AN EARLY START

THE ADVOCATE
KNOW. LEAD. ACT.
NEA RA delegates to head to D.C.
Over 9,000 delegates attend the National Education
Association Representative Assembly
(NEA RA). The delegates are charged with
setting policy for the 3-million-member organization.
New Jersey sends between 600 and
700 delegates to the NEA RA, which this year
will be held in Washington, D.C. on July 3-7.
At the NEA RA, delegates vote on amendments
to the NEA Constitution, Bylaws, and
Standing Rules. They also vote on proposed
resolutions and new business items, setting
forth NEA’s policy and position statements.
Many of these actions have a direct impact
on NJEA members.
Delegates will also elect members to the
NEA Executive Committee. If any vacancies
occur in other NEA officer or Executive
Committee positions, those may also be
filled at the NEA RA.
DELEGATES MUST BE ELECTED
All delegates must be elected — either by
members of their local association, a cluster
of smaller local associations, or as state delegates.
Open nominations for all delegates
are mandatory. Every member must have a
reasonable opportunity to make nominations,
to be nominated, or to self-nominate.
Each local association may elect one delegate
to the NEA RA for every 150 members,
or major fraction thereof. If a local affiliate
has fewer than 76 NEA members, it may
join with one or more other local affiliates,
each with fewer than 76 members, to form
units for the purpose of representation. Allocation
of delegate credentials is based on
active membership in NEA as of Jan. 15.
All local affiliates must hold elections
for local delegates and successor local delegates
and inform NJEA of the results no
later than April 11.
In addition to local association delegates,
NJEA members will elect state delegates
and successor state delegates this spring.
Jersey City EA member Nadine
Collins (l) and JCEA Vice President
Tina Thorp greet their retired Jersey
City colleague, Wade Smith, at the
2015 NEA RA in Orlando.
Candidates nominate themselves for these
positions online. Candidates are placed on
the ballot according to the county where
they are employed or their unit of representation
(e.g., higher education).
To complete the online self-nomination
form, go to njea.org/NJEAelections.
ENSURING ETHNIC-MINORITY REPRESENTATION
NEA Bylaw 3-1.g requires each state affiliate
to develop a plan to send a state delegation
to the NEA RA that reflects the state’s
ethnic-minority proportions. According to
the 2010 U.S. Census, 41 percent of New Jersey
residents identify themselves as part of
an ethnic-minority group. Thus, it is NJEA’s
goal to achieve at least that level of ethnicminority
representation in its delegation.
To assist in meeting the requirements of
NEA Bylaw 3-1.g, the NJEA Delegate Assembly
established ethnic-minority-concerns
positions in counties or units of representation
that have been allocated four more
state delegate positions. One state delegate
seat is set aside from every four seats allocated
to such counties or units.
While it is anticipated that the establishment
of these minority-concerns positions
is likely to increase ethnic-minority participation
at the NEA RA, members need not
be a member of an ethnic-minority group to
be elected to minority-concerns positions.
All NJEA members can self-nominate
for both regular and minority-concerns
positions. If elected in both positions, a
member must decide which seat he or she
will represent so that a successor delegate
can take the open position.
Similarly, members may place themselves
in nomination at the local level and at the
state level. Members who win both local
and state delegate seats must decide which
seat they will represent so that successor
delegates can take the open positions.
For complete rules and procedures, and
to self-nominate for state delegate and
minority-concerns positions, visit njea.org/
NJEAelections.
Understanding your local association
Looking to build up some resources for your local association
bulletin boards? Looking for handouts and brochures that will
work as conversation starters as you engage members one-onone?
Check out the resources posted on njea.org/earlycareermembers.
NJEA has recently added a new page called “Understanding
Your Local Association” under the “About” tab. Here you’ll find
a new 11” x 17” handout that can help members better understand
the structure of their local association and how every
member can have a voice in the association. There are lots of
other great resources posted all over the site, too, so feel free to
look around, download and share.
10 NJEA REVIEW