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Dr. Reg Weaver
NEA President
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| "Delegates representing you at the 2006 RA poured their energy into shaping NEA's agenda for the upcoming year and beyond. Team NEA, great public schools depend on all of us – educators, parents, community leaders, and members of Congress – and none of us should be making any excuses for not living up to that task." |
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Finishing Up In Orlando
After a final day of policy-making, hardworking delegates head home.
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Washington delegates Kent Richardson and Eileen Garcia discuss NBI items on the floor of the Representative Assembly.
RA Today/Rick Runion |
Washington delegates Kent Richardson and Eileen Garcia discuss NBI items on the floor of the Representative Assembly.
RA Today/Rick Runion
In the flurry of its final hours, the 85th Representative Assembly concluded its hard work this year by tackling complicated issues like immigration and celebrating its commitment to public education.
"I say again, let's have this convention commit to great public schools for every child," Reg Weaver said in the final moments before the RA adjourned. "It's a basic right, and it's our responsibility!" The RA overwhelmingly passed a resolution on immigration calling for protection of the family unit, English classes for immigrants, and opposition to policies that hinder workers' ability to organize.
Delegates also approved a resolution saying race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability, ethnicity, immigration status, occupation, and religion "should not affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to matters involving the other partner."
The RA honored the Tom Joyner Foundation with the 2006 NEA Friend of Education Award for its work in closing the achievement gaps. Through its partnership with the NEA, the Foundation is increasing the ranks of certified teachers in mostly minority schools by providing financial assistance to help uncertified teachers and teacher candidates who commit to working in schools with large numbers of Black students.
"The Tom Joyner Foundation supports public education, all NEA members, and all our efforts," Weaver said. He noted that the Foundation has come up with $35 million for historically Black colleges and universities and helped thousands of students complete their education who could not otherwise have afforded college.
In a packed day, the RA also made plans for next year's meeting in Philadelphia with a vote to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High School. And, as they moved swiftly through more than 30 New Business Items, they also voted to promote use of the word "acceptance" instead of "tolerance"; to assist striking teachers in Mexico; and to disseminate information about the effects of a narrowing curriculum.
Throughout the four-day RA, the Legislative Action Center sent about 11,000 messages from delegates to Congress and collected over 1,000 personal NCLB stories. Amanda Knowles, a high school science teacher from Washington, won an iPod in a drawing among the story tellers. She cried when she heard the news, but not because she was so happy to win. The story Knowles submitted was that she's quitting the teaching profession.
"I love my job," she said, but can't stand the pressures that grow out of the state test, which she finds mostly useless in helping her teach. Stories like Knowles' will be key to NEA's efforts to change the law.
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