March 9, 2019
President Smith called the meeting to order. He congratulated David Hope, Carmen Hill, Jane Sykes for presenting at NEA Conferences this month. Melissa Albright was welcomed to the Board. Michelle Woepke-Fleig’s birthday was recognized.
President Smith announced that Missouri NEA would be the recipient of the 2019 Rosena J. Willis Human and Civil Rights Award at the NEA RA in Houston. The Willis Award recognizes state affiliates that involve NEA members in advocacy for minority students and families, minority parent involvement in schools, and minority community outreach.
President Smith announced that on Friday, March 8, the court ruled in favor of Missouri NEA and granted a preliminary injunction, which will temporarily halt all aspects of HB 1413. Town Hall calls will be held on March 12 and 13 to share information about the court decision.
Reports were presented:
Other Board business:
Dates to remember:
NEA Leadership Summit, Denver, CO March 15-17
NEA ESP Conference, LasVegas, NV March 22-24
MNEA Pre-RA St. Louis April 8
MNEA Pre-RA Kansas City April 15
MNEA Spring Representative Assembly April 26-28
MNEA Summer Leadership Training June 17-18; Kansas City, Argosy Casino
June 20-21; St. Louis, Hollywood Casino
President Smith announced that Missouri NEA would be the recipient of the 2019 Rosena J. Willis Human and Civil Rights Award at the NEA RA in Houston. The Willis Award recognizes state affiliates that involve NEA members in advocacy for minority students and families, minority parent involvement in schools, and minority community outreach.
President Smith announced that on Friday, March 8, the court ruled in favor of Missouri NEA and granted a preliminary injunction, which will temporarily halt all aspects of HB 1413. Town Hall calls will be held on March 12 and 13 to share information about the court decision.
Reports were presented:
- President Smith shared the President’s report. He highlighted his attendance at the Harvard Leadership conference. He challenged the Board members on the subject of change, “What can we do differently to get our members excited about the Association?” President Smith praised recent Cat Tour events in Auxvasse and Jonesburg and thanked the Legislative/Resolutions committee for revising Association documents to reflect our commitment to addressing institutional racism.
- Vice President Fullington shared his report and expressed his pleasure at participating in the Cat Tour. He reflected on the progress and work still to be done about institutional racism and urged the Board to continue to take the lead on working for racial and social justice.
- Executive Director Aull share information regarding the MNEA electronic communications plan. More members are accessing information through mobile devices. She praised the communications staff. President Smith thanked Aull for her communication expertise and expressed pride in the high quality of Association communications.
- Karen Struemph, CFO, presented the financial, building, and capital budget reports.
- Pam Koetting shared information regarding MNEA and NEA Representative Assemblies. Registration is now open for the MNEA Spring RA and locals are encouraged to register for rooms and meals as soon as possible. Delegate packets will be posted on March 27.
- Otto Fajen presented the Legislative report. Members should expect an action alert about upcoming debate on charter school expansion and tax credit vouchers. There is ongoing concern about the state revenues and the Legislature’s ability to fully fund the public-school formula and Higher Education in the upcoming budget. Local leaders and members are urged to watch the action alerts and legislative updates closely for upcoming legislative activity.
Other Board business:
- The Board elected two members to the UniServ Grant Approval Committee. Lisa Baldwin is one of the members.
- The Board reviewed and selected the recipients of the Horace Mann and Soar with the Eagles Awards.
- The Board certified the election results for NEA RA state delegates.
- Locals are encouraged to develop a strong Early enrollment campaign. A reminder that for governance representation issues, early enrollees arenot full members until the membership year begins on September 1. They cannot be elected to the Spring 2019 RA as delegates or serve as voting members on boards or building rep councils until they have full governance rights.
Dates to remember:
NEA Leadership Summit, Denver, CO March 15-17
NEA ESP Conference, LasVegas, NV March 22-24
MNEA Pre-RA St. Louis April 8
MNEA Pre-RA Kansas City April 15
MNEA Spring Representative Assembly April 26-28
MNEA Summer Leadership Training June 17-18; Kansas City, Argosy Casino
June 20-21; St. Louis, Hollywood Casino