FEA Journal - FEA Online!

DoDEA Headquarters is 

taking our schools in the 

wrong direction. 

FEA’s Maximize the 

Learning campaign offers 

our suggestions for 

changes that will maintain 

JOURNAL 

August, 2011 www.feaonline.org Vol. 55 No. 1 

DoDEA Needs to Change Its Ways 

to Maximize Our Students’ Learning 

FEA is calling for major changes in the way DoDEA operates 

so that our schools can maintain the excellence for 

which they are recognized. 

When we say “Maximize the Learning,” we are 

calling for changes that will refocus resources away from 

pointless paperwork exercises and ill-conceived initiatives 

and put the emphasis back on our most important task: 

educating students! 

MEANINGFUL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

DoDEA once had an outstanding professional 

development program. It ensured employees were trained, 

not just in “educational theories,” but in content that was 

specific to their curricular areas. Such training is vital to 

student learning. 

Sadly, in recent years DoDEA has adopted a more 

generalized approach. Professional Development now is 

lumped under UDDI and does little to help employees 

increase their students’ learning. 

Improving professional development is a top priority 

of FEA’s Maximize the Learning campaign. 

MORE and BETTER LOCAL CONTROL 

In 2001, Vanderbilt University released a report 

praising DoDEA schools as a model system. Among the 

reasons cited for our achievements was DoDEA’s practice 

of setting solid goals at the headquarters level and then 

allowing local decision making to heavily influence how 

those goals were attained. 

Recently, however, DoDEA Headquarters has eliminated 

virtually all local control. We are gradually returning 

to the “one size fits all” approach that failed in the 1990s, 

as well as returning to the negativity and frustration such 

an approach invariably breeds. 

Increasing local control and calling for capable and 

highly-qualified leadership at all levels of DoDEA is another 

priority of the Maximize the Learning campaign. 

Our third, and highest priority – reducing management 

initiatives that take away teaching time - is discussed 

on page 7 of this newsletter. 

Expect to hear more about the Maximize the Learning 

campaign throughout the year. 

excellence in our schools. see pages 6 and 7 for more on FEA’s Maximize the Learning Campaign

Page 2 FEA Journal 

Notes from the President 

Michael Priser 

Get breaking news 

and twice-monthly 

updates from 

FEA President 

Michael Priser 

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Sign up at 

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(use the Membership ID number on the 

last page of this newsletter to sign in) 

Enough is Enough! 

I have made it my personal goal to maximize 

instructional time in the classroom for 

educators and students. Let teachers teach! 

Unfortunately, DoDEA Headquarters 

in Arlington continues to chart a path that 

robs educators of time with children and 

as a result does harm to the educational 

process. 

How? 

1. There are too many initiatives 

The DoDEA Acting Director acknowledges 

over 100 initiatives will be coming out of 

Arlington – all piled directly or indirectly 

onto children. 

This year we have training on ELA, 

math, social studies, Surestart, another 

UDDI module, new assessments, new management 

systems, software programs, CSI/ 

AdvancedEd, curricula evaluations, new 

regulations, new polices, and the list goes 

on. The new reading assessment for grades 

K-3 will take the teacher away from his/ 

her entire class for over 20 hours in the fall 

alone! 

An Agency cannot implement scores of 

initiatives at the same time and expect to do 

any one of them well – and certainly not all 

of them. However, DoDEA Headquarters 

personnel stress that they will hold schoollevel 

personnel accountable. It should be 

those in Arlington who are held accountable 

for the products they produce. 

Research has shown that what made 

DoDEA a great educational system was 

that needs were identified and addressed 

locally and that Headquarters provided the 

resources – not the other way around. 

2. Arlington refuses to acknowledge 

the problem 

FEA has asked that DoDEA Headquarters 

address the problem head on and reduce 

the number of initiatives to ensure that each 

one is implemented well, with appropriate 

training and resources. This will prevent 

Headquarters from taking away resources 

from schools and teachers. 

FEA has asked that each initiative 

include an educational impact statement as to 

the direct effect a program will have on the 

classroom teacher and students. Headquarters 

has refused, stating that “management 

should not usurp the union’s role by identifying 

impact. It is the union perspective 

that is most important here, therefore, we 

will not provide a management position on 

impact.” 

3. Out of Touch 

Over the past years, while budgets are cut at 

the school level, administrative positions in 

DoDEA have grown. Now, Headquarters 

personnel push out programs to the schools 

on a weekly basis for teachers to implement. 

Some in Arlington have no first-hand 

knowlege of our schools but still generate 

work for you to do. A specialist once 

claimed to me that “all DoDEA teachers 

do is pass out worksheets” before admitting 

she’d never even been to a DoDEA school. 

Such comments are insulting and untrue. 

It is time that all curriculum personnel 

in Arlington are placed on a 5-year rotation 

cycle to work directly as a classroom teacher 

for at least 3 years. They need to see the 

phenomenal job that our educators do every 

day. They need to see that our educators 

work around the clock – early morning, late 

at night, weekends, holidays, and yes, even 

meeting with parents in the frozen food 

aisle at the Commissary. 

Headquarters personnel need to work 

under the initiatives that they have created, 

under conditions that are not fully funded. 

They need to listen to teachers. They need 

to be advocates for maximizing instructional 

time. Enough is enough!

No Shortage of Attacks on Members, Schools 

Hopefully during your summer you had 

an opportunity to catch up on the news 

and, if you were not already aware of it, 

you learned a little more about the many 

ongoing attempts to scapegoat public 

employees for decades of poor decisions by 

politicians and policy makers. 

To be sure, FEA members are not 

immune from these threats. In this column, 

I want to quickly apprise you of some of the 

most ominous issues on our list of concerns. 

• Likely proposals to transfer some or all 

DDESS schools to the local education 

agency (LEA) near the base. This issue 

seems to come up every 10 years or so and 

has repeatedly been shown to be good for 

neither the existing DDESS students nor 

the communities that would be expected 

to absorb these students with inadequate 

federal Impact Aid funding. However, in 

the present budget-cutting mania, we are 

already hearing this issue raised and expect 

the idea to come up more in the months 

ahead. All FEA members, but especially 

DDESS members, will want to pay attention 

to FEA communications for information on 

how you can help preserve DDESS schools. 

• Vouchers for military families. With NEA’s 

help, we fought off an unnecessary and 

misguided attempt to institute vouchers for 

special needs students last spring. However, 

those who seek to turn education into a 

for-profit business never tire of seeking an 

opening for vouchers and we expect them to 

try using military dependents as yet another 

test case. 

• Cuts to the DoDEA budget. It’s becoming 

increasingly clear that the Department of 

Defense budget is no longer the sacred cow 

it once was. We will do all we can to make 

sure lawmakers continue to honor their 

commitments to military families by properly 

funding DoDEA schools. 

The above examples threaten our 

students, schools and staff as a whole. 

Additionally, FEA continues to fight the 

following efforts that would directly harm 

our members: 

• Expanding the federal pay freeze for up to 

five years (or longer) 

• Basing federal retirement pensions on an 

employee’s “high 5” years instead of the 

current “high 3” 

• Requiring higher contributions from 

employees for retirement benefits and 

health insurance premiums 

• Instituting a government-wide hiring freeze 

that would make it impossible to properly 

staff DoDEA schools 

• Requiring an across-the-board 15 percent 

cut in the size of the federal workforce 

• Eliminating official time for Association 

representatives to do their work on behalf of 

August, 2011 Page 3 

Association Business 

H.T. Nguyen 

FEA Executive Director 

the employees who lawfully elected them as 

representatives 

• Eliminating collective bargaining rights 

or severely curtailing bargaining rights, 

especially on pay issues 

• Ending the option of automatic dues 

deductions for members 

• Implementing a new Performance 

Management System that will reduce 

employees’ access to fair hearings and 

redress of grievances 

• Removing the statute of limitations for the 

government to seek debt collections from 

employees 

As you can see, it is a very long 

list. It is important for our members to 

acknowledge that we, as educators and as 

public employees, are under attack. These 

attacks are well orchestrated and have just 

one ultimate goal: to wipe out all rights of 

employees. 

The only way we can possibly fight 

these attacks is through a united front. This 

makes your support of FEA important and 

appreciated now more than ever. 

Working with NEA and our partners 

in the United DoD Workers Coalition 

and the Federal Workers Alliance, we will 

continue to fight these attacks and, with 

your support, we will beat them back. 

Stay strong and stay united! 

Get all the 

latest news on 

issues affecting FEA 

members by 

regularly visiting 

FEA’s Web site at 

www.feaonline.org


How Your Dues Dollars Are Utilized 

In School Year 2010-2011*, FEA State Dues were $395. 

From that amount, funds used to support the FEA 

Headquarters operating budget were $240.16 

Breakdown of the $395 FEA Dues for 2010-2011* 

$7.86 

Professional 

Services 

Negotiations, arbitrations, 

insurance and outside 

legal assistance when 

necessary. 

The balance of $154.84 

remains in the regions 

to support the individual 

regions (Stateside, Europe, 

Pacific). In addition, a 

portion of local association 

dues is returned to the 

region. Local association 

dues do not come to the 

Headquarters office. 

$5.02 

Communications/ 

Publications 

FEA Journals and other 

publications, BOD minutes, 

FEA Web site. 

$12.80 

Administration 

Office equipment, maintenance, 

and supplies. It also 

includes audit services, legal 

publications, and membership 

promotional items. 

$48.03 

Governance 

Expenses for At-Large officers, 

FEA BOD meetings, funding 

for state delegates to the FEA 

Annual Membership Meeting/ 

NEA convention, training for 

FEA leaders, and benefits and 

expenses for the FEA President. 

$166.45 

Personnel 

Salary, benefits, 

and expenses for 

the staff in the FEA 

Washington office. 

*2010-2011 figures are used because they were the most current numbers available at the time this publication went to press. 

NEA, the National Education Association, is the parent organization of FEA. 

There are NEA affiliates in all 50 U.S. states. The NEA is America’s leading 

proponent of quality public schools and a quality education for all children. 

$5.32 

Leadership Development 

& Constituency Support 

Provide for Regional 

Leadership Conferences, 

Minority and Women’s 

Leadership Training, support 

for councils including NCUEA, 

ESP, Higher Education, NEA- 

Retired, and the NEA Student 

Program. 

$13.87 

Legislative & Ballot 

Initiative Action 

Build bipartisan support 

for public education 

that includes lobbying, 

government relations, a 

state ballot initiative and 

legislative crises fund, 

cyber lobbyists, members’ 

education, and mobilization 

on political issues. 

Breakdown of the $166 NEA Dues for 2010-2011* 

$17.18 

Partnerships & Public Relations 

Establish new partnerships with 

diverse supportive organizations 

and businesses and outreach to 

family-community organizations and to 

minority communities. Establish NEA’s 

public image as an advocate for great 

public schools through TV, radio, print, 

and cyber news. 

$17.83 

Legal Support 

Implement advocacy 

programs for members 

including the Unified 

Legal Services Program, 

Fidelity Bond, Association 

Leaders liability insurance, 

and a one million dollar 

member liability insurance 

program. 

$6.13 

Governance 

Implement an inclusive, 

engaged governance 

process that fosters member 

participation and democratic 

decision-making through such 

avenues as the Representative 

Assembly, NEA Board, NEA 

Executive Committee, and NEA 

committees and task forces. 

$57.44 

Support Strong States & Locals 

to Protect Member Interests 

Support the UniServ program, affiliate 

project and assistance grants, 

bargaining training and research 

on salary and benefits issues, and 

compensation database technology. 

Recruit and retain members in all 

categories and produce communications 

for members and leaders. 

$39.41 

Administrative Support 

Provide a facility that includes 

technology infrastructure, 

financial services, facilities 

services, and human resources 

to serve the needs of affiliates 

and members. 

$1.38 

Contingency 

Provide funding 

for emergencies at 

the national, state, 

or local levels. 

$7.44 

Improve Teaching & 

Learning 

Advocate for qualified 

teachers and support 

professionals in every 

classroom and worksite; 

provide strategies for 

school improvement and 

raise student achievement 

through early childhood 

education, teacher 

preparation, certification 

and development, 

and research and 

documentation on testing 

and accountability.

Six Charges Against Miles 

Substantiated in IG Report 

An 18-month investigation by the Department of Defense 

Inspector General (IG)’s office has substantiated six abuses 

of authority committed by former DoDEA Director Dr. 

Shirley Miles during her brief tenure with the agency. 

The IG office reported its findings to the Pentagon 

and released a redacted copy of its report in June, just 

prior to the conclusion of the DoDDS school year. 

The IG report substantiated the following abuses by 

Miles: 

• Advocating for and causing the hiring of a relative; 

• Engaging in prohibited personnel practices by providing 

an impermissible preference to and selecting a 

personal acquaintance for employment with DODEA; 

• Traveling on temporary duty on flights ticketed with 

other than City-Pair fares on the lowest available Government 

fare; 

• Claiming and receiving credit pay on one occasion for 

time in duty status when on leave; 

• Claiming and being paid in one instance for per diem 

expenses to which she was not entitled; and 

• Engaging in unprofessional conduct and speech. 

The redacted text of the complete IG report can be 

found at http://www.dodig.mil/fo/Foia/PDFs/MilesROIforreleaseRedacted.pdf. 

Following release of the IG report, Senator Charles 

Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary 

Committee, told the Stars & Stripes newspaper that he 

expects the Pentagon to follow through on the report and 

seek accountability from “everyone” responsible for the 

substantiated actions. 

Miles was removed as DoDEA Director in June, 2010, 

after serving two years in that position. She had served one 

additional year in DoDEA administration prior to being 

named DoDEA Director. 

As of press time for the FEA Journal, Miles remained 

in an SE-3 position at the Pentagon. 


Poor Condition of Many DoD 

Schools Highlighted in Articles 

An investigation into the poor physical condition 

of many schools attended by DoD dependents has 

brought much-needed attention – and the potential 

for additional funding – to the cause of renovating 

or replacing the deteriorating buildings. 

An article published by the Center for Public 

Integrity’s iWatch News site (www.iwatchnews.org) 

and summarized in Newsweek magazine, reported 

that many of the over 350 schools attended by 

military dependents worldwide, including many 

DoDDS and DDESS schools, are in deplorable 

physical condition. 

That many DoDEA-run schools are in need 

of repairs or replacement has been acknowledged 

since a 2008 report to Congress and DoDEA last 

year revealed a $3.7 billion plan to do work at 134 

of its schools over the next seven years. Funding for 

those projects, however, has been in question due to 

recent budget cutting. 

Notice for Members Wanting to Cancel Dues Deduction 

Any FEA member who wishes to cancel payroll 

deductions for their SY 11-12 Association dues 

must submit a Cancellation of Payroll Deduction 

for Labor Organization Dues, Form SF 1188, to the 

appropriate location. 

In Europe and Stateside, the forms should be 

submitted to the Customer Service Representative 

(CSR) at your District Office. In the Pacific, submit 

the form to your FEA membership chair. The SF 

1188 form is available from your school secretary 

or the CSR. 

In July, the Senate passed an amendment to the 

2012 military construction spending bill, requiring 

the Defense Department to report on its funding 

plans for fixing deteriorating and overcrowded 

schools on military facilities. The new Secretary of 

Defense, Leon Panetta, has called upon Pentagon 

officials to address all confirmed reports of substandard 

buildings. 

The vote by the Senate is seen as an indication 

the body is committed to continuing at least some 

of the funding for the many repairs and upgrades 

that are needed in the schools. How such funding 

will fare in the House of Representatives, which 

has been more fervent in its budget cutting moves, 

remains to be seen. 

FEA and NEA will continue to lobby for 

adequate funding to ensure all DoDEA buildings 

are brought up to conditions that support a safe 

environment for learning. 

There is a limited time at the beginning of the 

school year when such payroll deductions can be 

halted. If you miss the deadline, your FEA dues will 

continue to be deducted from your pay throughout 

the remainder of SY 10-11. Check with your FEA 

building representative to learn the deadline for 

submitting the SF 1188 if you wish to halt dues 

deductions for the current school year. 

To ensure you are complying with all local 

requirements, please check with your FEA building 

representative about this procedure.

the


FEA’s Message: Maximize the Learning 

DoDEA Needs to Stop Churning out New Initiatives and Let Educators Do Their Jobs 

Educators have plenty of demands on their time – lesson 

plans, grading papers, teaching classes and meeting with parents, 

to name just a few – they do not need DoDEA inventing 

new initiatives to take time away from these crucial responsibilities. 

But that’s exactly what DoDEA management continues to 

do. 

Through an endless series of new programs and initiatives, 

DoDEA is sapping the amount of time educators can 

spend actually educating students. 

If you support this message, tear out the 

poster on page 6 and hang it in your room 

Providing an outstanding education 

requires many tasks... 

• Teaching your class 

• Keeping tabs on dozens of students 

• Covering multiple curricula subjects 

• Parent contacts and conferences 

• Recording attendance 

• Lesson planning 

• CSI 

• Grade/subjects meetings 

• Extracurriculars 

• Open House 

• CSC meetings 

• Gradespeed 

• Correcting papers 

• Assemblies 

• Seminar 

The bloated ranks of DoDEA management, particularly at 

the Headquarters level, feel the need to justify their existence 

by constantly developing new programs, assessments, surveys 

and other initiatives. 

Some of these initiatives could have academic value. 

Many do not. 

Even those that are potentially positive are negated 

because management refuses to recognize that any new initiative 

must be balanced by eliminating an existing one. Failing to 

do so results in a situation where educators face a mountain 

...the volume of initiatives from DoDEA 

makes it harder to get to those tasks 

of trainings, pilots and implementations with less and less time 

left to do the job of educating. 

FEA wants this practice to stop. 

We want DoDEA to Maximize the Learning. This means 

halting new initiatives and prioritizing existing ones to make 

sure they do not hinder education. 

FEA will be taking our Maximize the Learning message 

to DoDEA and to the public. We want both to understand 

that children miss out when their teachers are not allowed to 

devote their full attention to educating students. 

UDDI training • Changes 

in students’ rights and responsibilities • 

HS counseling recommendations • Evaluation of 

the AP Task Force rec • New syllabi for CTE course • 

Competencies for CTE courses • Software validation procedure 

by teachers • AVID program • Proposed changes in the drug 

education program • Adobe software programs • Changes in attendance 

policy • Changes in assessment procedures for special education 

• New curricular evaluation process • Resource managers • School nurse 

mentor program • AdvancED/CSI study • Professional learning teams • Diversity 

study • Netsupport implementation • Smartboard training • Windows 

7 implementation • Password changes for staff and students • Changes 

proposed in issuing orders • Library automation pilot • K-5 Common math 

assessment pilot • New Surestart curriculum implemented • ASPEN 

special education pilot • K-2 reading assessment • ASPEN implementation 

• ASPEN training • ASPEN gradebook pilot • Science survey 

• Science scope and sequence changes • High school diploma 

changes • 21st century building changes • Wellness 

regulation change • Honors survey • Math implementation 

• Social studies implementation 

• ELA implementation


What’s DIsgusting? 

UNION 

BUSTING! 

FEA Retiree Still Fights for Union Rights 

Karen Peterson has a message for anyone who thinks politically-motivated attacks on public employees don’t 

affect DoDEA. 

“You’re next,” she says of FEA members and other federal employees. 

Peterson retired from DoDEA in 2008 and returned to her home in Madison, Wisconsin, where she has 

been serving as a substitute teacher. 

She was enjoying her new situation until this past winter, when Wisconsin’s newly-elected governor and the 

state legislature dominated by his party made a move to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees. 

Peterson joined tens of thousands of working people from across the state in protests opposing the governor’s 

plan. The fight continues with recall elections of nine state senators in August and an expected effort to 

recall the governor in 2012. 

“One of the most stirring sights was the day that we suddenly heard 

bagpipes and looked down our famous State Street to see hundreds of 

fire fighters, many wearing their helmets, marching towards us carrying 

signs – ‘Fire Fighters for Unions’ …. (Governor Scott) Walker had tried 

to drive a wedge between state employees and the fire fighters – but it 

did not work.” 

– FEA Retired Member and Wisconsin substitute teacher 

Karen Peterson on her experience marching for workers’ 

rights in Madison, Wisconsin 

“It’s terrifying,” Peterson says of the governor’s plan. “It’s an all-out attack on the middle class.” 

Governor Scott Walker cut corporate taxes in Wisconsin and then claimed that the resulting budget 

shortfall made it necessary to strip bargaining rights in order to wring concessions from workers on things like 

pensions and health insurance. Despite public employees across the state agreeing to pay more for those items, 

Walker and his party in the legislature refused to back off their efforts to strip bargaining rights. 

It’s a tactic that is being repeated in states across America and Peterson warns FEA members not to think 

they are immune because they are federal workers. 

“It’s not just Wisconsin,” Peterson says. “It went from Wisconsin to Ohio to Indiana to New Jersey and it’s 

going to hit you next.” 

The best thing you can do to combat the trend, Peterson says, is to make your voice heard by attending 

rallies and writing to Congress. FEA members can find a sample letter they can use to write to Congress at www. 

feaonline.org and other materials are available at www.educationvotes.org (be sure to seek these materials only 

when you are off duty and using your own personal computer). 

“It’s union busting” Peterson warns. “It’s an attack on the middle class and everybody should be worried.”

Chad Jimison 

wants everyone 

to know exercise 

doesn’t have to be 

boring. In fact, if you like 

music and dancing, he’s got 

the perfect workout for you. 

Chad, an Education Technologist at Seoul American Middle 

School in Korea, is a certified group aerobics instructor and is 

licensed to teach Zumba fitness, the exercise craze that gets participants 

to work up a sweat while utilizing Latin-inspired dance moves such as the 

ChaCha and the Merengue. 

“The whole idea is to come to the party and get a workout while you’re having 

fun,” says Jimison, who also serves as FEA Human and Civil Rights Coordinator for Korea. 

A long-time devotee to group aerobic activities, Jimison’s first instruction experience was 

in step and kick boxing classes. When he discovered Zumba, he knew it was a perfect fit for him. He 

became a licensed Zumba instructor two years ago and has been teaching classes at Seoul ever since. 

“The number one thing I enjoy is the music, energy and excitement that every class is filled with. It’s like 

having a dance party at every class,” Jimison says. “The biggest challenge is learning new choreography and keeping 

up with the latest music.” 

Jimison teaches three one-hour Zumba classes each week with 50 to 60 people typically attending each class. Attendees 

love the fact that they’re getting a great workout while also having fun, plus Zumba is completely adaptable to each individual. 

“Anyone can benefit, from first time aerobics participants to advanced fitness gurus. I have ages from 13 to 63 in my class with 

all kinds of different health and physical issues,” Jimison says. “Because Zumba doesn’t use any equipment and is based off of dance, the 

participants can make it as difficult or easy on themselves as they want because they know their own abilities.” 

Exercise in any form is important for everyone, Jimison says. Many people are afraid to try exercise classes because they think they don’t have the 

skills, but Jimison says not being a great dancer or natural athlete is no reason not to try something like Zumba. 

“I always tell my newbies ‘just keep moving and enjoy the music’.” 


(left) Chad Jimison leads one of his Zumba 

classes at the base gym in Seoul. 

(Below) Chad shows off some moves during 

a Zumba demonstration class he conducted 

for delegates to this summer’s FEA Annual 

Meeting in Chicago.


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• NEA Vision and Prescription 

Savings Plan SM : Discounts on vision 

and prescriptions for a $10 annual 

membership fee. 

• 1-800-FLOWERS.com: Enjoy 

savings on flowers, plants, gift 

baskets, gourmet foods and more. 

• Collette Vacations: Travel the world 

and save with Collette Vacations, 

a leading provider of over 120 

tours, family cruises, and weekend 

getaways. 

• Costco Membership Discount: 

Receive coupons for free products 

and other savings valued at more 

than $50 with your membership. 

• H&R Block: Tax preparation (Only 

available January to April 15th). 

• Heat USA: NEA Heating Oil 

Program: Receive substantial 

savings and a free or discounted 

service contract in selected areas. 

• Jenny Craig: Enjoy special savings 

from Jenny Craig on a program that 

fits your lifestyle. 

• Nolo.com: Get a 10% discount 

from the leading publisher of selfhelp 

legal publications, software 

and forms. 

• Progressive Book Club: A special 

offer available only to NEA 

members! 

• Smithsonian Journeys: NEA 

members save $100 per person on 

Smithsonian Journeys Worldwide 

Tours! 

• Snap Fitness: 24-hour-access 

fitness clubs, no contracts, no 

hassles. 

• Walking Company: Save up to 

15% off all online purchases from 

the world’s largest specialty retailer 

of comfort footwear. 

• Whirlpool Corporation VIPLINK® 

Program: Save on popular 

consumer brands from Whirlpool 

Corporation. 

• Wide World Country Tours: Save 

$150 on an unforgettable vacation! 

Professional Resources 

• NEA Academy SM Masters Degree 

& Continuing Education Program 

& Student Loan Program: The 

NEA Academy offers members 

an affordable way to earn their 

Master’s degree and Continuing 

Education through online courses. 

• Carson-Dellosa Publishing: A 

one-stop educators resource for 

classroom materials, instructional 

decorations, and lots more. 

Exclusive 15% discount on all 

orders and free shipping on orders 

over $35.00. Minimum $15 order is 

required. 

• Weekly Reader: Special savings on 

classroom magazines. 

• SmileMakers: Special discounts on 

classroom supplies. 

• Rapid Resources: Additional 

instructional resources for teachers. 

• Watch Me Learn: Video Modeling 

and Multi-sensory products for 

children with special needs and 

Autism. Special member discounts. 

• Zuma ed: For powerful classroom 

presentations with member savings. 

NEA Programs 

• NEA Educators Employment 

Liability Program: Provides 

professional liability insurance 

for members if they are sued as 

a result of their work for their 

employing school districts. 

• NEA Attorney Referral Program 

(ARP): Provides legal services for 

members’ personal legal problems. 

ARP is available only through 

participating affiliates. There are 

currently 41 participating affiliates. 

Absolutely no dues dollars are used to market NEA 

Member Benefits programs. 

Check neamb.com 

frequently for new 

programs and services.


Questions About NEA Member 

Benefits? Call or Go Online! 

The NEA Member Benefits program provides many programs and services to FEA 

members. Please contact Member Benefits with questions about any of their services 

using the following toll-free numbers in applicable areas: 

Stateside 

1-800-637-4636 

Overseas 

First dial the AT&T Direct Access Code 

In Germany and UK In Japan 

0800-2255288 00539-111 

Then dial Member Benefits at 

800-893-0396 

And don’t forget the Member Benefits Web 

site. You can access information on all of 

NEA-MB’s programs, get current rates on 

CDs and investment funds, and sign up for 

other services. 

www.neamb.com 

The JOURNAL is a quarterly publication of the Federal Education Association. 

Contributions, letters, photographs and other submissions 

to the JOURNAL are welcome and should be sent to the address below. 

Gary Hritz, Editor 

H.T. Nguyen, Executive Director 

Michael Priser, President 

BettyLou Cummins Vice President 

Anita Lang, Secretary/Treasurer 

Brian Chance, NEA Director 

Mimi Cuadrado, HCR Coordinator 

Alex Veto, Europe Area Director 

Lisa Garmon Ali, Europe Area Director 

Debra Degalis, Pacific Area Director 

Terry Arvidson, FEA Director for DDESS 

Federal Education Association • 1201 16th St. NW, Suite 117 • 

Washington, DC 20036 • 202-822-7850 • Fax: 202-822-7867 

fea@feaonline.org • www.feaonline.org


17-21 

FEA Board of Directors Meeting 

FEA’s delegates to the 2011 NEA Representative Assembly in Chicago 

pose for a group photo at the Blackstone Renaissance Hotel. The RA 

covered a lot of important business – details are available at www. 

nea.org/annualmeeting. The delegates were elected by their fellow 

members to represent them and vote on issues and policies that govern 

the NEA. Any FEA Active Member can seek a seat as a delegate 

to the RA. Look for information from your FEA Area Director later this 

school year, explaining how you can nominate yourself or someone 

else to be a delegate to the 2012 RA in Washington DC. 

October 

24-26 

FEA Pacific Leadership Council Meeting 

22-24 

FEA Stateside Area Council Meeting 

14-16 

FEA Europe Area Council Meeting 

September 

Calendar of Events 

Start Planning for RA 2012 

C= 

Use this ID Number to Log in 

to www.feaonline.org 

FIRST CLASS MAIL 

C 

FIRST CLASS MAIL 

1201 16th St. NW • Suite 117 • Washington, DC 20036

FEA Journal - FEA Online!

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