Dear Association Representatives and Officers:
The following will serve as minutes of our training session on September 16, 2009, at the Boiler Room in Franklin, NC. Present at the meeting were the following: President Sheri Strickland, NCAE; Victoria Mahler, President MCAE; Monica Miller, AR; Tracey Shumway, VP; Cathy Tippett, AR; Saul Olvera, Membership Chair; Sandy Keener, Treasurer; Amanda Waldroop, AR; John deVille, Communications Chair; Rena Sutton, Secretary; Michael Waters, AR; and Shelley Marshall, AR.
We had a wonderful dinner and training session yesterday. Pres. Sheri Strickland took our questions and concerns and discussed them or took notes as needed. During the meeting and the entire day, she was very open to member input, out of concern and so she and other staff members of NCAE could voice concerns at various committee meetings such as those held with the NC Board of Education, the governor, meetings with legislators, etc.
Pres. Strickland had spent the day with us. We had her visit the largest schools (South Macon, MMS, and FHS) to maximize the amount of input from members to their elected, highest executive officer in our professional organization, NCAE. She would have liked to have visited all of the schools, but her one day visit was well received where she was able to go.
Rena Sutton, Saul Olvera and John deVille hosted her at several schools. Members and non-members that were able to see her gave her large amounts of thanks for NCAE helping to save so many teachers' jobs and for being able to save our salaries and importantly, allowing us to move up the scale of years of experience. NCAE felt recognition of years of experience on a frozen pay scale were necessary, so we could return to the level of pay we deserve when the economy improves.
The thrust of Pres. Strickland's talk with us concerned member involvement. We have found out that even education is not held harmless by rough, economic times. Up to 20,000 educators could have lost their jobs and many were saved; we are not able to have the final count yet. The veteran teachers could have lost their longevity, because the money was not there even with severe cuts. Education is the biggest cost for our state and educational personnel is about 90% of that operational cost. For those members that have been reading their daily political updates, we saw the crashing of education that was going to take place. Due to the insistence of NCAE to find a more stable (good times and bad economic times) tax base to support the state's needs which include education, and due to NEA's influence on federal policy that includes stimulus dollars, we were able to minimize personnel and program loss. NCAE polled the NC public and found that what they wanted less than more taxes was less quality in public education. NO other "professional organization" has done more to insure quality in public education. It was a difficult summer during difficult times, and our organization and many of its members worked with all shareholders to produce phenomenal results considering the circumstances.
It is impossible to influence legislative results and stay apolitical. Educators that want to make a difference for their students and their profession are needed in our membership to help further empower education, by adding their experienced voices to our voice as an organization. Active membership and new members will help us prevent and or remediate shortfalls, because they can add their frontline voice on policy issues. We not only need NEA/NCAE, but to be our best as an organization, we as NCAE members need current and new members to make their voices heard and their concerns represented by joining and participating in our organization.
Our emails, meetings with legislators, and lobbyists, etc. give those elected government representatives an informed voice. Additionally, more voices in our organization gives the organization the information to be more effective for strengthening public education.
I would like to paraphrase Pres. Strickland's speech: NEA/NCAE needs you! In this day and time, it can not only be seen through the rose-colored glasses of service or what it can do for us, albeit important. Our organization also has to be seen through what we can do to preserve and push forward the cause of public education for the sake of our students and our profession.
The meeting ended about 6:45.
Respectfully submitted,
Rena O. Sutton, MCAE Secretary
September 17, 2009
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