forum. Invitations to the forum were sent to those candidates who returned the questionnaire. Neither President Trump nor the Weld campaign responded to the questionnaire. The forum consisted of ten presidential hopefuls – former Vice President Joe Biden, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Kamala Harris, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tim Ryan, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. For two hours, each made their case to the delegates (and viewers nationwide who watched the forum via livestream). They fielded questions from NEA members on everything from education funding, privatization, testing, school safety, and student debt. “It was refreshing to have these presidential hopefuls come to us, the teachers and support staff, the ones who really know what’s going on in our schools and what is best for students. They answered questions that our NEA members had submitted. The ability to bring in these candidates shows the power of a collective voice that we have as union members,” said MEA President Grace Leavitt.
WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE During the NEA RA, delegates in attendance also debate the ideas put forward by other educators. Since the RA is a democratic body, delegates spend most of their time discussing and voting on new business items, or NBI’s – policies, resolutions, amendments that will direct much of the Association’s work in the coming year.
Our Democracy. Our Responsibility. Our Time!
This year, delegates adopted more than 60 out of 160 proposed, dealing with topics as far ranging as the impact of technology on students, the opioid crisis, immigration advocacy, charter school “co-location,” and ethnic studies.
At NEA Representative Assembly, Educators Prepare to Make an Impact in 2020 By Tim Walker and Giovanna Bechard
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housands of educators from all 50 states gathered in Houston, Texas in July during the 98th annual NEA Representative Assembly (RA). The NEA RA is the highest decision-making body of the more than 3-million-member association. The theme of the 2019 RA was Our Democracy. Our Responsibility. Our Time! After four busy and exciting days, the more than 6,000 delegates left Houston ready to carry the momentum of the #RedforEd movement into 2020 and play a pivotal role in choosing the next president. “This movement has created something better for millions of students and educators, but it’s bigger than that,” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García told delegates in her keynote address. ” We’ve created something better for communities—for this country that we love.”
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Electing a new U.S. president in November 2020, she said, should be a priority of anyone who cares about public education. “Political action isn’t subversive,” Eskelsen García said. “It’s the essence of democracy. … We will use our collective power to listen and learn and teach and reach and engage and organize.” At this year’s RA, NEA took a big first step in leading the conversation around public education and Election 2020 with the #StrongPublicSchools presidential forum. NEA mailed every candidate, including President Trump and Bill Weld questionnaires prior to the 28
Maine Educator • September 2019
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