Vermont-NEA’s History
Establishing and Protecting Educator Rights
Over the past century and a half, Vermont-NEA has
participated in the development of just about every good public education and
labor policy there is in Vermont. We sometimes refer to these historic
accomplishments for Vermont’s educators as the “hidden benefits”
of Association membership, since every member continues to benefit from the
hard work of those who preceded them. Here are some highlights:
Collective bargaining law. In the
late 1960’s, Vermont-NEA led the campaign to establish collective
bargaining rights for teachers and the obligation of school districts to
bargain with them in good faith. Thanks to that law, a negotiated master
agreement controls the terms and conditions of employment for teachers,
guarantees their right to an orderly process through which to resolve
employment disagreements, and protects teachers in virtually every school
district in the state.
“Just cause” and due
process. In the early 1970’s, Vermont-NEA worked with
legislators to establish that a teacher is entitled to continue in her job
unless the school district has just and sufficient cause not to renew her
contract. And, a companion law protects a teacher’s right to due process
if her school administration wants to dismiss her during the school year.
Good faith bargaining.
Vermont-NEA assists the State and local Associations enforce every school
district’s obligation to bargain in good faith, through its legal counsel
filing and prosecuting claims of unfair labor practices. Beginning in the late
1970’s and continuing to this day, the Association has won dozens of
unfair labor practice claims it has brought before the Vermont Labor Relations
Board.
“Up from 51.” Few
Vermont educators realize how badly their predecessors fared economically. As
recently as the mid-1980’s, Vermont teachers were the very lowest paid in
the nation. It was then that they gave collective, organized voice –
through their Association – to the absolute necessity for a shift in State
policy and obtained a major infusion of State money. In combination with
effective and aggressive local collective bargaining supported by
Vermont-NEA’s UniServ staff, this brought Vermont teachers’ salaries
to the middle of the rankings of the states, where they have remained ever
since.
Right to strike. Through advocacy
at the Labor Relations Board and in court, Vermont-NEA has protected the right
of educators to strike and protected striking educators from retaliation and
replacement.
Successful job actions.
Vermont-NEA provided the legal service, on-site guidance, and financial support
necessary for the successful conduct of every teacher strike in Vermont
history, as well as Vermont’s only strike by education support personnel.
Employees in each of these 18 strikes were protected and achieved a settlement.
Subcontracting as mandatory subject of
bargaining. It was a Vermont-NEA case, brought on behalf of a newly
organized group of education support personnel, that established the principle
that subcontracting bargaining unit work is a mandatory subject of bargaining
under Vermont’s municipal labor law.
Limits to “finality.”
Because of Vermont-NEA advocacy, it is established law that a school district
may not impose on teachers terms and conditions of employment for more than one
year.
No retroactive economic loss.
Because of Vermont-NEA advocacy, it is established law that where a school
district lawfully imposes terms and conditions of employment on its employees,
it may not impose a retroactive economic loss on them.
Subcontracting not implied in
contracts. Because of Vermont-NEA advocacy, it is established law in
Vermont, and perhaps only in Vermont, that, in the absence of express contract
language permitting it, a school district may not lawfully subcontract
bargaining unit work.
History supporting women’s rights.
Vermont-NEA has a proud history supporting the right of women to
participate, vote, and be paid the same as men. In 1863, female members of the
Association became “active,” and began to serve on committees. In
1871, the first woman teacher addressed the Convention, and in 1914, Caroline
S. Woodruff became the first woman president. She later became president of the
National Education Association. On August 15, 1960 the Association resolved
"That when qualifications are equal, and when equal services are rendered, male
and female teachers should receive equal compensation." Today, some 70% of
Association members are women.
Vermont-NEA Makes Sure Educators Have a Voice
Vermont-NEA provides its members – individually and
collectively – professional representation about a wide variety of
matters. The Association develops and maintains professional relationships and
expertise to assure its members have a voice in the development of
pro-education strategy and where decisions affecting educators and children are
made.
Legislation. Vermont-NEA represents
its members in the State House, attending to hundreds of legislative bills
every session under the headings of education, labor, finance, retirement,
health, and, of course, other. Standards Board for
Professional Educators. In fact, it was Vermont-NEA advocacy that
led to the creation of this teacher-majority group that oversees the standards
of the teaching profession. Vermont-NEA works with committees of this Board
routinely. Vermont Education Coalition. This
group, of which Vermont-NEA is a founding member, consists of 10 organizations
devoted to public education. Our work in the Education Coalition has produced
major advocacy approaches and documents addressing, among other things, special
education regulations, “School Quality Standards,” principles of
school finance, school choice and protecting local school district funds.
Vermont Safe Schools Coalition. Vermont-NEA
collaborated within this group to produce a number of resources for school
districts, including a report on approaches to school violence and a widely
distributed handbook on how to respond to school crises. Vermont LEADS (Leadership in Equity, Anti-racism, and Diversity in
Schools). This group, founded with Vermont-NEA assistance and active
participation, addresses issues of discrimination and safety in schools.
Vermont labor organizations. Vermont-NEA works
collaboratively with other labor organizations in the state, including the
State Employees Association and AFL-CIO, to protect and expand the rights of
workers. Paraeducators Standards Task Force. The
Task Force, conceived and organized by Vermont-NEA, developed and advocated for
professional standards for paraeducators. Once the State Board of Education
adopted regulations, in the fall of 2001, the Task Force began working to make
certain they’re followed. The standards are aimed at providing schools and
children with qualified staff and requiring that appropriate training be
provided for paras.
Vermont-NEA Lobbies for Educators
Vermont-NEA is involved in legislative consideration of matters
affecting educators, education and children. Some issues we deal with are minor
and others can have significant impact, for good or ill.
Money for education. A major
issue on Vermont-NEA’s legislative agenda every year is securing adequate
funds for Vermont public schools. The Association works for funding from the
State sufficient to provide an equal educational opportunity for each child.
And, because local communities provide most school funding, we work to assure
fairness for local property taxpayers.
Fingerprinting. Most states
require active educators to undergo intrusive background checks despite the
firm knowledge that few if any within their ranks pose any risk to children. In
2000, Vermont-NEA advocacy led the Legislature to take a much less intrusive
approach, one that presumes only that we should deter bad actors from applying
for positions. While the law is anything but perfect, it is far less intrusive
into lives of educators than it would otherwise have been.
Probationary status. Virtually
every state has a mandated probationary status period for teachers. Vermont-NEA
helped convince the 1999 Legislature to adopt a reasonable approach. The
duration of that probation is two, not three, years; it applies only to the
first two years of employment as a teacher in Vermont, rather than in every
school district; and it requires school districts to pay needed attention to
the professional well-being of new teachers.
No striker replacement. Working
with other labor organizations in 2000, Vermont-NEA obtained for public school
support staff, and other municipal employees, who engage in a lawful strike,
the only law in the nation protecting these employees against so-called
“permanent replacement.”
Principles of school finance.
Vermont-NEA has been a voice of reason in the battles surrounding school
finance, with our position determined by principles supporting equal
educational opportunity for every child, while at the same time respecting
local control and local property taxpayers.
Retiree health insurance benefit.
Vermont-NEA, arm in arm with the Retired Teachers Association,
obtained no less than a 60% improvement in the health insurance benefit for
retired teachers in 2001. Upon retirement, teachers who were 30-year
Vermont-NEA members will more than make up for any dues paid within 10 years.
Binding interest arbitration.
Educators use the tools available to them. In Vermont, educators have the right
to strike, while some states require instead that an arbitrator resolve
differences the parties can’t otherwise work out. Vermont-NEA has adopted
the position that the law should lead to binding arbitration rather than
strikes to resolve negotiation impasses. The Legislature has not yet enacted
such a law.
Bad statewide teachers contract
plan. Beating back bad bills is an important Association
responsibility. In the early 1990’s, the Legislature considered adopting,
as part of an approach to school funding reform, a single statewide salary
schedule for teachers. Because of its poor design, purposeful under-funding,
irredeemable intrusion into the rights of educators, both individually and
collectively, and elimination of most local school district decision making,
the Association led the successful effort to defeat it.
Educators and bomb threats. In
the late 1990’s, serious consideration was given by law enforcement and
other State agencies to adopting a model policy that would require educators,
in the midst of pending threats, actually to search for bombs on school
grounds. The Association led efforts that limit the obligation of educators in
such situations to protecting students in their charge and notifying law
enforcement of any out-of-the-ordinary objects.
Attack on academic freedom. At
the start of this century, fully one-fifth of the House of Representatives
sponsored a bill that would prohibit school employees from uttering words or
behaving in any way that would sanction homosexual conduct. The Association
worked with other education and civil rights groups to defeat this terrible
bill.
Federal legislation and
regulations. Vermont-NEA works 29 collaboratively with
Vermont’s Congressional Delegation, as does our National Education
Association, on such issues as school vouchers and testing. The Association
submits comments and testimony on federal legislation and rules and continues
to advocate that Congress meet its funding commitment for special education.
History of leading the way on education
reform. Most of Vermont's early educational reform was first
proposed by, or received its first organized support from Vermont-NEA (known
then as the Vermont Teachers' Association, and still later as the Vermont
Education Association). Association accomplishments include the establishment
of a state board of education, the enactment of a compulsory school attendance
law, permissive legislation for the establishment of graded schools, and the
inauguration of a system of state aid to public schools.
Vermont-NEA Brings Members’ Views to
Public Education Policymakers
Vermont-NEA is an active participant in the development, by the
Department and State Board of Education, of State policies and rules governing
public education. We do so by attending monthly meetings of the State Board of
Education, by meeting periodically with the Commissioner of Education, and by
meeting regularly with employees of the Department as they develop and
implement Department policies -- all on behalf of Association members. Here are
specific examples:
Selection of the Commissioner.
Vermont-NEA, through its President and Executive Director, has been an active
participant in the process through which the past and current Commissioners
were selected.
School Quality Standards. In
conjunction with the rest of the Education Coalition, the Association submitted
detailed comments on early drafts of the School Quality Standards that now
govern our school districts. The result, while not all we wished, is a much
more coherent, student- and employee-focused document than originally proposed.
Special Education cost and
regulations. Working with the Vermont Coalition for Disability
Rights, the Association advocated for many changes in how the State administers
its special education obligations. Due in large measure to the
Association’s advocacy, the extent to which social service costs have been
shifted to school district budgets has become an increasing focus of policy
attention.
Educator “Code of
Ethics.” Due in large measure to Association advocacy, a draft
“code of ethics,” quite draconian and punitive in tone and
temperament, was rewritten and promulgated, instead, as a statement of
aspiration for professional educators in Vermont.
Model harassment policy. The
Association worked with the School Boards Association to develop a model policy
on sexual harassment that has since been adapted and adopted by many school
districts.
Model discipline policy. Working
with other education organizations, Vermont-NEA has contributed to the
development, by the Department of Education, of a model student discipline
policy, to be used by every school district in developing comprehensive student
discipline plans.
Restrictive behavioral
interventions. The use of seclusionary time out, passive restraint,
and other restrictive measures in working with students with difficult
behaviors is increasingly a matter of concern for students and educators alike.
The Association is involved in developing draft standards for use by all school
districts with a focus on the needs of both students and educators.
Education milestones in history.
In 1852, the Association not only resolved to see the establishment of
Teachers' and Parents' Associations in each Vermont county, but also went on
record recommending single desks as preferable to any other. The Association
worked for the passage of the Supervisory Law in 1906; the establishment of the
Vermont Teachers' Retirement Fund Association in 1910; the first voluntary
Teachers' Retirement Law in 1919; the compulsory Teachers' Retirement Law in
1947; the Sick Leave Benefit of 1957; and the first mandated minimum Salary
Schedule Law, including increments for experience, which was passed in the same
year; and a Fair Dismissal Law in 1963.
Vermont-NEA Advocates for Individual Members
and Local Associations
Vermont-NEA protects and advocates for its members and their
local Associations in a host of ways. This level of advocacy is the locus of
most direct contact between individual members and their Association.
Organizing. The more educators
who are affiliated with Vermont-NEA, the stronger its collective voice will be.
The Association provides guidance and assistance to new groups of educators who
want to join the Vermont-NEA family. Leadership training. Because Vermont-NEA
is as strong as its local affiliates, the Association provides formal and
informal training to local Association leaders throughout the year. Examples
include Summer Leadership Conferences, the ESP Leadership Conference, and
regional workshops on contract maintenance and grievance representation.
Unit determination. Once in a
while, a school district will disagree about the appropriateness of an employee
or group of employees being within the Association’s local
“bargaining unit.” Vermont-NEA represents the local Association
before the Labor Relations Board in unit clarification proceedings.
Regional Bargaining Councils. The
success of collective bargaining for a local Association depends, in large
part, on the results at the bargaining table achieved in neighboring districts.
And success in a region of the state depends, in part, on the results obtained
in other regions. Vermont-NEA hosts Regional Bargaining Councils of local
Association leaders to share inform-ation, coordinate bargaining, and,
ultimately, win better contract settlements.
Professional assistance with
negotiations. Vermont-NEA trains local negotiators, provides
research, and when necessary, sends a professional to work with the local
Association, especially after impasse.
Crisis assistance. When a local
Association reaches the last stage of impasse procedures without settling an
acceptable contract, Vermont-NEA provides Crisis Assistance. This service
includes training, establishing internal communications, developing a community
information campaign, preparing for and, if necessary, engaging in a strike,
providing financial assistance to striking members who need it, and providing
professional staff and legal support for any job action. Unfair labor
practices. School boards occasionally commit unlawful practices during
collective bargaining with Vermont-NEA local Associations, usually in violation
of their obligation to bargain in good faith. Vermont-NEA sues school boards
before the Labor Relations Board on behalf of local Associations to seek
enforcement of the locals’ legal rights.
Grievance representation.
Provisions of collective bargaining agreements are legally enforceable. When a
school district violates its own agreement, the Association is there to
challenge it, informally if possible, and through the filing of grievances if
necessary. Sometimes the violation is minor, sometimes major. It can involve
one or a few employees, or it can affect the entire work force. The overall
purpose is to make sure the school district complies with its obligations.
Arbitration. If a grievance is
not resolved “internally,” virtually all our collective bargaining
agreements provide for arbitration by an outside neutral decision-maker.
Vermont-NEA provides direct representation at arbitration, either by a UniServ
Director or staff attorney, and pays a portion of the cost.
Legal assistance. Local
Associations and individual members receive free legal representation in
matters associated with employment. This most frequently occurs for
Associations challenging the good faith of their school districts during
negotiations and for individual educators who face loss of their employment or
other significant discipline.
Criminal defense. Each year,
several educators are accused of a criminal offense arising from employment. In
these circumstances, Vermont-NEA provides up to $35,000 toward the payment of
the educator’s criminal defense, payable upon the educator’s
exoneration.
General legal services.
Vermont-NEA members have access to any of a group of private attorneys who
offer discounted fees to Association members regarding an array of personal
business matters not related to their employment, but requiring legal
expertise.
Liability insurance.
Association’s Educators’ Employment Liability plan provides up to $1
million in liability protection for members.
Vermont-NEA Supports Professional Development
Activities
The Association provides a platform for educators to support,
advocate for, and sometimes provide valuable professional activities for
themselves and their colleagues. Thanks to Vermont-NEA resources, both human
and monetary, members have more opportunities to develop and enhance their
skills. These are among the excellent programs supported by educators who join
Vermont-NEA.
Subject matter affiliates.
Vermont-NEA supports statewide affiliate organizations of educators that serve
the teachers of particular subject areas, such as the Vermont Educational Media
Association, the Vermont Science Teachers Association, and the Vermont Council
of Teachers of English Language Arts. The Association funds these affiliates,
provides publicity and mailing service for them, and supports their annual
meetings.
Vermont-NEA Fall Educators
Convention. The Association has presented the annual Educators
Convention in Vermont for 150 years -- since 1851. Most Vermont schools close
for this statewide meeting of educators, which occurs on Thursday and Friday of
the third full week of October. The Convention features the state’s
largest exhibition of education materials and dozens of professional workshops
-- many offered by Vermont-NEA’s Professional Affiliates.
Vermont-NEA Scholars’ Bowl.
The Association is the partner and financial backer of the Scholars’ Bowl,
an academic competition among high school students statewide.
Vermont-NEA Partners. Vermont-NEA
creates formal Partnerships, through which it provides ongoing financial and/or
promotional backing for worthy projects and organizations whose work supports
students, educators, and public education, including: The Vermont Center for
the Book, which forms and fosters communities of readers; Vermont Foodbank,
which reduces hunger in Vermont; and First Day of School Holiday, which
encourages and enhances family and community involvement in their
children’s education.
Vermont Debate and Forensic
League. Vermont-NEA supports the VDFL with publicity and an annual
grant. The League, which promotes oral communication skills in Vermont
students, is managed by Vermont-NEA members.
Sponsorships. Vermont-NEA
sponsors special events and activities whose organizers want the prestige of
the Association’s endorsement, as well as funding and/or publicity. Among
events sponsored by the Association have been the New England Conference on
Gifted Education and a book giveaway by Parents, Teachers and Students for
Social Responsibility.
New Teacher training. Vermont-NEA
offers new teachers around the state special training in the Association’s
nationally recognized “I Can Do It” training for first- and
second-year teachers.
Advice for education support
personnel. Because Vermont-NEA recognizes the professionalism and
special information needs of paraeducators, instructional assistants,
custodians, secretaries, food service workers, bus drivers and all other
support staff who serve in our public schools, the Association publishes a
booklet each year titled Tips and Ideas for ESP. It is packed with useful,
practical advice, and it is free to Association members.
Advice for new teachers. Each
year Vermont-NEA publishes a booklet titled Tips and Ideas for New Teachers. It
is filled with valuable advice, from “How to establish good classroom
discipline,” to “What to keep in your personnel file,” to
“Ideas for interesting bulletin boards.”
National Board Certification.
Vermont-NEA is in the forefront of organizations supporting teachers interested
in seeking National Board Certification. The Association provides information
about National Board Certification for members, hosts training sessions for
educators to learn about the National Board Certification process, and honors
National Board Certified teachers with awards and publicity.
Governor’s Institutes of Vermont.
Vermont-NEA supports the Institutes, which offer special learning
opportunities for motivated high school students, with an annual grant and
through the work of Vermont-NEA members who promote the Institutes among
students.
Mentoring. In part because of
Vermont-NEA advocacy, State regulations require school districts to provide
high quality mentoring to teachers in the first two years of service.
PATHWISE. The Association works
in concert with the Department of Education to provide training to experienced
teachers interested in serving as mentors. Vermont-NEA local Associations
recruit experienced teachers to be trained as new teacher mentors in the
PATHWISE Induction Program.
Standards Boards. Vermont-NEA led
the advocacy resulting in the creation of the State’s teacher-majority
Standards Board for Professional Educators as well as the local standards
boards.
Vermont-NEA Protects Members' Health Care
Interests and Provides Member-Only Discounts
Vermont-NEA represents its members' health care interests with
state policy-makers and health care providers. Our national affiliate, NEA,
provides group buying power and member-only discounts. Here are some examples:
Health insurance. Vermont-NEA led
the effort that resulted in the Vermont Educators’ Health Initiative
(VEHI), through which education employees all over the state obtain health
insurance that provides excellent coverage at what is, relatively speaking, low
cost. VEHI has saved Vermont-NEA members and school districts tens of millions
of dollars since its establishment in the early 1990s.
Dental insurance. Association
members in districts that provide dental coverage through VEHI receive coverage
at a cost below what is generally available to them individually or otherwise
through their employment. Public Health Care Policy. Vermont-NEA monitors
legislation related to health care and sits on the state committee considering
solutions to the health care crisis. Vermont-NEA positions on health care
policy are guided by Principles of Health Care Policy Reform approved in 2004
by the Vermont-NEA Board of Directors. (www.vtnea.org/Health.htm)
Long-term disability insurance.
Association members now have the opportunity of obtaining, at a much
lower than standard cost, insurance for long-term employment-related disability
in districts that agree to provide it. This benefit is provided by VEHI in
partnership with UNUM, a nationwide leader in LTD coverage.
Discounts. NEA Member Benefit
Services offers deals on insurances, financial and consumer services, car
rentals, and magazines.
Vermont-NEA Members Get Important Information,
and They Get It First
When they join our statewide family of Vermont-NEA members,
Vermont educators are the first to be informed about issues important to them.
Regular publications, an award-winning website, a bi-weekly electronic
newsletter, and a staff and elected leadership readily available for
consultation keep Association members in the know.
Face-to-face communication. The
Association conducts periodic meetings for members who wish to speak directly
with their elected Association leaders. Formal opportunities for face-to-face
communication include monthly meetings of the Vermont-NEA Board, UniServ
District meetings, and the Representative Assembly. In addition, Vermont-NEA
Board members, state officers and staff all are available to visit local
Associations.
Monthly newspaper. Vermont-NEA
publishes an award-winning monthly newspaper, Vermont-NEA Today, which
is distributed to all members’ households. The paper features opinion,
letters, news about contract settlements, local Association action, trends in
salaries and benefits, professional honors and opportunities, legislative
issues, decisions of the Vermont-NEA Board of Directors, and legal decisions
and advice.
Electronic newsletter. MONDAY is
Vermont-NEA’s weekly electronic newsletter for Association members. Any
member may subscribe to this service which delivers timely news briefs and
immediate legislative reports.
Legislative reports and alerts.
During the legislative session, Vermont-NEA calls upon Association members to
use their considerable collective influence to help move education legislation
in a good direction. Every member is encouraged to sign up to receive the
Association’s up-to-date, accurate, and detailed legislative information,
because this is the key to making a real difference in public education policy.
www.vtnea.org Vermont-NEA
maintains an award-winning website that includes opportunities for educators,
advice for parents, special program information, curriculum information, and
Association facts, from phone numbers and email addresses to resolutions.
Special publications. Vermont-NEA
publishes free materials for members each year, including pocket calendars,
brochures recommending summer reading for kids, holiday giftbook lists, cards
for welcoming parents to the classroom, and cards announcing student success.
Toll-free telephone service.
Advice, assistance and information are a toll-free telephone call away for any
Association member. Voice mail is in place to get messages to Association staff
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
E-mail. And, of course,
Association staff and elected leaders all can be contacted directly by
Association members via electronic mail.
Vermont-NEA Political Activity Informs Members,
Educates Politicians
Legislative and policy advocacy is simply not separable from
the officials who develop it. This is why the Association works to maintain
sophisticated and careful political activity. Vermont-NEA now has in place a
well-developed approach to educating candidates for public office about
Vermont-NEA and public education, and informing Association members about
candidates.
Members participate. Vermont-NEA
conducts a recommendation process for candidates for the Legislature that
relies on local Association members getting to know candidates through forums
and interviews, and a thorough analysis of the incumbents’ voting records.
Members are informed. Vermont-NEA
provides Association members with information based on the recommendation
process. Information about all legislative candidates, as well as those running
for statewide office, is organized on a countywide basis and published in an
Election Guide, complete with short biographical sketches, a description of the
voting record of incumbents, and a recommendation from the Association based on
that information.
Voluntary political
contributions. Vermont-NEA maintains a distinct fund, separate and
apart from any dues money, with which to provide assistance to pro-education
candidates for public office. The Association approaches its members annually
inviting them to contribute to this fund, which is used to provide modest
financial assistance to candidates the Association recommends for election.
Voluntary political work.
Vermont-NEA offers the assistance of its members to the election of candidates
for public office who are supported by the Association. This is almost entirely
a matter of volunteer work in candidates’ districts by Association members
who call prospective voters, distribute leaflets and lawn signs, and provide
other kinds of direct help to education-friendly candidates.
Vermont-NEA Members Participate in a Democratic
Organization
Educators join Vermont-NEA because they get a substantial say
in the policies and activities of the Association through its democratic
structure. Members participate at every level of the organization, from some
150 local Associations, each with its own elected officers, to the Vermont-NEA
Board of Directors, elected by region, to our National Education Association,
which convenes the world’s largest democratic deliberative body every
summer.
Local Associations. Vermont-NEA
local Associations are the front line for delivery of Association service to
individuals. They drive the most important programs for Vermont-NEA, from
collective bargaining to membership promotion. Local Associations -- with their
own officers elected from the local membership -- also are the first point of
influence for individuals on state Association programs and policies.
Board of Directors. Every
Association member is entitled to run for election to the Vermont-NEA Board of
Directors. The Board consists of members elected from 16 areas of the state,
plus officers who are elected statewide. Association members have a standing
invitation to attend monthly Board meetings to listen, to participate, or to
request action on proposals.
Committees. Vermont-NEA maintains
more than a dozen standing and ad hoc committees through which members who are
appointed by the President contribute to the development of Association policy,
including Human and Civil Rights, Partnerships and Sponsorships, and
Resolutions.
Representative Assembly. Each local
Association is represented at Vermont-NEA’s annual meeting -- the
Representative Assembly -- by a number of delegates that depends on the number
of members in the local. The delegates decide on resolutions, business items,
and the Association’s budget.
District meetings. The
Association’s elected leadership conducts meetings each fall in each of
the seven districts of the state. At these meetings, any member can propose new
business items and resolutions for consideration at the Representative Assembly
in the spring, and participate in a discussion of wide-ranging issues affecting
the organization, its policies, the public schools and the working conditions
of employees.
Resolutions. Vermont-NEA’s
operating philosophy is determined by Association members through Association
Resolutions, which are debated and approved every year by locally elected
delegates at the Vermont-NEA Representative Assembly.
NEA Representative Assembly.
Vermont-NEA is a state affiliate of the 2.6 million-member National
Education Association. We are represented each year at the NEA R.A., where
Vermont delegates -- who are elected from the ranks of Vermont-NEA members --
have the same right to propose new business, argue for their beliefs, and vote
as do some 10,000 other delegates.
Our National Education Association
As one of the National Education Association’s state-level
affiliates, Vermont-NEA and its members receive substantial grants, services,
and benefits from NEA.
UniServ program. “UniServ”
is short for “Unified Service,” meaning service provided through the
unified effort of the state and national Associations. Vermont-NEA’s seven
UniServ Directors -- the professional staff who work in the field with local
members and Associations -- are the heart of this program, which was conceived
and is subsidized by our National Education Association.
Project grants. NEA provides funding
to support a variety of Vermont- NEA activities that the state Association
otherwise could not afford. An NEA grant funded the media campaign featuring
radio spots of Vermont-NEA members speaking about the joy of teaching and the
need to attract excellent people to the profession. NEA grants also have funded
public opinion polls and training opportunities for Vermont-NEA members.
National staff assistance. NEA
dispatches professional staff to assist the state Association in special
situations. It was the NEA General Counsel who worked with Vermont-NEA staff in
1969 to secure one of the best teacher collective bargaining laws in the
nation. NEA Government Relations staff have worked in Vermont for years, as
have NEA specialists in professional development and communications.
Training opportunities. Our NEA
offers training at the national level for rank-and-file Association members in
negotiations, leadership, technology and instruction.
At Your Service: Vermont-NEA Staff
An educator’s decision to join Vermont-NEA certainly is
influenced by the Association’s record of success supporting its members
at the bargaining table, in the courts, before arbitrators, at the labor board,
and in the legislature. And Vermont-NEA’s great training, communications,
governance and professional development programs are important. But effective
delivery of all this service comes down to the skill of the Vermont-NEA staff.
UniServ Directors. These are the
people who travel to Vermont schools to assist local negotiating teams, handle
mediations and arbitrations, coordinate regional bargaining councils and
conduct leadership training. When Vermont-NEA local Associations face trouble
in contract negotiations or when they must defend members whose jobs are
threatened, they can call upon their Vermont-NEA UniServ Director for help.
Headquarters Staff.
Vermont-NEA’s office professionals -- including administrative assistants
and business and membership staff -- provide the support systems necessary to
manage the budget and serve the employment and professional needs of the
Association’s 11,000 members.
Legal Counsel. Vermont-NEA members
are served by two in-house attorneys and an Executive Director/General Counsel.
The Association’s legal staff represents individual members in
employment-related difficulty, advises other Association staff who are serving
members, and represents the Association and its members in legal proceedings,
from the Supreme Court to local school board hearings.
Organizers. Vermont-NEA provides
experts who can step in when local Associations need organizing assistance to
deal with wide-ranging issues, from contract disputes, to election campaigns,
to local Association development. One Organizer also helps coordinate training
and the other coordinates political action activity.
Communications Director. Keeping
Vermont-NEA members informed is an Association priority. The Communications
Director edits the Association’s monthly newspaper, oversees news releases
and advertising, publishes an electronic newsletter, and maintains the
Vermont-NEA website. She also coordinates the exhibits at the annual
Educators’ Convention.
Director of Member Benefits. The
Director of Member Benefits manages the Association’s strategy around
health insurance and benefit programs and supports other Association staff, as
well as local Association leaders, with up-to-date information. He also is in
charge of product endorsements and Vermont-NEA’s relationship with VEHI,
the Vermont Educators’ Health Initiative.
Director of Professional Programs.
The Director of Professional Programs manages Vermont-NEA programs that provide
professional growth opportunities for all educators, including the annual
Vermont-NEA Educators’ Convention, “I Can Do It” training for
new teachers, PRAXIS II test taking workshops for veteran teachers who are
meeting new “Highly Qualified Teacher” standard, and the annual New
Teacher Conference. She also organizes student NEA chapters at Vermont
colleges, mentoring opportunities, and professional development for
paraeducators.
Lobbyists. The Executive Director,
President, and an attorney all are registered lobbyists for the Association.
They track legislation, attend legislative committee meetings, testifying on
behalf of educators, and when necessary, organize Vermont-NEA members to help
educate and persuade legislators.
In Conclusion...
Some Association members like the legal protections that come with
membership. Vermont-NEA has played and continues to play a crucial role in
getting those protections in place and in making sure they are implemented.
Others like the professional activities the Association provides.
Still others appreciate the array of services and products the Association
makes available to its members at discounted prices. Some educators understand
how the collective voice of the Association has saved and continues to save
them far more money than they will ever pay in dues. And still others
appreciate the wide-ranging advocacy the Association provides on matters of
public policy.
Whatever the good reasons they join, every member’s
participation in Vermont-NEA is welcome and appreciated.
A word about not joining. We all
decide to join or not join organizations. We know it takes only one reason to
trump the 100 reasons to join us. We can’t be all things to all educators,
but we can – and we do – offer all educators a wide array of
services, programs, and products to improve their professional lives, their
financial circumstances, and the quality of the schools in which they all work.
We want all Vermont educators to belong to Vermont’s preeminent education
organization. We are stronger, more effective advocates for public education
when our numbers are strong.