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1) Latest NEA State-by-State
Membership Numbers. National Education Association
membership grew at a moderate rate last year, defying flattening enrollment
and a sagging economy, but the union exhibited signs of weakness in market
share and regional growth.
NEA's K-12 active membership, both
working teachers and education support employees, grew 1.26 percent in 2008
to more than 2.7 million members. Unlike virtually every other union, NEA
has experienced constant membership growth since becoming a full-fledged
labor organization in the mid-1970s. However, even setting aside the
possibility of teacher layoffs in 2009, the picture is not entirely rosy.
NEA's growth rate, while significant,
falls short of both the 3 percent increase in the number of local government
employees, and the
4 percent increase in the number of unionized local government employees in
2008. This category includes most teachers, school employees, police
officers and firefighters nationwide.
NEA also has a problem spreading the
membership growth around. Seven state affiliates account for 82 percent of
the union's national growth. Three – Florida, New Jersey and New York –
account for almost half the growth by themselves. And almost all of the
benefits of the New York growth accrue to AFT, not NEA, according to the
terms of that state's merger agreement.
NEA reversed membership problems in
places like Indiana and Missouri, but new problems arose in Michigan, and,
surprisingly, Nevada. Perennial basket cases West Virginia and South
Carolina continue to hemorrhage members, with active membership losses of
4.9% and 7.4% respectively in 2008.
Here are the state-by-state active K-12
numbers as of December 31, 2008, with the change in active membership, and
percentage change, since December 31, 2007:
Alabama – 72,333 (up 1,648, +2.3%)
Alaska – 10,842 (up 51, +0.5%)
Arizona – 31,524 (up 540, +1.7%)
Arkansas – 13,464 (down 171, -1.3%)
California – 306,700 (up 3,181, +1.0%)
Colorado – 35,463 (up 442, +1.3%)
Connecticut – 37,150 (up 866, +2.4%)
Delaware – 10,728 (up 26, +0.2%)
Florida – 129,512 (up 6,277, +5.1%)
Georgia – 32,805 (up 326, +1.0%)
Hawaii – 12,800 (up 200, +1.6%)
Idaho – 11,562 (up 144, +1.3%)
Illinois – 122,518 (up 2,744, +2.3%)
Indiana – 47,306 (up 850, +1.8%)
Iowa – 35,500 (up 605, +1.7%)
Kansas – 25,541 (up 375, +1.5%)
Kentucky – 32,252 (up 198, +0.6%)
Louisiana – 14,152 (up 224, +1.6%)
Maine – 18,490 (down 5, -0.02%)
Maryland – 66,129 (up 2,517, +4.0%)
Massachusetts – 83,874 (up 778, +0.9%)
Michigan – 115,788 (down 4,827, -4.0%)
Minnesota – 71,006 (up 278, +0.4%)
Mississippi – 5,450 (up 5, +0.1%)
Missouri – 28,738 (up 844, +3.0%)
Montana – 12,865 (up 164, +1.3%)
Nebraska – 21,013 (up 144, +0.7%)
Nevada – 24,992 (down 1,745, -6.5%)
New Hampshire – 15,207 (up 174, +1.2%)
New Jersey – 173,867 (up 4,159, +2.5%)
New Mexico – 7,818 (up 343, +4.6%)
New York – 343,847 (up 6,456, +1.9%)
North Carolina – 48,335 (up 466, +1.0%)
North Dakota – 7,012 (up 36, +0.5%)
Ohio – 116,135 (down 453, -0.4%)
Oklahoma – 24,438 (up 250, +1.0%)
Oregon – 39,826 (up 1,166, +3.0%)
Pennsylvania – 151,911 (up 2,672, +1.8%)
Rhode Island – 7,305 (down 88, -1.2%)
South Carolina – 8,874 (down 708, -7.4%)
South Dakota – 5,617 (down 173, -3.0%)
Tennessee – 46,724 (up 896, +2.0%)
Texas – 42,152 (up 1,346, +3.3%)
Utah – 24,010 (up 306, +1.3%)
Vermont – 10,624 (up 146, +1.4%)
Virginia – 56,733 (up 444, +0.8%)
Washington – 77,074 (up 621, +0.8%)
West Virginia – 11,814 (down 609, -4.9%)
Wisconsin – 83,475 (up 821, +1.0%)
Wyoming – 5,592 (up 22, +0.4%)
2) Last Week's Intercepts.
EIA's blog,
Intercepts, covered these topics from February 17-23:
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Stimulating! Experience fifth-century Rome for yourself.
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Anagrams and Acronyms. Another benefit of the Internet.
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Black Market Crackdown. Headline of the Year: "Rochester-area
schools unlikely to arrest parents."
3) Quote of the Week
#1. "Rather than
encouraging poor work habits, as you baselessly claim, a union contract
would actually encourage greater collaboration among staff and promote
risk-taking because educators will know that their innovative ideas for
academic improvement will be considered and that they will be treated
fairly." – AFT/UFT President Randi Weingarten, in a letter to the editors of
the New York Post. (February 21
New York Post)
Quote of the Week #2.
"We would certainly hope there is some requirement that the state has to
collaborate with teachers' organizations in the state in deciding what to do
with the money." – Joel Packer of the National Education Association.
(February 17
Associated Press)
Quote of the Week #3.
"The nice thing about reducing class size is that it makes teachers happy in
their own right and it's the one thing that we know how to do." – Diane
Whitmore Schanzenbach, education policy professor at the University of
Chicago. (February 22
New York Times) |
