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1) Early Childhood Policy Passes with
Nod to Private Programs Intact. There was a lot of
debate this evening over NEA’s newest policy statement on early childhood
education. Most of it had little to do with the substance of the seven-page
report, but the presence of a single sentence. It read: “Because of the
realities of the current pre-kindergarten market, however, NEA does not
oppose the inclusion in a state’s universal pre-kindergarten program of
private non-profit and for-profit providers that meet specified criteria.”
Listening to some delegates, approval of
the report with this sentence included would bring about the end of days.
Opponents claimed it constituted a retreat from NEA’s policy of public funds
for public schools alone. On the other side, NEA General Counsel Bob Chanin
caused a ruckus when he advised that deletion of the sentence would mean the
de facto end of NEA support for Head Start.
After all the sound and fury had
subsided, delegates approved the report virtually intact, changing only the
word “for-profit” to “non-sectarian.”
The pre-school policies themselves
received little scrutiny. It was accepted without question by all that
mandatory full-day kindergarten was a good thing, and that optional,
publicly funded, universal preschool programs for all three- and
four-year-olds was also a good thing.
I admit complete ignorance about the
research regarding the effects of such programs so early in a toddler’s
life. I did not attend pre-kindergarten or kindergarten. My parents enrolled
me in first grade at the age of five. Since we were poor, and neither of my
parents had graduated from high school, this lack of pre-school would
probably not put me in the “ready to learn” group these days.
What I was, however, was “ready to
behave.” It’s amazing how much a child can learn in school when Mom and/or
Dad have already taught him to sit down quietly and pay attention (I find it
works even today). Now, where is your small child more likely to learn this
important educational skill? At home or in a pre-K program run by the DC
Public Schools?
2) NEA Will No Longer Say the NCLB
Word. Delegates approved New Business Item (NBI)
11, which directs NEA officials not to use the title “No Child Left Behind”
Act when referring to President Bush’s reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. Action on other NBIs included:
* Approved NBI 6, which states “NEA
shall educate members on the consequences of the Bush administration’s tax
cuts.”
* Approved NBI 12, which directs NEA to
provide aid to state affiliates battling against defined contribution
pension plans.
* Approved NBI 16, which provides money
and calls on NEA to educate members about “enacting progressive tax reform
and other means of redistributing corporate wealth.” I guess the “other
means” would include nationalizing the airline, oil and telecommunications
industries.
* Defeated NBI 18, which called for mass
actions and strikes as opposed to lobbying and candidate endorsements. The
original NBI called for NEA to find the most effective way to “fight against
racist cutbacks in funding of schools and other social services.” A Texas
delegate asked that the word “racist” be deleted, with the remarkable
rationale that if it were included, the “fascist neo-conservatives” would
use its presence to ignore NEA’s actions and continue their “racist
cutbacks.”
3) Standing Rule 8A Refuses to Lie
Down. The baffling debate on Standing Rule
Amendment 8A resurfaced today with an organized effort to overturn the
just-passed measure. Unfortunately for those who opposed 8A, the threshold
was now higher (two-thirds) and the delegates’ patience lower. Nevertheless,
they were able to reopen the debate. Steve Karpiak of Michigan noted that
the entrances to the hall were not sealed when the roll call vote was taken
yesterday, enabling hundreds of delegates to re-enter the hall and vote. “I
don’t think we had a clean vote,” he said.
The amount of discontent over the
amendment, which has to do with procedures regarding the creation of NEA
“policy statements,” still seemed inexplicable. EIA even took the
unprecedented measure of asking nearby NEA staffers what the heck it was all
about. “Beats me,” was the consensus response.
Perhaps inadvertently, one of the
debaters provided an answer. Ralph Noble of Georgia, a supporter of 8A,
stated that the amendment’s opponents had a lack of trust. “This is about
fear of our leadership,” he said. The attempt to overturn was defeated.
The last time the convention was held in
New Orleans was 1998, the year of the proposed NEA-AFT merger. After the
merger was defeated, Illinois introduced a new business item that would have
dramatically altered the power relationship between the state affiliates and
NEA headquarters, particularly as it related to merger. It was narrowly
defeated. Afterwards I wrote, “Today, delegates who voted against the
Principles of Unity are not discussing what the next merger plan should look
like. They are discussing the relationship between the national union and
its state affiliates.” Whether this debate was about fear, mistrust, or
something else, there’s no doubt that relationship is still under
discussion.
4) Crowder, Nadeau Elected to NEA
Executive Committee. As predicted here last night,
Carolyn Crowder of Oklahoma and Wayne Nadeau of Vermont won the two open
seats on the NEA Executive Committee. However, Crowder did not achieve 75
percent of the vote, but only 69.61 percent. And the race for second wasn’t
very close, with Nadeau getting 53.79 percent, easily outdistancing the
other two candidates. Crowder and Nadeau assume office on September 1.
5) Upcoming NBIs.
These new business items (NBIs) are on the agenda:
* NBI 25 – Requires NEA to refer to the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act as ESEA and not “No Child Left
Behind.” Where this differs from NBI 11 is in the rationale, which suggests
the name “Plan to End Public Education” or “PEPE (‘pee pee’)” be used.
* NBI 27 –
Requires NEA to “call for a negotiated end to the ongoing U.S. military
involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Perhaps we’ll learn tomorrow with whom
we would be negotiating.
* NBI 31 – Calls on NEA to “support and
assist Iraqi workers, especially education workers, to build their own trade
union movement.” President Bush has offered assistance to help NEA hold its
2004 Representative Assembly in Tikrit.
* NBI 39 – Requires NEA to hold a – you
guessed it – March on Washington. This one suggests Fall 2003 rather than
July 2004.
6) Not a Good Week for Union Mergers.
In case you missed it, another union merger was splashed this week. The
Screen Actors Guild failed for a second time to gain enough votes to merge
with the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. “I am somewhat
stunned,” said SAG President Melissa Gilbert. The president is always the
last to know.
7) Quote of the Day.
“Growth is tapering off.” – National Education Association
Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen, presenting the most recent membership
figures to the delegates of the 2003 NEA Representative Assembly. |
