-Morales, Prince William Education Association, as her alternate. After elections we forged ahead through discussing NBIs (we made it to NBI 41...out of 120 NBIs so far).

After President Jim Livingston adjourned our caucus meeting, we traveled over to the convention center and had to report straight to the voting area to vote for candidates, proposed constitutional amendments, and proposed bylaws.  Still going about our normal day we worked on NBIs and heard some speeches, but the afternoon session was a first.

The National Education Association sent a questionnaire and invitation to every 2020 Presidential Candidate who have announced so far, to attend a presidential forum.  11 candidates sent the their info back, and 10 were able to attend the NEA Presidential Forum.  Each candidate was separately interviewed; they had one  minute to have an opening remark, then they had 3 questions to answer. Each question was submitted by an NEA member, some video recorded and some written.  The candidates had three minutes to respond to each question.  You can read more about what candidates had to say here. You can also watch the full forum.

After the forum, we heard the results of the morning election and then moved on to more New Business Items.

Your Blog Team's Top Three Things from today were:

1. The Presidential Forum.  This was an incredible event....to have 10 Candidates for President come to the RA and answer education questions in front of over 7000 people, as well as those watching via video. Also, it was amazing to see all the news cameras from every major network, it really showed how powerful the NEA is.  Some NEA Caucuses were fortunate enough to meet with some of the candidates.  Vice President Joe Biden spoke with the NEA Aspiring Educators Caucus and Senator Bernie Sanders spoke with members of the Bad Ass Teacher (BAT) Caucus. For this event, all the NEA delegates were encouraged to wear red for #RedForEd, and it was a sea of red on the RA floor!
2. The speech by outgoing NEA Executive Director John Stocks. John Stocks has served in this role since 2012 and this was his last speech to the delegates as NEA Executive Director.  His speech was passionate, he said "“Our democracy is calling out for social justice patriots. We need you to come together and make this country whole. Most of all, we need you to embrace your power.”
3. Baseball Game and Fireworks!  Thanks to VEA Vice President James Fedderman for organizing ticket sales for VEA members to attend a Houston Astros Baseball Game.  75 Virginia Delegates attended the game and were treated to a fireworks display after the game ended!

John Stocks delivering his speech to delgates

John Stocks speaking

Fireworks at Minute Maid Park after the Astros Baseball Game!

Issues Committee

Every morning, a small group of volunteers serve on the "Issues Committee".  This group meets at 5:45 am and works in teams to look over proposed New Business Items (NBIs).  Each team will discuss some of the NBIs and make a recommendation to the caucus which starts at 7:00 am.  Because there are so many NBIs, the committee may end up meeting during the hour long lunch breaks to sift through some more.

These dedicated volunteers will present their recommendations to the Virginia Delegates, and the delegates can adopt a position of support, opposition, or no position.  Why do we do this?  Because  it helps us later when we are on the floor going through the NBIs, we are reminded of the positions we took on NBIs, and we can share with our positions with other states if we are passionate on a particular NBI.  

Though it should be noted, that each delegate can vote their conscious; it is important for them to pay attention on the floor to debate and hear if there are proposed changes to the language or motions to refer to the appropriate committee.

Thanks to the 2019 VEA Issues Committee for helping us navigate the NBIs!

July 4th, 2019

It was the first day of the National Education Association Representative Assembly (NEA RA)!  The majority of the delegates started their day at 7 AM, there were a few who started around 5:45 am on the Issues Committee, more on that in another post.  From 7:00 until 8:45 AM, the VEA Delegation:

•  heard from candidates running for office,
• a report of the resolutions committee,
• an update of the NEA Fund Goal
• Total at the end of morning caucus was $18,938! Our state goal is $25,000!
• Candidate Screening Committee Report,
• a report from our representative to the Elections Committee
• and a report from the Issues Committee on positions on proposed Standing Rules, New Business Items, 

After Caucus, we hopped on our shuttle bus over to the George R Brown convention center for the start of the NEA RA at 10:00 AM.  After the opening ceremonies (pledge, national anthem, blessing), the delegates heard a key note address for NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia (read text of her speech).  We then adopted the rules for governing the RA, had a financial report from Secretary-Treasurer Princess Moss.    

We then heard speeches by nominees for their various offices up for election this year including:

• NEA At Large ESP (Education Support Professional)
• NEA Executive Committee
• NEA At Large Higher Ed 
• NEA At Large Administrator

The NEA RA delegates will vote for these office positions as well as  proposed constitutional amendments on July 5th by secret ballot.

After lunch, we started working through New Business Items, aka NBIs. We made it all the way from NBI A to NBI 18 by the end of the day, but usually by the end of the RA we'll have over 100. You can see what NBIs we are discussing and voting on and follow along here.

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from Today were:

1. Lily Eskelsen Garcia's speech, which was a passionate call to change our Democracy. 
2. How supportive and helpful everyone is with each other, our SVEA Aspiring Educator appreciated everyone making her feel welcome and sowing us the ropes.
3. After the RA, several delegation members marched from the George R Brown Convention Center to the Federal Detention Center in Houston.  This center is housing children that were separated from their parents at the border.  It was an emotional evening hearing from speakers, including Virginia's Princess Moss.

VEA Delegation Remembers Honors Jonathon Kite

Members of the Virginia Education Association were shocked and saddened when they learned of the death of Jonathon Kite, a member of the Loudoun Education Association.  Jonathon was expected to attend the 2019 NEA Representative Assembly and had raised over $500 for the NEA Fund.

To honor his memory, each first time VEA delegate to the NEA RA received a pair of "crazy" socks; Jonathon was known for wearing fun and crazy socks or bow ties. 

Also, the VEA/NEA convention planning committee of Afreen Gotee and Joy Kirk announced they would reserve a seat in honor of Jonothan and encoraged delegates to place crazy socks or other mementos at his seat.

COMING SOON! New content for the 2019 NEA RA in Houston!

In early June we will assemble our Blog team and begin updating the blog for the 2019 NEA RA in Houston. We can't wait! Check back with us then.

July 4th, 2018

Sorry for the delay!  These long days and 4 hour sleeps a night have caught up with your blogger, and I crashed last night!  So here's a summary of what happened on July 4th.

After our morning caucus from 7-9 am where we discussed some of the upcoming new business items and other items, we headed to the convention hall to vote, via secret ballot, for proposed constitutional amendments and bylaws, and for run off elections for NEA ESP at large and NEA director.  

We have a total of 129 submitted new business items, and we made it the day before to NBI 30, so we have much work to do!  By the way if you want to see what's going on with the NBIs, you can check them online.  It's interesting this year at the NEA RA, with the Supreme Court ruling on Janus v AFSCME, delegates are more conscious of the cost of certain NBIs and the feasibility of some of them (ie would they take time away from NEA staff resources on other issues).  By the end of the day on July 4th, we made it to NBI 62.

By the end of the 1st session (2 pm), we received the Elections Committee report.  To pass a constitutional amendment, the delegates would need a 2/3 majority vote (above 67%).  View the proposed amendments to Bylaws and Constitutional amendments and their results.

After the hour long break, we reconvene at 3 pm CST and heard from 2018 NCHE Higher Educator of the Year Loretta Ragsdell an Adjust Professor of English in Chicago.  She is the first ever recipient of this award!  Read the press release from NEA and read her remarks here.

Next on the agenda was to discuss and vote on a Proposed New Policy Statement.  A policy statement is like a resolution, but longer.  The proposed policy statement was on Community Schools. After some proposed amendments to the policy statement and debate, the new policy statement was adopted by the body.  NEA Vice President Becky Pringle shared that this new policy statement took over a year to research and craft. (report on Community School task force).

We moved on to resolutions.  You can see what happened to each proposed resolutions here. There was some debate on resolutions, in particular a new proposed resolution on White Supremacy Culture.  

Your Blog Team's Top 3 Things from Today were:

1.)  VEA President Jim Livingston, VEA VP James Fedderman, and VEA Interim Executive Director Tim Deadman were good sports and dressed up because we met our PAC goals. (see photos below)

2.) The defeat of proposed Constitutional Amendment 1.  This Constitutional Amendment was presented to delegates from the NEA Board of Directors. There was vigorous debate and with members of our delegation who were for and against it.  The constitutional amendment has a majority, but did not have the necessary 2/3 of the body to support it. Final result was 61% yes.  The blog team high lights this, because this highlights how important it is to vote and the power of the democratic body.

3.) The passing of Resolutions. When the body voted to adopt Resolutions there was a standing ovation and some tears from the delegates. It was an emotional moment because of the addition of the statement on White Supremacy Culture.  

It's Fisherman Jim Livinston! 

James Fedderman dressed up as Prince!

VEA Interim Executive Director Tim Dedman wearing an America Onesie