Illinois NEA Directors attending: Terrie Tudor, Jim Grimes, Eric Brown, Alex Wallace, Joyce Bailey, Tom Tully, Vickie Mahrt and NEA Student Director Matt Hiser.  Also at NEA in Washington were IEA officers Pres. Cinda Klickna, Vice Pres. Kathi Griffin, and Sec-Treas. Al Llorens.

Members of Congress were on break and the NEA Directors and officers visited with congressional staff members in the following Representatives’ offices:  Robert Dold (R-10), Peter Roskam (R-6), John Shimkus (R-19), Daniel Lipinski (D-3), Aaron Schock (R-18), Bobby Schilling (R-17), Randy Hultgren (R-14), Danny Davis (D-7), and Tim Johnson (R-15).  NEA materials were also delivered to the remaining Representatives’ offices and Senators Durbin’s and Kirk’s offices.

NEA lobbying efforts focused on 1) closing the corporate tax loopholes, 2) supporting the Buffet Rule, and 3) the maintaining the current student loan rate.

            Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes:  Research shows that a significant portion of profitable Fortune 500 companies pay nothing in taxes and this translates into cuts to the critical services, such as education.  Corporations need to pay their fair share. Many are currently experiencing record profits, and yet are taxed at historically low rates.

Closing seven federal tax loopholes would result in nearly $1.5 trillion dollars in additional revenue over the next ten years.

• Every impoverished child under age five in America could get high-quality pre-school. Right now, less than 20% are served.
• The government could boost the maximum award for the Pell Grant to help low-income students cover college.
• Every school in America could get $518,000 for Title I supports to help students from low-income families.
• The federal government could finally meet its obligation to provide 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities. That would save states money so they could get resources such as classroom aides, pre-school programs, and special transportation services.

Paying their Fair Share (The Buffet Rule): Those most able to do so must pay their fair share toward the deficit reduction.  The Buffet Rule is a principle that everyone should pay their fair share in taxes. No household earning more than $1 million should pay a smaller share than middle-class families. For families making less than $250,000, taxes should not go up.

• The wealthiest Americans are paying nearly the lowest tax rate in 50 years.
• Some of the wealthiest are paying just half of the federal income tax that top income earners paid in 1960.
• The top 1% of households takes home 17% of the national income.
• The top 0.1% makes more than 7% of the national income.
• Top 400 earners paid on average 18.2%, lower than many earning much less.
• Most income from capital gains and dividends is taxed at 15%.

Student Loan Rate:  The current fixed interest rate of 3.4% on federal subsidized student loans is scheduled to double on July 1^st.  Due to rising college costs, students are taking out larger loans. On average, students who take out loans graduate owing $25,000.

• More than 8 million postsecondary students receive financial aid.
• 70% of financial aid comes from the federal government.
• Americans now owe more debt on their student loans than they do on their credit cards.
• Total outstanding student loan debt is expected to exceed $1 trillion this year.
• In the next decade, college enrollment will increase by 14%.
• 80% of new students over the next decade will be ethnic minorities; and 20% will come from poverty.
• Keeping the interest rate low would save the average student over a thousand dollars.

NEA is emphasizing at-home lobbying by members.

Members are urged to visit www.NEA.EducationVotes.org and www.NEAfund.org and sign up for the 2012 campaign.

NEA President—Dennis Van Roekel—Welcome and overview.

NEA Reorganization—Executive Director John Stocks—

Review of the challenges facing NEA and our affiliates, budget realities, staff and program reductions and organizational modifications.

2012-14 Strategic Plan and Budget—Sec-Treas. Becky Pringle and the Budget Committee and staff—

NEA is facing unprecedented challenges including:

• 2011-12 Budget previously  reduced by $17 million
• An additional $10 million in reductions for 2011-12
• Membership losses 2011-12
• Additional staff and program cuts for 2012-13
• Projected membership losses 2013-14

The NEA Budget Committee built its new budget around the following priorities:

• Goal 1—Strong Affiliates
• Goal 2—Uniting the Nation for Great Public Schools
• Core Function 1—Research, Policy & Practice
• Core Function 2—Organizing
• Core Function 3—Advocacy & Outreach
• Core Function 4—Communications
• Core Function 5—Business Operations
• Core Function 6—Governance

Budget Priority Ratio:

Traditional:  33% Program/Governance; 33% Staff; 33% State/Local

Proposed:  30% Program/Governance; 31% Staff; 39% State/Local

Changes and Reductions in the proposed budget include:

• Elimination of NEA Board December meeting in Washington,
• Elimination of Regional Leadership Conferences,
• Have all Committees have one virtual meeting and one face to face meeting.

Dues Allocations:

Full-Time Certified: 2012-13  $180.00;    2013-14  $182.00

Full-Time ESP:         2012-13  $107.50;    2013-14  $107.50

Board Action:  Following discussions, the Board approved the proposed Strategic Plan and Budget.  The budget now goes to the Rep. Assembly for final action.

NEA Vice-President—Lily Eskelsen reported during the May Virtual Board meeting.  She leads a committee continuing the review of governance modifications with the goals of enhancing effectiveness and cost savings.

Board Action:  Approved Board Steering and New Business Committee Appointments.

Presentations:

Joint Committee on Leading the Profession—

NEA will lead the profession with a student-centered agenda that will transform the education profession.

• NEA and its affiliates, members, and partners will work together to address all elements of policy and practice that have an impact on the education profession.
• As a result of collaboration and innovation, educators will be given a larger role in defining, measuring, and enforcing standards of teacher preparation, practice, career advancement, and accountability.

Five Domains of Quality:

• Professionals
• Profession
• Schools
• Unions
• Education Policy

Teacher Value Proposition Study—

The study is designed to help the Association better understand the values and preferences of members and non-members to:

• Align the Association’s value propositions with the values of existing and potential members,
• Tailor campaigns and programs to promote recruitment, retention, and engagement.

Educators for Obama Update—

Members are urged to visit EducationVotes.org and NEAfund.org

and sign up to participate in the critical elections of 2012.

Need more information about what the Obama Administration has done for public education, workers, issues, and people we value and fight for?  Watch this video…and pass it on:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WbQe-wVK9E

Report of the General Counsel—Alice O’Brien—updates on current court cases.

ESP Membership Survey Report– A representative survey of 1,638 Education Support Professionals nationwide in February found that members know what they want from their union: improved salaries and benefits, defense of their rights, and protection from being outsourced.  The findings were part of a very broad look at job satisfaction, perceptions, attitudes, and other workplace issues of both members and non-members from throughout dozens of school job categories.

Asian Pacific Islanders Observance—Guest Speaker Tong Jessica Chen

The Vermont Teacher of the Year, Chen was recently honoured by President Obama in the Rose Garden.  She has taught Chinese in elementary, middle, and high school and currently teaches Chinese level one through AP Chinese.  She is actively involved in the Journey East Art and Culture Exchange Program, the Governor’s Institute on Asian Culture, University of Vermont’s Asian Studies Outreach Program, and Vermont’s Virtual High School, offering Mandarin Chinese to other Vermont students. She also acts as a translator for Chinese immigrants.

Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee— 

Standing Rule Amendments with Board of Directors recommendations:

#1—Oppose; To require the maker of an object to consider motion to submit a written rationale indicating why the main motion should not be considered by the Representative Assembly; and to require the presiding officer to read the rationale to the Representative Assembly prior to the vote on the objection.

 #2—Oppose; To require that the presiding officer ask if there are speaker request forms for delegates wishing to speak to the referral following a motion to refer to committee.

#3—Support; To require a minimum of two one-hour breaks during the Representative Assembly.

#4—Support; To emphasize that adopted new business item texts may be edited to replace K-12 or Pre-K-12 with Pre-K-Graduate School under specific circumstances.

Constitutional Amendments with Board of Directors recommendations: 

#1—No Position (changed at the May meeting); To modify the Preamble of the Constitution to include defending employees’ right to collective bargaining as a stated goal of the Association.

#2—Support; To change the percentage of classroom teachers required on NEA committees from at least seventy- five (75) percent to at least fifty (50) percent. This change would apply to all committees except the Advisory Committee of Student Members.

Bylaws Amendment with Board of Directors recommendation:

#1—Oppose; To establish, as a specific NEA objective, advocating for tax reforms to reduce the gap between the nation’s economic classes.

Reports and Organizational Items:   

     Executive Committee

     UniServ Advisory Committee

     NEA Elections Committee Selections–

                  Illinois members appointed: 

                        Cathy Erickson and Robert “Bob” Kramer

     Officers Compensation Committee

     Affirmative Action Report

     Internal Concerns Committe

     Board Steering Committee

     Friend of Education Award–

The Friend of Education Award Committee recommends Dr. Paul Krugman as the 2012 Friend of Education. Dr. Krugman was nominated by Richard Iannuzzi, President of NYSUT.

Dr. Krugman is a renowned economist, a New York Times columnist, and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Dr. Krugman has been an important national voice on economic fairness, speaking out against the growing wealth gap in our nation and how it has begun to undermine the essential American values of equality and opportunity for all. He has advocated for the labor movement as an important voice for ordinary workers, and has strongly opposed the recent attacks on public workers, particularly teachers. In his columns in the New York Times he has drawn correlations between the attacks on unions and how they are related to issues such as privatization and tax policy.

In a recent column, “Ignorance is Strength” (March 8, 2012, New York Times) Dr. Krugman wrote:

One way in which Americans have always been exceptional has been in our support for education. First we took the lead in universal primary education; then the “high school movement” made us the first nation to embrace widespread secondary education. And after World War II, public support, including the G.I. Bill and a huge expansion of public universities, helped large numbers of Americans to get college degrees.

But now one of our two major political parties has taken a hard right turn against education, or at least against education that working Americans can afford. Remarkably, this new hostility to education is shared by the social conservative and economic conservative wings of the Republican coalition, now embodied in the persons of Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney…

… So whenever you hear Republicans say that they are the party of traditional values, bear in mind that they have actually made a radical break with America’s tradition of valuing education. And they have made this break because they believe that what you don’t know can’t hurt them.

     2012 Representative Assembly Update—

The tentative agenda for the NEA-RA is available at:  http://www.nea.org/grants/1357.htm.

A screening of the movie “Bully,” by filmmaker Lee Hirsch is also expected either during the day on July 1 or the evening of July 2.

Adjourned

April 25, 2012

President Dennis Van Roekel Welcome and Overview

Report of the Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle

• NEA 2012-2014 Budget
• NEA 2011-2012 Product Evaluation Criteria and Comparison Report
• NEA 2010-2011 Participation Report

Report of the Executive Director John Stocks

Report of the Vice President Lily Eskelsen was deferred until the May meeting.

Board Action: Approved the Legislative Program for Recommendation to the Representative Assembly

Board Action: Approved Credentials Committee Appointments

Read Across America Committee updated the 2012 events including the release and tie-ins with the movie “The Lorax.”

The Board also received the following reports :

• Committee on Constitution, Bylaws and Rules
• Preliminary Results of the Resolutions Committee Report
• Executive Committee Activity Reports
• Final Report of Standing and Advisory Committees
• Ballot Measure Legislative Crisis Fund Report

The NEA Board will meet in Washington, DC on May 3-5.

NEA President—Dennis Van Roekel—Welcome and agenda.

Financial Report—Sec-Treas. Becky Pringle reported on membership levels and the corresponding dues income. NEA modified its budget for 2011-12 at the 2011 RA and adopted more than $17 million in cuts. Additional cuts will be needed to balance the 2011-12 budget.  Membership is down in most states.

Action:  Board approved proposed 2012-14 dues for consideration at the NEA RA.

• 2012-13 $180 for full-time active certified.
• 2012-13 $107.50 for full-time active ESP.
• 2013-14 $182 for full-time active certified.
• 2013-14 $107.50 for full-time active ESP.

Action:  The board approved transfer of $1.9 million from the Contingency Fund.  After adoption of NBIs from the 2011 RA, approximately $999,000 will remain in the Contingency Fund.

Strategic Plan and Budget—Becky Pringle reports that despite budget challenges, the NEA remains committed to its core goals:  Strong Affiliates and Priority Schools.  The budget committee, working with the officers and NEA managers and staff, are modifying the budget to meet current challenges.

Executive Director Report—John Stocks reported on the challenges NEA is facing due to membership losses.  He outlined the process NEA is using to modify the budget and staffing.  The board will be notified of specific changes and decisions as they are finalized.  Any changes in staffing will be done in accordance with our contractual agreements with NEA staff unions.

NEA Vice-President—Lily Eskelsen presented the report on for-profit colleges and universities and the NEA Academy.  NEA and NEA Member Benefits began offering master’s degree programs through the NEA Academy.  These degree programs are currently provided by three institutions: UMASS Online, Walden University, and

Western Governors University. Walden is a part of Laureate, Inc. a for-profit institution.

NEA policy differentiates between K-12 education and adult higher education. NEA has avoided taking positions of opposition to for-profit colleges.  NEA has over 6,000 members in private for-profit colleges, in 93 institutions and 23 states. In fact, 38% of Walden University staff are NEA members.  Members receive $150,000 in tuition discounts, application fee waivers and member-only scholarship opportunities.

Action: The Board approved the report and recommendations of the Task Force on For-Profit Colleges and Universities.

Action:  Board approved Board Steering Committee Appointments

Executive Committee Reports accepted.

Observance of Women’s History Month—Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, spoke on violence against women and the role NEA can plan is combating the problem.  The Violence Against Women Act, first passed in 1994, was the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes, and it provided federal resources to encourage community-coordinated responses to combating violence. It also led to the creation of the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), which now receives 21,000 calls a month and provides access to translators in 170 languages. It recently has added 24/7 texting ability. The laws reauthorization in 2000 created a much needed legal assistance program for victims, and its reauthorization in 2005 created the first federal funding system to support rape crisis centers and to develop culturally and linguistically-specific services for communities. This legislation is now up for reauthorization again. NEA encourages members to contact their elected Representatives and Senators and urge them to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

Presentations:

Unions:  Leading Change in Tough Times—Richard Hurd, Professor of Labor Studies, Assoc. Dean for External Relations, ILR School, Cornell U. discussed public sector unions under siege and whether we should manage decline or transform.  He discussed how private sector unions reacted to similar challenges in the past.  He group reactions in four general ways:  Strategic Rigidity, Organizational Evolution, Organization Combustion, and Inclusive Unionism.

Reports:

Our Unions’ Future:  NEA’s Ann Johnson presented a membership update on how to engage millennial members, how to tap their energy as union leaders.

Barby Halstead-Worrell, NEA staff, detailed the implications of successful change strategies for NEA, and talked about potential members that we could recruit.

NEA Exec. Cmte. member Paula Monroe and staff member Bill Raabe—gave a presentation on “Leading the Profession” and the “Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching.”  He explained the phases of implementation.  Phase Three:  Briefing and engaging national and state leaders, the NEA Board, and affiliate staff.  NEA has developed a “toolkit” on the NEA Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluations.  He is working on a plan for the Commission’s report. 

Role of ESPs—Laura Montgomery, President of NCESP addressed the roles of ESP in workplaces and roles in leading the professions.  Focus groups were held around the nation regarding ESP issues.  Key results:  the economy is hitting our ESP members really hard; some members holding 2-3 jobs; members frustrated with cuts to education; members feel underappreciated; greatest joy is having a positive impact on students.

General Counsel Office—Jason Walta, assistant counsel—reports that dues deduction litigation is ongoing in Arizona, Alabama, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Directors, officers and guests attended the annual NEA Foundation Gala honoring outstanding educators.  IEA member Annice Brave, a teacher at Alton High School, and Illinois Teacher of the Year, was one of the educators honored.

President Van Roekel presented his overview of Issues.

Board Training and Skill Building:  Polarity Thinking— Barry Johnson, Ph.D., and Cliff Kayser, organizational consultants, conducted a training session for the Board.

Ballot Measure/Legislative Crisis Fund—the fund began the 2011-12 membership year with a carry-over of $1,500,000.  Dues collections for 2011-12 are projected to be $25,400,000.  The projected total for will be approximately $27,000,000.  NEA has approved $140,000 in assistance to three state affiliates, and $5,900,000 in assistance to eight affiliates.  The current estimated fund available is $20,000,000.

Legislative and Political Landscape—John Stocks, Exec. Dir. And Mary Kussler, NEA Gov. Relations—updated the Board on presidential and congressional races.  NEA endorsed President Obama at the 2011 RA.  Members can go to:  www.neafund.org to sign up for Educators for Obama.  Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization is being debated in Congress.  (See Illinois NEA Directors Lobby Report.) 

NEA Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching—Maddie Fennell, Chair, 2007 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, reported on the independent commission’s report and took questions from the Board.  More information on the report is at:  http://www.nea.org/home/49981.htm .  The report as a PDF is at:  http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/Transforming_Teaching(2).pdf .

Observance of Black History Month—Dr. Adolf Brown III aka “The World’s Greatest Edu-tainer” involved the Board and staff in his unique and passionate presentation, uncovering our most common prejudices and attitudes.  More on Dr. Brown at:  www.docspeaks.com.

Governance Review Project–NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen–presented information on the history & establishment of all NEA governance processes and structures in preparation for the Board discussion groups. This is the beginning of a three-year process to review and verify that our processes and structures still meet our needs.

Strategic Board Discussions (Small Groups): NEA’s Budget Priorities, NEA Governance Structures, and Leading the Professions.

Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee—Board Action: 

Standing Rule Amendments:

#1—Oppose; To require the maker of an object to consider motion to submit a written rationale indicating why the main motion should not be considered by the Representative Assembly; and to require the presiding officer to read the rationale to the Representative Assembly prior to the vote on the objection.

#2—Oppose; To require that the presiding officer ask if there are speaker request forms for delegates wishing to speak to the referral following a motion to refer to committee.

#3—Postpone Consideration until May Board Meeting; To require a minimum of two one-hour breaks during the Representative Assembly.

#4—Support; To emphasize that adopted new business item texts may be edited to replace K-12 or Pre-K-12 with Pre-K-Graduate School under specific circumstances.

Constitutional Amendments: 

#1–Oppose; To modify the Preamble of the Constitution to include defending employees’ right to collective bargaining as a stated goal of the Association.

#2—Support; To change the percentage of classroom teachers required on NEA committees from at least seventy- five (75) percent to at least fifty (50) percent. This change would apply to all committees except the Advisory Committee of Student Members.

Bylaws Amendment:

#1—Oppose; To establish, as a specific NEA objective, advocating for tax reforms to reduce the gap between the nation’s economic classes.

Executive Committee Actions/Recommendations—Board approved transfer of $1,900,000 from contingency for NEA budget use, due to membership losses.

Committee Reports:

NEA’s Read Across America is March 2^nd.  NEA has partnered with the movie “The Lorax” scheduled to be released the same day.  Also, Mazda has pledged to donate up to one million dollars to school libraries for test driving a new Mazda.  $25 will be donated for each drive.  For more information go to:  http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm. View the trailer for The Lorax at:  http://theloraxmovie.com/index.php#/splash .

UniServ Advisory—Grace Bekaert, Chair of the UniServ Advisory Committee, reported that NEA will be able to meet its commitment to the UniServ grant program this year. For the 2012-2013 year, the committee is projecting that the grant will be reduced from $37,048 to $34,850. The final figure will be presented to the Board at the May meeting.

Other committees reporting:  Annual Meeting Review, Internal Concerns, Priority Schools Communications

Additional Discussions:  Lobbying by Directors, Information Sent to State Presidents and Exec. Directors, Membership Dues Systems, and Policy Initiatives

Information Items:  Implementation of the 2011 New Business Items, NEA Committees 2011-12

Pres. Van Roekel—Looking Ahead

Adjourned

Issues shared with House of Representatives members included:

1.       ESEA Reauthorization—

a.       Will the member work to ensure that any ESEA reauthorization bill preserves the critical federal role in addressing inequities that harm students and communities with the greatest needs?

b.      Will the member support efforts to restore federal requirements that states maintain their level of spending on K-12 education (Maintenance of Effort)?

2.      Educator Tax Deduction:  Will the Member support including in any payroll tax deal an extension of the expired tax deduction for educators’ out-of-pocket classroom supply expenses?

Representative Judy Biggert (R-13) is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee where she has played a key role in sharing NEA’s positions on ESEA reauthorization.

Issues shared with Senators included:

1.       Educator Tax Deduction:  Will the Member support including in any payroll tax deal an extension of the expired tax deduction for educators’ out-of-pocket classroom supply expenses?

2.      Social Security Offsets:  Will the Senator cosponsor the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 2010) to repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination?  If not, why?

NEA Directors and IEA Officers met with:  Senator Dick Durbin, his staff and staff for Senator Mark Kirk.  They also met with Representatives Mike Quigley (D-5), Robert Dold (R-10), Judy Biggert (R-13), Adam Kinzinger (R-11), Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2), Randy Hultgren (R-14), Peter Roskum (R-6), John Shimkus (R-19), Aaron Schock (R-18), Bobby Schilling (R-17), and Tim Johnson (R-15).  In some cases your directors met with Congressional staff members.

Current cosponsors of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 1332) are:  Biggert, Costello, Dold, Jackson, Johnson, Lipinski, Manzullo, Schakowsky, Schock, and Shimkus.  At this point, Senator Durbin is not a co-sponsor of the Senate bill (S. 2010).  Sen. Durbin voiced concerns about the sustainability of Social Security in any effort to modify these penalties.  Directors again explained to Sen. Durbin the spousal benefit penalty and other concerns about GPO-WEP.

The NEA Directors are also coordinating “At-Home Lobbying” with Members of Congress to reinforce the messages we deliver in Washington.  NEA Directors are working with teams of regional and local, active and retired, IEA leaders in each congressional district.

Congressional Member Assignments:

• Terrie Tudor—Roskam, Hultgren
• Jim Grimes—Costello, Schilling, Shimkus
• Eric Brown—Quigley, Schakowsky, Dold
• Alex Wallace—Rush, Jackson, Gutierrez
• Joyce Bailey—Lipinski, Davis, Biggert
• Tom Tully—Walsh, Manzullo
• Vickie Mahrt—Kinzinger, Johnson, Schock

Federal Legislation Issues:

In the Senate, led by Democrats, the ESEA reauthorization bill is one large piece of legislation and is currently not moving.  NEA has expressed concerns to Senator Harkin, chair of the Senate Committee about some aspects of that bill.

In the House, led by Republicans, ESEA is moving in pieces: The Program Elimination bill ends 42 programs and cuts $413 million in education funding—NEA opposed; Charter Schools passed the full house—NEA neutral; Funding Flexibility, allows districts to transfer Title 1 and ELL funds, etc.—NEA opposed.  Two additional bills were released by Rep. Kline (R-MN):  Student Success Act and Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act.  NEA favors some parts of these bills including changes to AYP, appropriate testing of IEP students, and stronger ELL standards.  NEA has shared concerns about:  failure to address the achievement gap, elimination of state’s maintenance of effort—continuing to spend as much on education as in past years, mandating teacher evaluations based on student achievement, failure to protect privacy, allowing vouchers for private schools, and eliminating language that protects collective bargaining.

Members are encouraged to visit: EducationVotes.nea.org for the latest updates.  Then follow up with your local Member of Congress!

Due to the shortened Board meeting schedule, with Directors arriving on Friday, no formal lobbying was scheduled on Thursday for Capitol Hill.  Directors were encouraged to conduct “At Home Lobbying”.  Some Directors did briefly meet with staff members at Congressional offices on Friday. Materials provided by NEA have been shared with Congress Members’ staff.

Two main issues were presented to Directors for their efforts with Members of Congress:

1. Super Committee Cuts to Education—will the Member of Congress oppose and fight against automatic cuts to education scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2013.
2. School and Campus Modernization—will the Member co-sponsor and/or support the Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) Act to provide for school and campus modernization?

Coordinating Illinois “At-Home Lobbying” are Directors:  Terrie Tudor, Jim Grimes, Eric Brown, Alex Wallace, Tom Tully, Joyce Bailey, and Vickie Mahrt, with Student Director Matt Hiser assisting.

Going forward, NEA Directors will coordinate with teams of regional and local leaders in each congressional district.

Congressional Members Assigned:

• Terrie Tudor—Roskam, Hultgren
• Jim Grimes—Costello, Schilling, Shimkus
• Eric Brown—Quigley, Schakowsky, Bold
• Alex Wallace—Rush, Jackson, Gutierrez
• Joyce Bailey—Lipinski, Davis, Biggert
• Tom Tully—Walsh, Manzullo
• Vickie Mahrt—Kinzinger, Johnson, Schock

Continuing issues include the Reauthorization of ESEA (No Child Left Behind) and the repeal of GPO/WEP.

Members are encouraged to visit:  EducationVotes.nea.org for the latest updates.

Virtual and Washington, DC

Illinois NEA Directors attending: Terrie Tudor, Jim Grimes, Eric Brown, Alex Wallace, Joyce Bailey, Tom Tully, Vickie Mahrt and NEA Student Director Matt Hiser.

In an effort to economize, an experimental two-day Friday/Saturday Board meeting was changed to a virtual meeting via phone & computer on Thursday Dec. 8th and one full day board meeting on Saturday Dec. 10th in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, December 8^th — Virtual Meeting

Welcome by President Dennis Van Roekel.

Report of the Vice President Lily Eskelsen –

• V.P. Eskelsen attended the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial with President Dennis Van Roekel. She encouraged everyone to visit the impressive monument.
• Eskelsen is serving on the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics along with Shakira. They had their first meeting at the White House.
• Along with other Executive Committee members, she worked in Ohio for the NO on Issue 2 Campaign, which was successful in defeating the anti-union legislation with 61% of the vote.
• Lily has been appointed to serve on the Education International Advisory Council which will monitor the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development Committee, which has traditionally had an anti-public education agenda.

Report of the Executive Director John Stocks –

• Exec. Dir. Stocks noted some of the recent positive election highlights where NEA members played key roles including: successes in Ohio (overwhelming defeat of anti-union Issue 2), Iowa, and New Jersey on ballot issues; re-election of a pro-education Governor in Kentucky; recall of the Michigan Chair of the Education Committee; and Maine successfully protecting same-day voter registration.

Report of General Counsel Alice O’Brien –

• Gen. Counsel O’Brien detailed some coming attractions for 2012 including:  Knox vs. SEIU, a national right to work case seeking to upend agency fee jurisprudence this case will be heard by the Supreme Court.
• Petitions to watch:  Fisher/UT (seeking to change college admissions practices that might be favorable to diversity); Blue Mountain/Social Media; Affordable Care Act spending clause challenge; never before accepted; if accepted here could jeopardize a wide array of federal laws; Payroll Deductions Arizona Law has been enjoined and so far there is no appeal, crux of case revolves around the differential treatment of only education employees who are being denied their 1st amendment rights; Immigration–NEA joined in amicus brief with School Boards Association against anti-immigration bill HB56 in Alabama, specifically the part involving K-12 and higher education–Alabama Attorney General has asked the Alabama Legislature to repeal the part of the law requiring schools to check legal status of students; Indiana voucher case Meredith vs. Daniels–NEA contends this is a violation of state constitution prohibition against aid to religion.

Report of Secretary Treasurer Becky Pringle –

• Sec-Treas. Pringle reported that NEA has experienced another drop in membership of over 37,000. The budget must be adjusted to reflect the loss, which means cutting an additional $9.5 million from the 2011-2012 budget. Current membership stands at 3,065,287 with more than a 100,000 member loss this past year.
• Forty-one states are down in membership, while 10 states have had a membership increase. Retired Life membership is up and so is retired annual membership with an expected increase of about 8,000. Higher Education membership is up.
• Pringle detailed the process for the development of the 2012-2014 Strategic Plan & Budget.

NEA Legislative Briefing for Back Home and Washington Lobbying –

• The Board was briefed on important issues and asked to contact their congressional delegations on two key pieces of legislation:

1. Education Funding: Because of the failure of the Super Committee to reach agreement, if sequestration is implemented, it will result in 7.8% cut to education funding; and
2. School Modernization: Senator Brown (D-OH) and Representative DeLauro (D-CT) have introduced the legislation (S.1597/H.R.2498), which would provide needed funds to ensure students the learning environments so essential to their success.  The FAST Act will provide $30 billion to learning environments they need and deserve. It also includes $5 billion to modernize community college facilities.  Community college enrollments continue to rise as workers seek to enhance their skills in order to find employment in this tough economy or advance in their careers. Modernization of facilities is critical to accommodate these record numbers of students. The bill will also help create good jobs to put Americans back to work, as construction and building repair generally create 9,000-10,000 jobs per billion dollars spent.

• Two California representatives have introduced a House bill to repeal the GPO/WEP, and NEA expects Senator Kerry to introduce the bill in the Senate.

Read Across America –

• Steven Grant, NEA staff, detailed the plans for this year.  The Lorax, which deals with preservation of the environment. The Lorax movie will premiere February 18th, and will open nationwide on March 2^nd .  For more information and to subscribe to the RAA e-newsletter go to www.nea.org/readacross.

Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching –

• Maddie Fennell, Chairperson, presented highlights of the report of the Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching on Tuesday, December 6th.
• Additional Resource:  www.nea.org/home/leading-the-profession.html
• The Commission developed its recommendations independently of NEA and presented its report to NEA. The charge of the Commission was to craft a new vision of the teaching profession, led by teachers and ensuring teacher and teaching effectiveness.   Its final report looked at three major issues:

1. Leading the profession: Teachers have the responsibility to act as professionals, and share leadership in decision-making that impacts student learning. Teachers take responsibility for their individual and collective effective teaching practice.
2. Collective Accountability: Teaches co-create fair and transparent support, assessment, and evaluation systems grounded in peer assistance and review (PAR). A system centered on student learning and shared responsibility.
3. Collaborative Practice: Teachers work together to create a professional culture that ends teacher isolation, promotes shared learning and establishes shared responsibility throughout the learning community.

• NEA leaders expressed gratitude for the hard work of the Commission in collecting the ideas of thousands of educators and preparing this report.

Saturday, December 10^th – Washington, D.C.

President Van Roekel welcomed directors to the one day meeting.

• He asked members to keep an open mind and defer judgment while reading the report of the Commission on Effective Teaching.
• Van Roekel also encouraged all Board members to become familiar with three websites:

1. Go.neafund.org (Fundraising Tool),
2. Neafund.org (Educators for Obama), and
3. Educationvotes.org (Resources & Just the Facts).

• These sites will be extremely important to our members as we enter the coming election cycle.

Board Actions –

• Approved the recommendation of the Executive Committee to support the principles and message of the Occupy Wall Street movement, i.e., building a strong middle class, equitable taxation policies, regulation of the financial industry, and the right to collective bargaining for all workers.

Priority Schools Campaign –

• Sheila Simmons, NEA staff, presented an update on the NEA Priority Schools Campaign. NEA sponsored a three-day forum in November (designed for teams from schools in the Campaign) to address the challenges of implementing and sustaining education reforms and school transformation. Teachers, ESP, administrators, parents and community members worked collaboratively to develop plans for school improvement. Three elements of sustainable school transformation, according to Warren Simmons of Brown University, are:

1. A strong focus on school instruction, culture, curriculum and staffing wrap-around services for students;
2. collaboration with the community to ensure local ownership;
3. and accountability.

• New PSC resources are available at:  http://neapriorityschool.org.

Strong Affiliates –

• Karen White, NEA staff member reported that political successes in various states, like OH, KY, IA, and WI, were due to the hard work of NEA members in those states. NEA anticipates needing to help affiliates in crisis through grassroots advocacy, building coalitions, offensive and defensive campaigns. NEA affiliates nationwide are under attack. Looking ahead to 2012, NEA will be working to help affiliates with: the political landscape, including new voter ID laws (making it harder for pro-education voters to vote); elimination of dues deduction and collective bargaining; potential negative ballot measures that will limit taxes and cause huge budget deficits, thus cutting public education funding. Thanks to the passage of the increase in the Legislative Crisis Fund at the 2011 RA, NEA is in a better position to help state affiliates meet these challenges in 2012.

Ohio Victory –

• Pat Foster Brooks, President of OEA, detailed the work of members in their successful campaign to repeal SB5 which stripped union members of collective bargaining rights. OEA was instrumental in the NO On Issue 2 Campaign with the help of NEA staff and resources.

Hispanic Observance/Welcoming Immigrant Families and Students—

• President Van Roekel introduced the Hispanic Observance by recounting the anti-immigration actions of the past, including the deportation of Hispanics during WWII, the passage of SB1070 in AZ, and HB56 in AL.  Throughout U.S. History, great social change has caused great social friction, and now history is repeating itself. Maria Elena Cantu-Clair, Chair of the Hispanic Caucus, spoke about Joaquin Luna, an outstanding high school senior who took his life because he believed that he would never be able to fulfill his dream of becoming an engineer, earning citizenship, and leading a full and prosperous life in America. She encouraged Board members to lobby for the passage of the DREAM Act.
• Thomas Saenz, nationally recognized civil rights attorney and President & General Counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund), was the guest speaker. The number of immigrant students in public schools has more than doubled since 1990. They now number 3.8 million and Hispanic students comprise almost 60 %. This is all part of a larger demographic shift in the U.S. that will lead to there being no ethnic majority in the United States by 2050. The Hispanic population is expected to triple by 2050. Saenz detailed how MALDEF is working to stop the creation of a social atmosphere of hate and exclusion which is being created through the passage of anti-immigration laws in states such as AZ and AL. Alabama is the only state, so far, that has actually targeted public schools and students to enforce immigration policies. Saenz concluded by saying that public schools and education need to be at the center of welcoming immigrant families and students.

Board Strategic Discussion Groups –

• Following lunch, the Board broke into groups of 10 to have in-depth discussions on seven key questions pertaining to the Strategic Budget, the role of NEA Board members in leading the profession, and how NEA elected leaders (Representative Assembly, Board and Executive Committee) can best provide strong governance and leadership for members and our profession.

Leading the Profession –

• Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle presented information on the Joint Committee on Leading the Profession. In partnership with state and local affiliates and members, NEA will be the leading voice and advocate for the quality of the education professions. It is the task of the Joint Committee to recommend ways of accomplishing that goal. The committee will utilize the report of the Committee on Effective Teachers and Teaching as a starting point for their work, along with the 2011–2014 Strategic Plan and budget.

National Member Survey –

• The Board received information about the latest NEA.  Members are encouraged to visit NEA websites for the latest information at: www.neafund.org, and www.educationvotes.org.

Regional Conferences –

• Barby Halstead-Worrell, NEA Director for Field Operations, gave an update on the upcoming regional conferences. Organizing our members, coalitions and communities is the overall theme for all the conferences this year. There will be an emphasis on how to organize at the worksite level, use of technology, and involving younger members.
• The NEA Midwest Leadership Conference will take place in Chicago, Jan. 13th through Jan. 15^th, at the Sheraton in downtown Chicago.  Interested members visit www.ieanea.org and contact Janet Sablotny at IEA for more information.

Board Survey –

• The board meeting concluded with the directors participating in an instantaneous survey exercise.

NEA President – Dennis Van Roekle

Discussed NEA’s next steps and labor relations across the country.

Executive Session Discussions

“Headline News” Reports/Updates from:  

• National Council for Higher Education President
• National Council Urban Education Assns. President
• National Council Educational Support Professionals President
• National Council of State Educational Associations President
• NEA Retired Executive Council President
• Advisory Committee of Student Members Chairperson

 Illinois members and staff appointed to NEA Committees:

• Terrie Tudor, Social Security Fairness (GPO-WEP)
• Jim Grimes, Legislation
• Eric Brown, Health Information Network Board of Directors
• Frank Brooks, Higher Education Faculty
• Gaziur Rahman, Resolutions Committee, Higher Ed, At Large
• Michael Ruggless, Student Members
• Gladys Marquez, Ethnic Minority Affairs
• Gene Craig, Retired Advisory Council
• Mae Smith, Retired Advisory Council
• Charles McBarron, State Media Advisory

Secretary-Treasurer – Becky Pringle

The recovery of employment and school funding will lag behind any economic recovery.

NEA is exercising caution and continued diligence in the conduct of our fiduciary duties.

Membership:

• Students up by 4%
• Retired up by 5.5%
• Higher Ed up by 2.6%
• ESP down by .7%
• Active certified down by 2.2%

NEA/State Affiliate Shared Priorities:

1. Communications: internal and external; coalitions and external partnerships
2. Organizing: creating a culture of organizing that recruits, retains, engages, mobilizes members
3. Great Public Schools: policies and programs to improve school; focus on Priority Schools
4. Advocacy: policies, politics, member rights, contracts, and crises
5. Fiscal Health: NEA and affiliates

Discussion on the framework for the 2012-14 Strategic Plan and Budget, Strategic Goals

GLBT Observance

Graeme Taylor, a high school student from Michigan was the keynote.

Jay McDowell, an NEA teacher in Howell, Michigan, was temporarily suspended after telling a student wearing a Confederate flag and a studentmaking anti-gay remarks to get out of his class. At the next school board meeting, openly gay 14-year-old high-school student Graeme Taylor came to McDowell’s defense, thanking the teacher for doing “an amazing thing” in a town home to the KKK, and urging the school board to give McDowell his pay and reverse the disciplinary action.

Graeme, whose parents are both NEA members, said, “I’ve been in classrooms where children have said the worst things – the kinds of things that drove me to a suicide attempt when I was only 9 years old.  These are the things that hurt a lot.  There is a silent holocaust out there, in which an estimated 6 million gay people every year kill themselves.”

What McDowell tried to do, says Taylor, was move the needle ever so slightly in the other direction and defend LGBT kids who have found hallway torment to be status quo. “The best thing you can do right now is just give him his pay for that day, and just reverse the disciplinary actions.  He did an amazing thing. He did something that’s inspired a lot of people. And whenever — ever — I have a teacher stand up for me like that, they change in my eyes. I support Jay McDowell, and I hope you do too.”  Graeme ended his remarks by saying, “Make no mistake about it, educators.  Students count on you to stand up for goodness.  Without it, everything you teach is empty.”

Related Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJBvdfdAQjs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOIIwmVbzw

American Indians and Alaska Natives Observance

Kevin Gover (Pawnee/Comanche) is Director of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).  He is a briefcase warrior (Indian lawyer) who reminded us that, since the first European incursion, American Indians have been defined by others, by non-Indian observers.

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is the eighteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. The museum works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice.  Extensive collections encompass more that 800,000 works of extraordinary aesthetic, religious, and historical significance, as well as articles produced for everyday, utilitarian use. The collections span all major culture areas of the Americas, representing virtually all tribes of the United States, most of those of Canada, and a significant number of cultures from Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Chronologically, the collections include artifacts from Paleo-Indian to contemporary arts and crafts. The museum’s holdings also include film and audiovisual collections, paper archives, and a photography archive of more than 300,000 images depicting both historic and contemporary Native American life.  NMAI actively strives to find new approaches to the study and representation of the history, materials, and cultures of Native peoples.

Dr. Patrick Dolan on  “The Changing Structure and Purpose of U.S. Public Education—What Does It Mean for Teacher Unionism”

In his opening remarks, Dolan said that, “We add authentic voice to those who have no voice.”  He then provided a historical perspective (pre-NCLB) of the four roles of public education:

• citizenship in democracy
• social justice
• development of the child
• academic achievement

NCLB and resulting policy and practice have nearly eliminated all but a very narrow sliver of academic achievement.  Dolan pointed out that No Child Left Behind has been a revolution in public education, with very little educator input.  Now, 44 states in just over two years have moved from local to federal standards—common core standards.

He argued that NEA must be more nimble in dealing with change.  He raised the question about what educators do, can it be outsourced?  Could technology eliminate teaching?  Can the Association lead in the professionalism of the career field?

He argues that NEA and state affiliates and local associations must retool to focus on the quality of teaching and student outcomes. The focus of Dolan’s consulting firm is public education and its restructuring from a joint perspective of union/management cooperation.  He has helped to implement collaborative structures at the state and local district and site levels including in Illinois.  He has also done extensive work with locals and state affiliates of the NEA. Dolan has worked with over 200 school districts on deep reform of both the structure of decision-making and the culture surrounding and supporting improvements in teaching and learning.

Video of Dr. Dolan sharing his perspective of the new reality for public schools:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4G2cjmC8Uk

Board Breakout Discussions:

The NEA Board began small-group discussions in an effort to analyze NEA’s role in the current political, cultural, and public education landscape.  The initial discussions were in response to remarks by Dr. Patrick Dolan.

Reports to the Board: 

• NEA Executive Committee
• Board Internal Concerns Committee
• 2011 Education International World Congress Delegation (South Africa)
• NEA Whistleblower and Conflict of Interest Policy
• Preliminary Report on Implementation of 2011 New Business Items

Board Action Items:

• The NEA Board of Directors allocated $5,000,000 for the newly approved Affiliate Defense Fund, a designated account within the Ballot Measure/Legislative Crises Fund set up to provide a targeted and collaborative strategy for supporting affiliates’ efforts to defend against unprecedented attacks.
• Approved funding for New Business Items approved at the Representative Assembly.

Vice President – Lily Eskelsen has been appointed to serve on the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.  Its mission is to develop, implement, and coordinate education programs and initiatives at the DOE and other agencies that focus on improvements of education opportunities and outcomes for Hispanics of all ages.

Within five years, 25% of Kindergarteners will be Hispanic, yet the American Hispanic school-age population suffers from:  highest dropout rates, lowest rate of college enrollment, lowest rate of college completion, language barriers (kids and parents),immigration issues, and poverty issues.

Board Elections: NEA Program and Budget Committee

Executive Director – John Stocks reported on public perception of the public education system and unions remains critical to the Association’s future.

We do have some positive, even hopeful, things going on in the NEA.  Academic achievement overall is growing; the achievement gap is closing; we are having deeper communication with members at the state and local level; there has been a sharp increase in member involvement; through data bases, we are able to track membership more efficiently; the culture of organizing is developing with members becoming more engaged through one on one dialogue; our priority schools campaign is further establishing us as the positive voice for struggling schools; public perception of schools has increased: 77% of parents grade the school of their oldest child as A or B; conservative movement has put the success of public education at the front of political discussions, and it is now being tied to the survival of the middle class.

We also have to deal with immediate threats to our membership.

John Stocks will visit Texas in October to become sensitized and experienced regarding border communities. He will continue to visit communities in other states to learn more about children in poverty, particularly in rural areas. “It is critical that our association work on issues of justice and civil rights for our children.”

NEA Policy Briefs

NEA recently released three new and one updated policy briefs. Each brief gives an overview of an issue and relevant research.  The briefs were written for an external audience – legislators at the state and national level – but can be shared with your state and local members, school board members, and others concerned with education policy.  The briefs include:  Blended Learning, School-Family Engagement: Staff Preparations and Support are Vital, Beyond Two Test Scores: Multiple Measures of Student Learning and School Accountability, and Subsidizing Private Education at Taxpayer Expense.

Reframing the Education Debate

The NEA/State Affiliate Working Group released its message guide, “Reframing the Education Debate” as part of the National Message Project.  NEA conducted both member and public/voter research; to affirm national findings, 21 states conducted the same member survey in their states; and 11 states conducted the public survey.

A kit has been designed to provide a framework to help shape message and can be used in communications with members and the external public, such as the media, elected officials, policy makers, parents, neighbors, and community leaders.

Core Message:

• America’s teachers are on the front lines of education every day.  We became educators because we care deeply about out children’s future and we are committed to the success of every child.
• Our classroom experience has taught us that the only way to guarantee our children’s future – and our own – is to put students at the center of education reform and make a nationwide commitment to
• Hold all of us accountable for our student’s success – teachers, students, parents, and elected officials.
• Invest in the classroom priorities that build the foundation for student learning.
• Ensure that every student has a qualified, caring, and committed teacher in the classroom.

General Counsel – Alice O’Brian reported on federal and state court cases and pending actions in defense of member rights.  NEA Legal continues to support state affiliates and locals.

Obama Administration NCLB Waiver Plan

Director Eric Brown participated in a White House ceremony rolling out the President’s plans.

 The President outlined how states can get relief from provisions from ESEA (NCLB) in exchange for serious state-led efforts to close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students “are on track to graduate college- and career-ready.”  President Obama said that the purpose is not to give states and districts a reprieve from accountability, but rather to unleash energy to improve our schools at the local level.

Talking points in support of the waiver proposal include the following:

• Students, educators, school districts, and states all need relief as quickly as possible from the undue burdens caused by the law and its regulations.
• This package is an important interim step for relief.
• Working with Congress to make comprehensive changes during the reauthorization process remains the ultimate goal.
• Teachers and educators closest to classrooms understand best what students need.
• This proposal allows for additional locally developed strategies that focus on innovation, and professional judgment tailored to the student population; preserves more flexibility for the rural districts; does away with the punitive AP system and requires states to set “ambitious, but achievable” annual measurable objectives instead of requiring 100% of students to meet an arbitrary benchmark on a particular day of the school year; gives more flexibility to local needs and promotes more school district efficiency, collaboration, and strategic planning;
• This proposal maintains a commitment to civil rights and to student success, with a focus on children of color and those in poverty; removes harmful labeling of schools and instead recognizes the lowest 5% of Title I schools as the nation’s “Priority Schools;” preserves a commitment to closing the achievement gaps by continuing to disaggregate data.
• There is a stronger recognition of the profession of teaching and its complexities because it recognizes collective bargaining as a process for innovation and positive change; respects educators by creating time fro planning and piloting prior to requiring implementation of teacher and principal evaluation systems; focuses on better, stronger professional development that is tied to supporting great teaching and in sync with teacher evaluation systems; respects the views and judgments of teachers by guaranteeing them a seat at the decision-making table.
• This is an improved process because applications for waivers are open and transparent; the package calls not only for civil right organizations and parents to be involved, but students themselves.

In an effort to reduce expenses, the December NEA Board Meeting will be shortened and combined with a virtual meeting.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

 Common Core Standards that have been adopted by states:  www.corestandards.org.

Legislative Action Center:  www.nea.org/home/LegislativeActionCenter.html

Below is the link to contact Congress regarding the American Job Act:

http://www.capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=53447546&type=CO

Below is the link to contact Congress regarding the Super Committee:

http://www.capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=52693536&type=CO

Issues shared with Members of Congress included:  President Obama’s American Jobs Act, The Congressional “Super Committee” on the Debt and Deficit, ESEA (No Child Left Behind) Reauthorization, and Social Security Fairness—the repeal of GPO-WEP penalties.

NEA supports the American Jobs Act in order to create and save thousands of education jobs, provide funding for Community Colleges and otherwise deal with the current unemployment challenges.  The Association is also concerned that the “Super Committee” might make dangerous cuts to Medicaid, the only source for health care coverage for more than 30% of our students.  Your lobby team also urged congressional members to follow NEA’s lead in fixing ESEA.  The Senators and Representatives were also urged to co-sponsor the new Social Security Fairness bill to reform GPO-WEP.

Some of your Illinois delegation attended the Thursday breakfast hosted by Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk.  Your NEA Illinois Team then moved to Capitol Hill House and Senate offices to meet with Congress Members and or their staff:  Danny Davis, Robert Dold, Don Manzullo, Mike Quigley, Tim Johnson, Jerry Costello, Dan Lipinski, Judy Biggert, Mark Kirk, John Shimkus, Bobby Schilling; Joe Walsh, Aaron Schock, Randy Hultgren, Jan Schakowsky, and Jesse Jackson Jr.

Comments from Members of Congress:

Senator Kirk described a program entitled “Entrepreneurial Idol” that he is working on with Congressman Jackson and Chicago State University.  This program, which they hope to launch in October, is designed to encourage members of the community to come up with a plan for a business. Sen. Kirk is also sponsoring new education legislation on charter Schools. NEA Director Vickie Mahrt, IEA V.P. Kathi Griffin and IEA Sec.-Treas. Al Llorens, are all members of the Senator Kirk’s State Education Advisory Committee.   Sen. Kirk was asked why he went forward with proposed education legislation (Charter Schools) without contacting any member of his committee.  We didn’t receive an answer, however our point was noted.

Congresswoman Biggert is hoping that the new Illinois Congressional Map will be changed in the courts.  IEA/NEA leaders do not believe that the courts will overturn the maps.  She shared that she will run probably against Bill Foster in the new congressional district that has about 45% of her current district constituents.

Rep. Davis said jobs have to be the thing that spurs this economy.  He feels that there is no way to encourage the rich to create jobs and the government has to do something.  And Davis feels that the Tea Party folks are not only hard headed they are hard hearted.  He said that Democrats are trying to hold the line on spending cuts and social security, etc.

Rep. Dold said he supports using growth model assessments in the reauthorization of ESEA.  He says that teachers should help determine accountability measures.  Dold doesn’t like the idea of designating schools as “failing,” and that targets need to be “reasonable.” He supports continuing to disaggregate assessment data.

With ESEA, Rep. Manzullo says he wants more freedom for local government to make decisions.  He wants ESEA to come out in a series of small bills, saying that large bills are not as good as small ones.  With respect to the American Jobs Act, Manzullo asks how to pay for it.  He doesn’t want anything that adds to the deficit.  He opposes any tax increases.

Cong. Shimkus opposes what he calls “the all or nothing approach of President Obama.”  He said that coal should not be attacked as a way to pay for the jobs bill.  He opposes continuing the payroll tax cut “because he is concerned it will hurt entitlements” (social security).  He says employers are concerned that extending unemployment compensation is holding some back from accepting jobs. Surprisingly, Shimkus is open to new revenues if they are part of a tax reform package.  He wishes Speaker Boehner had not boxed in the Super Committee with a line in the sand on taxes.  Shimkus feels both sides must get together and compromise is possible.  He added that big bill on the debt and deficit could include repeal of GPO-WEP as part of entitlement adjustments, and could be used to sell modifications to social security entitlements such as retirement age, etc.

IEA-NEA members are urged to visit EducationVotes.NEA.org for the latest legislative action in Washington.  Contact your Members of Congress in support of NEA issues.

Lobby Report – NEA Board of Directors – May 2011

Lobbying on Capitol Hill: Mike Orr, Gary Miller, Al Llorens, Kathi Griffin, Terrie Tudor, Jim Grimes, Eric Brown, and Katie Kreis.  Also lobbying were IEA Officers Bob Blade and Cinda Klickna.  Directors-elect Alex Wallace, Jr., Joyce Bailey, Tom Tully, and Vickie Mahrt accompanied the teams on Capitol Hill.

Thursday morning, some of your Illinois delegation attended an NEA legislative reception for members of the 112^th Congress at the Rayburn House Office Building.  Several others visited with Senators Durbin and Kirk at The Hart Senate Office Building for the Senators’ regular Thursday morning meeting with Illinois residents.

Directors then headed for House and Senate offices to lobby Members of Congress and meet with congressional staff members on three major topics:

• NEA believes that a reauthorized ESEA law should require collaboration at the local level on development of plans and making of decisions that impact teaching and learning. Each Senator & Representative was asked to support the idea of collaboration, and was also asked to co-sponsor one or more of the 57 NEA supported ESEA bills currently in Congress.
• NEA opposes tying an increase in the nation’s debt limit to adoption of a cap on all federal spending that would force massive cuts to education, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Each member was asked to oppose such a cap.
• NEA is looking for co-sponsors and support for passage of the Annual National Classified School Employee of the Year Award Act.

The Illinois delegation split up and visited with the following members and/or their staff:  Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-17), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5), Rep. Tim Johnson (R-15), Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-14), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1), Rep. Peter Roskam (R-6), Rp. Jerry Costello (D-12), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-14), Rep. John Shimkus (R-19), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rep. Robert Dold (R-10).

Comments from Members of Congress:

Sen. Durbin is concerned that the cost of reforming GPO-WEP will prevent it from happening, and that everyone may need to be brought into the Social Security System.

Sen. Kirk was concerned about any tax increases.  Both senators agreed that there will be cuts to federal programs.

Lobbying on Capitol Hill: Mike Orr, Gary Miller, Al Llorens, Kathi Griffin, Terrie Tudor, Jim Grimes, Eric Brown, and Katie Kreis.  Also lobbying were IEA Officers Bob Blade and Cinda Klickna.  Directors-elect Alex Wallace, Jr., Joyce Bailey, Tom Tully, and Vickie Mahrt accompanied the teams on Capitol Hill.

Thursday morning, some of your Illinois delegation attended an NEA legislative reception for members of the 112^th Congress at the Rayburn House Office Building.  Several others visited with Senators Durbin and Kirk at The Hart Senate Office Building for the Senators’ regular Thursday morning meeting with Illinois residents.

Directors then headed for House and Senate offices to lobby Members of Congress and meet with congressional staff members on three major topics:

• NEA believes that a reauthorized ESEA law should require collaboration at the local level on development of plans and making of decisions that impact teaching and learning. Each Senator & Representative was asked to support the idea of collaboration, and was also asked to co-sponsor one or more of the 57 NEA supported ESEA bills currently in Congress.
• NEA opposes tying an increase in the nation’s debt limit to adoption of a cap on all federal spending that would force massive cuts to education, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Each member was asked to oppose such a cap.
• NEA is looking for co-sponsors and support for passage of the Annual National Classified School Employee of the Year Award Act.

The Illinois delegation split up and visited with the following members and/or their staff:  Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-17), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5), Rep. Tim Johnson (R-15), Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-14), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1), Rep. Peter Roskam (R-6), Rp. Jerry Costello (D-12), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-14), Rep. John Shimkus (R-19), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rep. Robert Dold (R-10).

Comments from Members of Congress:

Sen. Durbin is concerned that the cost of reforming GPO-WEP will prevent it from happening, and that everyone may need to be brought into the Social Security System.

Sen. Kirk was concerned about any tax increases.  Both senators agreed that there will be cuts to federal programs.