Inspired by her father’s dream that she could walk safely to her neighborhood school, Maria Gabriela “Gaby” Pacheco walked from Miami to Washington, D.C. to advocate for that same dream for other immigrant children. She now serves as the Director of Advocacy, Development, and Communications at TheDream.US, an organization committed to ensuring Dreamers can earn a college degree.

Hispanic Caucus Chair Christine Trujillo (NM) introduced Pacheco as the guest speaker for the Hispanic Observance at the NEA Board meeting, noting that TheDream.US believes that everyone, regardless of where they are born, deserves equitable access to public education.

“I am the product of public education,” Pacheco said to open her remarks. “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Ms. Reyna, Mr. Gomez, for all the teachers that believed in me, that pushed me, that nurtured me.”

When she was 8 years old, Pacheco’s father dreamed that his children would safely walk to a neighborhood school and receive the education they deserved, so the family moved from Ecuador to Miami. She said she felt welcomed and integrated into her new school community, and the realization that her family had completely uprooted to a new place didn’t hit until she couldn’t see family back in Ecuador.

In 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided her home and attempted to silence her. Her parents and sister faced deportation proceedings. Pacheco also spoke about the frustration of learning that she and her siblings could not qualify for financial aid without citizenship.

Already an advocate for immigrant rights, Pacheco and three other undocumented students led the Trail of Dreams, a four-month walk from Miami to Washington, D.C. in 2010. She is credited for spearheading the efforts that led to the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In a country that has a growing number of students from Hispanic and immigrant families, Pacheco called on educators to stand up to the extreme right-wing attacks against public education; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and immigrants.

“We need to ensure we do everything we can to set [Dreamers] up for success because they are part of our future,” she said.

Despite repeated attacks, Pacheco and other Dreamers have been able to organize wins, such as defeating a Ron Desantis effort to end in-state tuition for undocumented students in Florida. She called on educators nationwide to join efforts to protect undocumented students and colleagues.

“We have to ask the people who believe in us, our allies, to come and stand for us,” Pacheco said. “I want to ask you all, who is with us?”

President Pringle focused on the work NEA must do to continue advancing the vision of the NEA. She highlighted work she is doing with Secretary Cardona and the Biden administration to address the educator shortage, including creating registered apprenticeships for ESPs and continuing to advocate for student loan relief. She highlighted work NEA is doing with the NAACP and other national black leaders who are meeting monthly at the NEA as they build strategies together to win.

President Pringle celebrated the work of various membership groups in the NEA. Higher Ed wrote postcards to Florida Education Association members to give them encouragement. Aspiring Educators continue to do the work to create the profession they want. ESPs are creating campaigns to demand respect. NEA Retired members continue to lead in PAC donations and elections work, and they actively supported work to end GPO/WEP. NCUEA has led the work in community schools, labor-management collaboration, and deeper learning work.

Finally, President Pringle shared our work and priorities to secure the political environment and create safe, just, and equitable schools. The NEA is working to unite labor for the 2024 election. Delores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers Association, has agreed to partner with the NEA in advancing this important work. The NEA has supported educators under attack for teaching full, inclusive history and diverse perspectives--as well as continue to fight against gun violence.

The NEA Board heard from a panel of NEA leaders on the actions taken at local, state, and national level to build what NEA Executive Director Kim Anderson called a pro-public education constituency in the country that can be sustained. Joining Anderson on the panel were NEA Board Member Wendy Winston (MI), NEA Executive Committee Member Ronald “Duff” Martin (WI), President of Education Minnesota Denise Specht, NEA Deputy Executive Director Karen White, NEA Senior Director of Advocacy Mary Kusler, and NEA Vice President Princess Moss.

Winston stated that “All students deserve access to public schools where they are supported, feel safe and are challenged. And educators do, too.” She shared how NEA President Pringle visited City High Middle School, along with the Michigan Education Association President, to see this statement in action. Many of the staff at the school considered leaving the profession before they came to work there, but because the entire community–administration, educators, and families–work together. Winston also shared statements that students made during the visit: ‘Representation matters. We need to see people standing in front of our class that look like us”; “Support the Arts”; and “Advocate for the teachers because they are overworked and underpaid.” While local school board elections in the area are heavily influenced by people such as Betsy DeVos, the school has been able to become a place where staff feel safe and supported.

Martin spoke about the Leaders for Just Schools program and gave an overview of the curriculum. The first year of Leaders for Just Schools is about looking inward. In Year Two, participants decide on an issue that they want to address in their school or district; in Year Three, they engage policy makers to make change. Martin shared an example of the impact Leaders for Just Schools has: a Leaders for Just Schools participant in Racine, WI, elevated students’ voice in sharing the public schools’ successes in the face of vouchers.

Specht discussed how Education Minnesota has partnered with various statewide organizations to collect research on messaging prior to the 2022 elections. They used this data to create shared messaging with other progressive unions to work on policies ranging from education to public safety and housing. Education Minnesota is also part of the “We Make Minnesota” coalition, which was conceived to combat the dog whistles but now has become the premier expenditure group for fair taxes and corporate accountability. Education Minnesota is leading the way on messaging in regards to truth in teaching and has announced their intention to defend schools and students in the upcoming elections.

White highlighted what NEA has already done in regards to the upcoming elections. The NEA has been meeting with allies and various other groups to develop unifying messages and share polling. Groups want to work with NEA because its partners realize that protecting and strengthening education will make the country stronger.

Moss expanded upon White’s message by clarifying how NEA is working to identify opportunities to expand our partnerships at local, state and national levels. She also shared that the Conference Alignment Committee is looking at ways to infuse this information into NEA conferences this year.

To close the panel, NEA Directors were tasked with sharing promising practices that are occurring in states and locals, as well as concerning things happening via a smartsheet in NEA360. This campaign will continue to be a priority in future Board meetings.

Before AI/AN Caucus Chair Tracy Hartman-Bradley introduced the American Indian / Alaskan Native Observance speaker, Jodi Kunimitsu (APIC Chair) and Aaron Kubo (HI) provided an update on the ongoing recovery efforts following the Maui wild􀀁res. Some students are facing lengthy commutes of over 40 miles to attend school, and many families are still unable to return to their homes. Osa Tui, Jr., President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), emphasized that a union's role goes beyond bargaining and highlighted that over $130,000 has been donated through the HSTA website to support these communities, but more assistance is needed.

Naomi Miguel is the Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Education Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunities for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities. She emphasized the importance of schools as the focal points of native communities. She noted that many tribes were promised care in exchange for their lands, but the history of education for native communities has not always been positive. Miguel advocated for creating an inclusive educational environment that incorporates native history, language, and culture, emphasizing the importance of teaching the genuine history of the United States.

Miguel highlighted that the White House Initiative is committed to addressing the objectives outlined in Executive Order 14049, which includes achieving education equity, ensuring data sovereignty, providing high-quality education, promoting native education, prioritizing health and wellness, engaging in tribal consultation, and supporting career development. These are key objectives for public schools since 92% of Native students attend public schools.

She also discussed the ongoing efforts to gather feedback on the 10-year plan for revitalizing native languages, emphasizing the historical significance of native languages in the country's past. The plan focuses on four key aspects: awareness, recognition, integration, and support. Miguel emphasized that there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, each with its own language and culture, making language preservation and revitalization efforts crucial.

Before AIAN Caucus Chair Tracy Hartman-Bradley introduced the American Indian / Alaskan Native Observance speaker, Jodi Kunimitsu (APIC chair) and Aaron Kubo (HI) provided an update on the ongoing recovery efforts following the Maui wildfires. Some students are facing lengthy commutes of over 40 miles to attend school, and many families are still unable to return to their homes. Osa Tui, Jr., President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA), emphasized that a union's role goes beyond bargaining and highlighted that over $130,000 has been donated through the HSTA website to support these communities, but more assistance is needed.

Naomi Miguel is the Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Education Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunities for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities. She emphasized the importance of schools as the focal points of native communities. She noted that many tribes were promised care in exchange for their lands, but the history of education for native communities has not always been positive. Miguel advocated for creating an inclusive educational environment that incorporates native history, language, and culture, emphasizing the importance of teaching the genuine history of the United States.

Miguel highlighted that the White House Initiative is committed to addressing the objectives outlined in Executive Order 14049, which includes achieving education equity, ensuring data sovereignty, providing high-quality education, promoting native education, prioritizing health and wellness, engaging in tribal consultation, and supporting career development. These are key objectives for public schools since 92% of Native students attend public schools.

She also discussed the ongoing efforts to gather feedback on the 10-year plan for revitalizing native languages, emphasizing the historical significance of native languages in the country's past. The plan focuses on four key aspects: awareness, recognition, integration, and support. Miguel emphasized that there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, each with its own language and culture, making language preservation and revitalization efforts crucial.

Vice President Princess Moss shared the proposed revisions to the Great Public School Fund Guidelines, which are included below. The board will be voting on these proposed revisions at the February board meeting.

She then shared a timeline for the 2024 election (included below) with a reminder that many state and local affiliates also have important 2023 elections. With all of this in mind, she reminded the board about the importance of PAC donations.

Finally, she shared about her visits to various states and locals. She had the opportunity to attend the UTLA Summer Conference focusing on the boots-on-the-ground work of fighting for respect for all employees. In Washington State she learned about their Teacher Residency program, the first union-led program of its kind in the country. Finally, she shared about her impactful visit to North Dakota where she visited twelve schools and had the opportunity to visit reservation schools and learned more about our nation’s true history and how the NEA can lift up that history. Finally, she shared about her experience participating in the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Her speech at the March is linked here.

Educators' voices from across the US and world were spotlighted at this summer's Representative Assembly. The impact of their voices were seen at the NEA Board of Director meeting when the body voted to 1,242,290 from the contingency fund to implement the New Business Items passed at the 2023 NEA RA by delegates. This leaves $1,257,710 in the contingency fund. See the preliminary NBI report and contingency fund update below for more information.

In response to the 2023 Representative Assembly, NEA President Becky Pringle shared with Directors that she intends to create explicit rules for Bylaw 3-5 Meetings: Location (“No meeting shall be held in any location where any delegates are likely to experience discriminatory treatment.”) to guide the RA planning committee. The committee will review laws in locations already planned and deliver a report for potential action at the February 2024 Board of Directors’ meeting.

In keeping with the goal to engage RA Delegates for the entire year they are elected, tentative virtual convenings are planned for December 4 and April 17. Delegates will also have opportunities to engage earlier and more deeply with the next cycle of the Strategic Plan and Budget. President Pringle said the goal is to fully educate delegates on the contents of the budget, with multiple opportunities for input, so they will be ready for action regarding the budget upon arrival to the 2024 Representative Assembly in Philadelphia.

NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria began his report by reminding the Board of Directors that an ethical atmosphere–tone at the top–promotes sound fiscal stewardship. Candelaria also shared an update on the Financial Audit from the budget that ended August 31, 2023. The audit will be submitted to the Board of Directors at the February board meeting and to the Representative Assembly in July.

Candelaria highlighted an NEA book club that will be open to 100 member registrants that will center diverse disability awareness with a curriculum that will roll out in early 2024. Check back here in October for more details.

Candelaria shared the charges of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force, which will focus on shaping the future of AI policies and practices. He emphasized the need to be at the forefront of determining policy, reducing bias, and improving cybersecurity. NEA President Becky Pringle explained her plan to utilize members who are currently engaging in this work as she finalizes this task force. She urged the board to learn alongside the task force and commit to actively engaging in AI-related resources that are posted to EdCommunities.

Candelaria shared that NEA is facing a tight budget year due to the impact of the loss of payroll deduction in some states. He lifted up Kentucky and the work the state did to protect membership through a member-to-member AutoPay “Flip” Campaign. Candelaria noted that 46 states participated in early enrollment, which provides a strong foundation to begin the membership year.

In his discussion of the Strategic Planning Lifecycle of the 2024-2026 budget, Candelaria quoted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as inspiring the hopeful theme of the framework: “Let’s build bridges, not walls.”

The NEA Executive Committee Members presented the Strategic Objectives of the framework, noting that the previous objective of “Enhance Professional Organizational Regard” had been replaced with the objective of “Improve Professional Respect and High Quality Working Conditions.” Other notable changes are the inclusion of a more unifying message under the objective of “Strengthen Public Education as the Cornerstone of Democracy” and the rewording of the explanation of “Support Professional Excellence and Student Learning” to include not just professional supports, but also educator satisfaction. There is also an increased focus on organizing and racial and social justice throughout the framework.

The 2024-2026 Strategic Plan and Budget Framework was passed by the NEA Board unanimously (full framework included below).

The NEA Committee on Program and Budget is led by NEA Vice President Princess Moss, Secretary/Treasurer Noel Candelaria, and Executive Director Kim Anderson. The Committee has six NEA Board of Directors voting members; three elected each year for a two-year seat. The returning members of the Budget Committee are Brenda Robinson (AR), Bill Farmer (IL), and Dr. James Fedderman (VA, representing state presidents). The Committee members elected at the Board meeting are Aaron Kubo (HI), Wil Page (CA), and Ivory Smith (MD).

The following organizations/groups serve as observes (non-voting) members of the Budget Committee: the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), Education Support Professionals (ESP), Retired, Aspiring Educators, Small States, the National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA), the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC), and the Women’s Issue Committee.

NEA Directors and friends were invited to a special screening of the film RADICAL, Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Regal Cinema Theaters Gallery Place. The lead actor, Eugenio Derbez, was in attendance along with Ben Odell, a producer and former teacher, to provide greetings and introduce the film. NEA Vice President Princess Moss also provided comments and welcomed the crowd.

The film, filmed in Spanish with English subtitles, is based on the true story of a 6th-grade educator in an under-resourced community steeped in violence who voluntarily transfers to José Urbina López Primary School in Mexico. Called the “School of Punishment,” it sits next to a dump just across the US border serving the residents of Matamoros, a city amid drug wars where students and families must walk by dead bodies. Sergio Juárez Correa (Eugenio Derbez), frustrated by rote learning and teaching to tests that most students fail or underperform, comes to Jose Urbina Lopez to try a new way of teaching, where the students ask the questions and together the class seeks to find the answers. He is supported by Ricardo Zavala Hernandez, assistant principal at José Urbina López who manages teacher shortages and apathetic staff, who eventually joins Sergio in his unusual methods–a bright spot in the film and a change from the usual rigid, inflexible school administrators in most teacher-oriented films.

The film highlights the various challenges some of the students face, like Nico whose brother can’t escape a drug gang and involves Nico as a runner despite his desire to stay in school, Paloma whose father collects scrap metal and can’t imagine a reality that allows his daughter’s dreams of becoming an astronaut, and Lupe whose family responsibilities grow as her love of philosophy develops. The students transform from being silent and unengaged to talking, laughing, and becoming–most importantly–inquisitive. They are so driven by their own curiosity to find the answers to their questions that their learning continues beyond the classroom. However, their newfound curiosity doesn’t shield them from the challenges they face outside the walls of the classroom.

Somewhat reminiscent of Stand and Deliver, the story of Jaime Escalante played by Edward James Olmos, this film depicts the raw poverty of the area juxtaposed with by residents who live in nice houses behind bars and high fences. Also, Sergio Juarez Correa as the teacher is constantly questioning if he is doing the right thing and while his anguish is palpable, so is his passion for his students.

The movie is both inspiring and heartbreaking simultaneously, and Matamoros could be any city anywhere that is plagued with poverty and underserved by the government. The stars of the film are the children who are inspired by an educator who teaches them not just the curriculum–or how to pass the test–but how to think and believe in themselves.

The film is based on a true story featured in a 2013 Wired magazine article accessible here.

President Becky Pringle introduced the Executive Committee. Executive Committee member Christine Sampson-Clark moved approval of 20 million dollars from the Ballot Measure/Legislative Crisis Fund for behind-the-wall activities in order to counter attacks on public education and to support measures and initiatives that help educators and students. Executive Committee member Shannon McCann spoke in support of the measure and explained to board members the importance of these activities in promoting pro-public education policies. Motion was approved by the board.

Executive Committee responsibilities and activity report are included below.

Nominations will be accepted for the 2024 Human and Civil Rights Awards beginning October 10, 2023, to be presented at the 2024 NEA RA. The HCR awards honor the legacy of the merger between the American Teachers Association (ATA) and the NEA in 1966. The purpose of the awards program is to demonstrate the continuing efforts by NEA to maintain and uphold ATA traditions, to present a joint NEA-ATA activity that involves former ATA leaders and members, to honor individuals and affiliates that promote and defend human and civil rights, and to remind members about NEA’s multicultural roots and to reinforce NEA’s crusade for human and civil rights.

The award categories for 2024 include dignifying workers and their jobs (César Chávez Acción y Compromiso), understanding and appreciation for the heritage of Asians and Pacific Islanders (Ellison S. Onizuka), promote equitable educational opportunities for Hispanic children (George I. Sánchez), be an educator (H. Councill Trenholm), promote equitable opportunities for American Indian/Alaska Native children (Leo Reano), initiate or engage in activities that positively impact the educational, social, economic, or political life of the community (Martin Luther King, Jr.), promote equitable educational opportunities for women and girls (Mary Hatwood Futrell), education the public about the issues related to the impact of poverty on children (Reg Weaver), demonstrate the courage to challenge the status quo to achieve a just society for the disadvantaged (Rosa Parks), recognition of a local affiliate that involves minority members in the work and leadership of the association (Rosena J. Willis), a K-12 student who promotes through leadership in specific activities and actions, an appreciation for diversity and the elimination of bigotry and prejudice (SuAnne Big Crow), and promotes an appreciation for diversity with regards to sexual orientation (Virginia Uribe).

The deadline for online submission of a nomination form is Friday, December 8, 2023, at 11:59 pm PST.

For additional information about the NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards and to access the application form, please visit www.nea.org/hcrawards or contact NEAHCRAwards@nea.org.

The NEA Friend of Education committee is updating the application process timeline to provide the award-winner more advance notice of their award in preparation for the NEA Representative Assembly.

NEA Executive Director Kim Anderson addressed the NEA Board of Directors by discussing three key questions.

1) How Do We Accelerate Achieving Our Strategic Vision?

2) What had the Biden administration done?

3) Where can I find more information to be the best advocate, organizer and leader I can be?

See her report and links below for more information!

Education International represents 32 million educators in 381 unions and 178 countries, working towards quality public education for everyone. The World Congress is held every 4 years, in accordance with the Constitution. The 2023 meeting format needed to be set during a time when countries were still imposing various travel restrictions. In order to adhere to their Constitution, a virtual meeting was designed for 2023, with a bridge agenda to carry over the work to the 2024 in-person meeting in Argentina. A key responsibility of the delegates was to take action on an amendment to the Constitution to allow the Executive Board to take decisive action in times of crisis. In addition, the 2023 Congress adopted a one-year program of activities to assist EI in pursuing its strategic objectives. Elections and debates on resolutions were set aside until the 2024 gathering.

Similar to the NEA Representative Assembly, the EI World Congress agenda includes a credentials report, adoption of rules and resolutions, reports, programming, and budget discussions, and addressing any unfinished business. “EI has been engaged in advocating for the rights, status, and future of our profession at the global level”. EI is launching a High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession. This is a U.N. imitative to address the shortage of teachers and elevate the status of the profession worldwide.

The 10th EI World Congress will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July 2024. Delegates to the EI World Congress are determined in a process similar to the selection of delegates for the NEA RA. Based on the number of individual union members, a number of delegate seats are allotted for each member country. As the largest member of EI, the NEA is allotted 50 delegates, plus additional observers. NEA reserves 9 seats for the officers and Executive Committee. The next 8 seats are elected by the Board. The elected delegates for 2024 are Maritza Avila (CA), Jessica Bailey (Aspiring Ed), Christina Bohringer (VA), Demetrius Dove (Aspiring Ed), Bill Farmer (IL), Matt Gresick (MD), Barb Schram (MI), and Karen Moore (IL).

President Pringle will select 33 Board members as appointed attendees, who will represent diverse constituencies. Selected observers may attend the EI World Congress, but they may not participate in the deliberation, debating, or voting.

Thank you to the following contributors to this month's newsletter, as well as the full newsletter team.

Aaron Phillips

Andy Slaughter

Ang Anderson

Angie Powers

Audra Shaw

Linda McCrary

Marcia Mackey

Maritza Ávila

Michelle Alexander

Rachel Croft

Rebecca Gamboa

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