It's Delegate Assembly Time!

Each year we bring elected delegates from across Alaska together to set direction for the coming twelve months. It is a huge logistical undertaking and an important one to our membership. Governance leaders and our staff set the course of NEA-Alaska based upon decisions made during Delegate Assembly. Facing cuts in positions and tough bargaining in a number of school districts, we must face the realities of our own budget. This is the time to double check our expectations with the facts. While we haven't had the same circumstances as many other state organizations, any reduction in membership means a reduction in our resources. Every New Business Item (NBI) should be aligned with our mission and vision. For many years, we took up issues that were not consistent with the role we play in decision-making as related directly to public education and school employees. These were sometimes things we thought were nice and wanted to support because they felt good. We cannot afford to focus on anything that is not specific to the mission and vision we have created. I hope delegates will keep this in mind as we meet and deliberate.