BY BOBBIE MARGO (See Summer Newsletter)
This year’s 38th NEA Retired Annual Meeting was held virtually on June 23-24, 2021. Virtually means that each and every one of the aHendees could attend in their own homes, offices, etc. For myself, I aHended in my rumpled, but clean, house clothes . Virtually also means that access to a bathroom was steps away as opposed to sometmes being literally in the next building of a Convention Center.
President Sarah Borgman called the meeting to order. The Star Bangled Banner, dedication to Veterans, along with the Credentials report were submitted. There were 316 retirees registered as delegates; 251 registered delegates were actually in attendance.
This year, the majority of the Retired Annual Meetng was “pre-recorded”. President Borgman spoke on her “President’s Challenge”; she challenged us to plan/develop ourselves and our goals. We were urged to speak up, speak out, speak for membership, membership,membership! CORAL(coaliJon of reJred activists and leaders) has recently been formed with the focus being on MEMBERSHIP!
To date, we are 321,985 STRONG; to date the retirees have raised $250,028.04 for PAC-seriously-this is a 20% increase from last year! RETIREES ROCK!
Greetings were given from NEA President Becky Pringle, Vice-President Princess Moss, and Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candalaria. The three officers stressed that NEA-R is s2ll fully prepared to lead the way. We have been an organization for 38 years, and we have used our ACTIVISM, ENERGY, VISION to advance public education.
Membership, Communications, and Jack Kinnamon Awards were announced. The NEA-R Distnguished Service Award was presented to our own ED MN Retiree Walt Munsterman!!! We are proud, proud, proud- WAY TO GO WALT!
Actual by-law and new business items were discussed this year. And several positions on the NEA-R Executive Council needed to be filled along with the election of 6 retred members to serve on the NEA Resolutions Commttee. Candidate speeches were conducted and the six Resolutions Commttee members were elected “on the floor.” NEA-R Executive Council positions will be elected by secret mail-in ballot.
The final credentials report: 318 aHendees had registered, 295 were in aHendance as of June 24. The NEA-R Annual Mee2ng was adjourned on June 24, 2021 at 5:00pm CDT.
The 159th Annual Mee2ng and the 100th NEA Representative Assembly were called to order on June 30, 2021. Because this year’s RA was held virtually, delegates did not have to pack up their “stuff” in order to go to a different hotel. (In my case, I just put on clean, different house clothes!). This year, meetngs were held from June 30-July 3 for 6 hours each day!
The meeting was called to order by President Becky Pringle. Our own Walt Munsterman read the NEAMission Statement! We are very proud!!!
In Pringle’s keynote speech, she stressed that we ALL need to accept the shared responsibility of leadership!
Some 6,127 delegates listened to speeches from President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden. President Biden explained that we, as NEA members, are the people who decide what our Country and America’s future will be. Jill Biden is a college professor and, to date, is the only First Lady to hold a full 2me position outside of the White House, AND SHE IS AN NEA MEMBER!!!
Other speeches included those from: Juliana Urtubey, NV-Teacher of The Year, Kimberly ScoH-Hayden, NJ-ESP of the year, Julius B. Thomas, CA-Higher Ed of the year and Judith Heumann, NY-NEA Friend of Education. Candidate speeches were also given. This year, vo2ng for candidates will be done by secret mail-in ballot.
NEA “Business by the Numbers:” adoption of Temporary Standing Rules-13, Constitutional Amendments-2, By- Law Amendments-2, Legislative Amendments-13, Amendments To Policy Statements-5, Amendments To Resolutions-5, New Business Items-64. YIKES!!
Cost of New Business Items-$1,309,277
Cost of New Business Items Referred to the Appropriate CommiHee-$2,456,550
The 100th Representative Assembly was adjourned at 7:20pm CDT.
The 2022 Representative Assembly will be held in Dallas on July 2-6.
On behalf of Julie Jagusch, Sharon Kjellberg, Dan Larson, Diane Larson, Walt Munsterman, Judy Rohde, Jayne Schwalbach, Wes Tessman, and myself, we sincerely THANK YOU, the members of ED MN ReJred for giving us the opportunity to represent our State and our Retired Organiza2ons. We represented you with professionalism and with pride!