NEA Representative Assembly

The whole reason for the trip to New Orleans was for the National NEA Representative Assembly.  There were delegates there from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  The RA involves taking care of business for the next year including legislative positions, amendments to the NEA Constitution and new business items brought to the floor by delegates.  The Kansas delegation met every day from 7-9 am and voted on the items that we felt were most pertinent to Kansas educators.  Most days the RA started at 10:00 and ended anywhere from 5-8. Here are the members that attended from the Konza Uniserve.

Another huge focus of the RA is fundraising.  I learned that none of the dues collected for being a member of NEA go to lobbyists or political causes.  That money is basically all raised by members and this is a huge focus of the RA.  The Kansas delegation had two outfits that you could buy and have other people wear for a half hour.  You could also buy insurance to make sure that you didn't have to wear these snazzy outfits.  Guess these folks didn't buy the insurance!