Mobilize, Stay Unified in Wake of Challenges

NEWS
May 2011 n Volume 52 n No. 6
VEA Delegate Assembly
l
April 7 - 9, 2011
l
Roanoke
Mobilize, Stay Unified in Wake of Challenges
A
Published by the Virginia Education Association
116 South Third Street
Richmond, VA 23219
2
it comes to defending it as the last pillar of
democracy in our country, we are its last true
defenders.” (For an edited version of the
speech, see p.2.)
This year’s convention theme was
“Honoring the Past, Reaching for the Future.”
And several speakers invited to share lessons
learned from VEA’s past reminded delegates
VEA president Dr. Kitty Boitnott urged delegates to stay unified as politicians attack the profession. On April 4,
delegates wore red and waved signs in solidarity. For more photos, go to www.flickr.com/photos/VEAComm.
that in the face of today’s challenges, we must
hold fast to traditional Association values, by
acting collectively and speaking up for the
profession.
Mary Hatwood Futrell, who served two
terms as VEA president before becoming NEA
president, recalled how public employees in
Virginia lost their collective bargaining rights
in 1977. Attempts to cut school funding and
employee benefits followed. Facing such a dire
situation, VEA members responded with a
march on the state Capitol that drew more
than 7,000. Gesturing to a stage sign behind
her depicting the rally, Futrell said the unity our
members showed then served to strengthen the
Association.
“We are stronger today than we were three
and a half decades ago,” she said. “Our commitment to do everything within our power to
guarantee a quality education for our students
did not waver then, nor will it waver now in these
daunting times.” And she urged delegates,
“Believe in yourselves, advocate for yourselves—
for the more united you are, the stronger will
be the voice for public education, the teaching
profession, and the VEA.” „„6-7
VEA Preserves Your Pension Benefit…Again
V
EA successfully fought off attempts during
the General Assembly to allow local school
divisions to reduce your salary by 5 percent as
a contribution to the Virginia
Retirement System (VRS),
as well as a move to create
a defined-contribution VRS
option that would weaken
the system.
During the April “veto”
session, VEA members defeated those proposals again
when they re-emerged
from the desk of Gov. Bob
McDonnell.
VEA has pointed out
that shifting the 5-percent
burden from the school
employer to the school employee does nothing
to improve the fiscal health of VRS overall.
Organizing School
The deadline to sign up for
Reggie Smith Organizing
School is May 6. Register
now at www.veanea.org!
3
Employers have paid the 5 percent since the
1980s when that was implemented in lieu of an
employee salary increase. Shifting the burden
now would erode pay at a
time when many school employees have gone several
years without an increase.
McDonnell did veto a
bill that would have substantially upped the requirement
for physical education, after
VEA and other groups
argued the measure would
be too costly and diminish content in the arts and
other subjects. Legislators
sustained that veto.
For more on the 2011
session of the General Assembly, go to www.
veanea.org/home/legislative.htm.n
Pay Prospects Brighten
At least some school systems
are unfreezing pay scales
after employees went several
years without raises.
4
Grading Legislators
Does your lawmaker measure
up? Check out the VEA’s 2011
Legislative Report Card.
VEA Delegate Assembly photos by Lisa Sale. Art by Thinkstock.
s public educators and their
unions come under attack in state
after state, a
message emerged
loud and clear at
the VEA’s annual
Delegate Assembly
in Roanoke—turning
the tide requires us
to mobilize and stay
unified.
VEA President Dr. Kitty Boitnott
briefed the 700 delegates on actions in
states such as Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana,
and, most visibly, Wisconsin. In those
states, and others, educators have been
blamed for “failing” public schools and
had their bargaining power and benefits
curtailed by politicians and their anti-tax
and pro-voucher friends.
The Association’s enemies, Boitnott
said, “want to rid the country of our organization and organizations like us because
we are all that stands between them and
the privatization of public education in
this country…. Public education as we know
it is an endangered institution, and when
8
Fundraising All Stars
Kudos to the generous backers of the VEA Fund for Children and Public Education.
NEWS
2
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
t the Delegate Assembly, VEA President
Dr. Kitty Boitnott urged VEA members to organize to oppose unwarranted attacks on public
education and the Association. An edited version
of her presidential address follows.
Dr. Kitty Boitnott
The hard message that I bring
to you today is
one I believe in
my heart must be
delivered and must
be heeded even
though it brings me
no pleasure in the
sharing of it.
The truth is that every time I think we have
witnessed the worst of the unprecedented
attacks on our profession, and our organization,
the bar gets raised a few notches. In a world
gone mad, teachers who have been revered and
respected above practically all other professions have suddenly been cast in the role of
villain. According to our many detractors, our
salaries are too high, our benefits are too rich,
and our pensions are a drain on society. In spite
of the fact that it was the banking industry that
crippled the economy three years ago, now
hard-working teachers are being held up as the
reason that the economy is not recovering as
fast as it should. You just can’t make this stuff up!
You have seen for yourself what is going
on in Wisconsin, and I believe that Wisconsin
is just “ground zero” of the war that is being
waged upon teachers and their unions and on
the middle class in general. Battles that have not
gotten so much news coverage are brewing in
other parts of the country, in Indiana, Ohio, New
Jersey, and Florida just to name a few.
How many of you know what happened in
Alabama in December?
In December, the Governor of Alabama,
who had not been endorsed by the Alabama
Education Association (AEA), convened a
special session of the Alabama Legislature. One
of the bills passed eliminated payroll deduction
of dues for all members of the AEA.
Now the AEA has always been the primary professional organization for educators in
Alabama. Like Virginia, Alabama is a right-towork state with no collective bargaining rights.
Unlike the VEA, however, AEA had 105,000
members, and in addition to payroll deduction
of dues, they enjoyed payroll deduction of political action contributions. As a result, they have
been a political force to be reckoned with over
the years. All that was at risk, however.
The next part of the Alabama story is far
more uplifting.
The AEA had 90 days to sign up members
using a system other than payroll deduction or
else face financial ruin. Teams of AEA UniServ
staff and leaders swarmed the buildings and
signed up member after member, one at a time.
In less than three months, they had signed up 85
percent of their total membership, and were still
recruiting.
Consider for just a moment, my friends
and fellow delegates. What might happen in
your building, in your local, if we had such an
emergency? Would you be able to sign up 85
percent of your current membership in less than
12 weeks? Do we have the infrastructure in place
that we need in order to meet this challenge? I
fear that we do not, but we need to be prepared
for that contingency should someone decide
that coming after the VEA’s payroll deduction of
dues is a way to silence the VEA and minimize
our collective voice.
And make no mistake about it. That could
happen.
Please do not be misled. What happened
in Alabama—what is happening in many other
places I have already mentioned—represents
what is going to be a long siege on our national
organization. These are strategic attacks on the
NEA, the AFT, and all of our state and local affiliates, because we are all that stands between our
critics and the privatization of public education
in this country. Public education as we know it is
an endangered institution...and when it comes to
defending it as the last pillar of democracy in this
country, we are its last true defenders.
So, my friends, the time has come for us to
step up to the challenge. The message that you
must take back to your locality after this convention is that anyone who cares about public
education, anyone who cares about fairness
and equity for all children in the Commonwealth
regardless of their zip code, anyone who cares
about the rights of our members, needs to
belong to the Virginia Education Association.
I know it is a choice. I know people think they
can’t afford the dues. But I ask you. Can they
afford not to have a job? Can they afford to trust
that without us as the last defense holding the
line for public education that we will even have
a system of public education in a few years?
Are they willing to take that chance? Are you?
So, my challenge to each and every one
of you is to take up the mantra that our new
Executive Director has offered since his first day
on the job: Organize! Organize! Organize!
Organize around the working conditions of our
members, including their salaries and benefits.
Organize around the learning conditions of our
schools, because the fact is, the working conditions of our members are the learning conditions of our students.
Tomorrow, you will hear a detailed report
from the Legislative Committee that will be
offered by co-chair Cheryl Sprouse, so I am not
going to dwell on the legislative agenda at this
time. This session was much like last in that it was
distinguished more by what we helped to defeat—attacks on our Virginia Retirement System,
a tax credit/school voucher bill modeled after
the Florida plan, the Governor’s 65% Plan—than
what we could get passed.
We did experience some significant
successes on the policy level. We managed to
guide and direct dramatic improvements in the
Department of Education’s Guidelines for the
Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Abuse in
Virginia Public Schools. We offered comments
and joined with other organizations in voicing
our grave concerns around some of the regulations that were being proposed.
Additionally, the VEA had the largest
representation of any organization participating
in the work group on teacher evaluation models
and pay-for-performance plans. Ours is a voice
that is heard and listened to, although as far as
the teacher evaluation work goes, that train had
left the station before we ever showed up for
the first meeting. But in spite of that, we made
our voices heard, we repeated our concerns
all throughout the process, and when the final
plan was sent out, we were asked to weigh in.
I believe that we are a respected voice at the
Department of Education and by the Board of
Education. You need to educate yourselves and
then you need to carry the word into your buildings so that people understand clearly what is at
stake if the VEA were to ever disappear.
I would like to wind up my remarks by
offering in advance an introduction of our new
executive director because one of the most
important things that we have done since the
last convention is to hire Philip Forgit.
Philip is a teacher. After graduating with
Sign Up for Reggie Smith Organizing School by May 6
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ave you signed up yet for Reggie Smith
Organizing School?
Don’t let this great opportunity pass
you by. Reggie Smith Organizing School,
conducted on the beautiful campus of the
University of Richmond from July 26-28,
will help you bring about the change you
want to see in your school and in your local
school division.
Much of your time at RSOS will be spent
studying and learning in one of the following
content strands:
n Compensation
n Political Action Leaders
www.veanea.org
n
Emerging Leaders
n Effective Locals
n Organizing
n ESP Organizing
n
Educational Initiatives
In our “Organizing
101” training, you’ll learn the
key principles and strategies for turning ideas
into actions that benefit members. You’ll be
energized by keynote speaker Chris Lloyd, who
will inspire you with his vision for turning attacks
on public education into organizing opportunities to take back our profession.
Also on tap: stand-alone
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members and social networking do’s and don’ts, street theatre demonstrations, and fun
social events such as a member
and staff talent show and Wii
bowling tournament.
Register Now. For
more information, go to www.
veanea.org and click on the Reggie Smith
Organizing School icon. You’ll find more
details and a link to register online. Our registration deadline is May 6.n
both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from
William and Mary, he taught for 10 years in
elementary schools in New Kent County and
in Williamsburg/James City. Philip was also a
local leader of both of his Associations, and he
organized a successful salary initiative while in
New Kent. He was selected as the winner of the
VEA’s Award for Teaching Excellence and went
on to win the NEA Foundation award in 2005.
By the time his selection was made public, Philip
had been deployed to Iraq since he has also
been a Navy reservist for the past 10 years.
I believe that Philip Forgit is an individual
with exceptional abilities and a unique background. He has offered his service at a time
that is absolutely critical for the VEA. It is no
secret that we must make some tough economic
decisions that impact everyone, members and
staff alike. There are many people who are not
particularly happy about some of the decisions
that have been made to date. I can assure you
that we are working as hard as we can and we
are being as diligent as we know how to be in
order to be good stewards of our organization’s
resources. Rest assured that we take no pleasure
in having to make some of the hard decisions
and choices that the economy and the current
decline in membership is forcing upon us. I believe in my heart, however, that we can organize
our way out of these difficult days if we only
resolve that we are going to do it. It is the job of
every individual in this auditorium and within the
sound of my voice to make membership their
business and their top priority. Otherwise, the
enemies of public education will win the war
that is being waged, and we will see a shift in this
country that I don’t believe any of us wants to
see.n
Kitty J. Boitnott, Ph D., NBCT
NEWS
w w w. ve a n e a . o r g
Philip Forgit, Executive Director
William Johnson, Communications Director
John O’Neil, Editor
Lisa Sale, Graphic Designer
Tom Allen, Contributing Editor
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Annual subscription rate: $10.00.
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Photo of Boitnott by Lisa Sale.
Organizing, Building Membership is Best Response to Attacks
A
NEWS
3
VEA Honors Retiring Staff Members
A
t the VEA Delegate Assembly, VEA
honored a host of staff who either
recently retired or have announced their
intent to retire before next fall. They include:
Betty and Lanny Lambdin. Betty first
came to work at VEA in 1985 and served
most recently as director of the Office of
Teaching and Learning. This year, she was
awarded the VEA “Friend of Education”
award, the Association’s highest honor (see
page 7 for more). Lanny served as UniServ
Director for the CenVaServ region from
1993 until this year. Betty and Lanny retired
at the end of February.
the summer.
They include: Beverly Chambliss,
administrative assistant in the Office of Human and Financial Resources, who began
work at VEA in 1976; Patsy Coppins, office
manager, who joined VEA in 1985; Renee
Hancock, administrative assistant/research
assistant in the Office of Teaching and Learn-
ing, who started at VEA in 1973; and Linda
Shotwell, research assistant in the Office of
Government Relations and Research, who
began her service to VEA in 1967.
The contributions of these staff to serve
VEA members across the Commonwealth
cannot be overstated. The Association
wishes for them a fantastic retirement!n
Top row, left to right: Beverly Chambliss,
John Medas, Bill Johnson, and Chris Daniel.
Bottom row, left to right: Renee Hancock, Lanny
and Betty Lambdin, Linda Shotwell and Patsy
Coppins.
Salary Outlook Brightens
Take the Pledge to End Bullying
A
B
fter several years with no raise, many
Virginia educators will receive at least
some increase in their pay this year.
An unscientific VEA check-in
with school divisions
midway through their
budget process this
spring found that many
expected to give small
increases to teachers
and other school employees. That’s a little
bit of light at the end of
a very long recessioninduced tunnel.
Several caveats,
though. Most of the
planned increases are
small—about 3 percent
or less. Not enough
to make up several
years of frozen salaries,
but a start. Some of the
increases come in the form of “bonuses”
rather than real increases in base pay. And
most still require an approving vote from the
school division’s budgeting authority—either
a city council or county board of supervisors. (Many of those decisions were to be
made after this issue of the VEA News went
to press.)
Virginia Beach, for example, is awaiting a decision by City Council in early
May about the school division’s requested
3-percent increase, which breaks down to a
0.5 percent salary increase and 2.5 percent
bonus.
Virginia Beach Education Association (VBEA)
members worked very hard
this year advocating for the 3
percent, says Dominic Melito, president. VBEA started
its campaign in October at
its Every Member Meeting
and worked with the school
division and school board to
advocate for the increase.
Recently, 60 or more
members have attended
their rep meetings, and eight
school board members took
part in a recent rep meeting
to discuss planning time and
other issues.
The Association deserves much of the credit for
the planned pay hike, Melito said. Funding
for the pay increase comes mostly from the
federal jobs money, which the Association
had a huge hand in getting. “NEA members across the country fought to have the
federal jobs bill pass, and VEA worked very
hard to make sure that funding made it to
localities,” said Melito. “It just would not have
happened without the education association. It was us.”n
ullying is not “just a part of
growing up.” And it’s not going
to subside unless we all become
part of the solution.
That’s the idea behind the
National Education Association’s
“Bully Free: It Starts with Me”
campaign, which aims to address
bullying behavior through training
and ensuring that bullied students
have an adult to whom they can
reach out.
The Association encourages you to go to the campaign website at www.nea.
org/BullyFree and take the
pledge to assist a bullied student. On the site, you’ll also
find links to research findings,
tips, and resources to stamp
out bullying in your school
and community.n
Virginia Teachers Near Bottom in Pay
T
he pay of Virginia’s public school teachers ranks near the bottom in the nation
compared to the pay of similar professions, a
new study finds.
“The Teaching Penalty: an Update Through
2010,” published by the nonpartisan Economic
Policy Institute, examined the weekly wages
of public school teachers and members of
professions requiring comparable education
and work experience. Nationally, the ratio of
teacher pay to the pay of other professions was
77 percent. That’s the “teaching penalty.”
The results for Virginia were even more
disheartening, though. Here in the Commonwealth, the ratio stands at 68 percent. Just a
few other states did worse.
The EPI study provides some interesting
context on the compensation issues facing the
profession. Citing Census data, EPI noted
that back in 1960, female teachers had a
15-percent wage advantage over comparably educated women in other professions.
By 2000, as more opportunities opened
up for women in the private sector, teachers were at a 13-percent pay disadvantage.
EPI’s brief on the study notes that
even as teacher pay lags, some are calling
for a complete overhaul of compensation,
including some form of merit pay. It’s hard
to imagine how pursuing merit pay gibes
with the systemic underpaying of teachers
currently taking place.
Access the EPI’s study at
www.epi.org/publications/entry/
the_teaching_penalty_an_update_
through_2010.n
www.veanea.org
Photos of staff by John O’Neil.
The following staff will retire over the next
few months.
Chris Daniel. Chris joined the VEA
in 1981 and served as UniServ Director for
Piedmont UniServ.
Bill Johnson. Bill took the job as VEA
Communications Director in 2006, after
serving in similar positions for the state
Associations in Pennsylvania and West
Virginia, beginning in 1974.
John Medas. John served as assistant
director at Education Association of Norfolk beginning in 1979 and then continued
as UniServ Director in Norfolk and, more
recently, at Colonial UniServ.
Also at VEA headquarters, several
support staff members will be retiring over
NEWS
6
VEA Delegate Assembly
l
April 7 - 9, 2011
l
Roanoke
Mobilize, Stay Unified in Wake of Challenges Continued from page 1
David Johnson, who served as VEA executive director
for nearly three decades, joked that those who fondly remember the good old days “have bad memories.” The VEA’s
history, in fact, is one of struggles to convince the powersthat-be to do right by public education. Some years count
major victories, but many don’t generate the results we seek.
No matter, Johnson said, the VEA continues to fight for
the right cause. Take the provision of an adequate retirement
benefit, which VEA lobbied to put into place and fought to
enhance, even as lawmakers let educators down by failing
to fund it properly. “It shows that this organization has to be
here. It has to be strong in order to see that your retirement
system is protected. The VRS is good because of what this
organization has done to make it good,” Johnson said.
Sticking Together
On the convention’s opening night, another former VEA
president, Princess Moss, now serving on the NEA Executive Committee, said anti-public education attacks being
waged nationwide are meant “to break the back of the public
education unions.”
She was later joined by Virginia’s three NEA Directors—
Lee Dorman, Sarah Patton, and Tommie McCune—to discuss
these battles as well as other Association priorities.
Panelists noted that assisting affiliates in crisis is one of NEA’s
biggest priorities, and that the Association has sent staff and
resources to states to help with re-signing members (Alabama) and opposing bad legislation (everywhere else). “Just
because this has not happened in Virginia does not mean it
can’t,” Dorman emphasized. “We can’t let Virginia become
Wisconsin.” McCune added, “We are—and need to be—supporting one another.”
Responding to a delegate’s question about international
comparisons of school systems, panel members cited a recent international conference NEA members participated in
that suggested the U.S. should take a cue from nations such
as Finland.
In Finland, they learned that “to have the best education
system, you have to invest in the classroom—preservice and
inservice,” said Moss. “And other countries do not place as
much emphasis as the United States on testing.”
NEA has established a productive relationship with
Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other education
department staff, though we do not always see eye-to-eye.
(The Administration’s “Race to the Top” program being one
example.) “We can’t always agree, but we are all trying to
make education the priority,” McCune noted. NEA is working now to influence the reauthorization of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, and the misguided notion of
“Adequate Yearly Progress” must be overhauled, panelists
said. “We’re excited by the possibility of getting it right this
time,” said Patton.
Before adjourning the convention, Boitnott again urged
delegates to organize around their local issues as a way to
both increase their effectiveness and gain new members.
“We have to adopt organizing not as a slogan but as a
way of life,” she said. “Our enemies want us to fold up our
tent and go away. But we are not a bunch of shrinking violets.
We are passionate about our work, about the students we
teach, and about the rights of our members. Be proud of who
you are and what you stand for.”
In other convention action, delegates:
n Adopted 17 New Business Items (NBIs), many of them reflecting the Association’s responsibility as an
advocate for public education. As a result of delegates’ actions, VEA will (among other initiatives) fight for
provision of a generic online IEP program, for better guidelines for student attendance, and for expanded professional development opportunities for
education support professionals (ESPs). For a list of approved NBIs, go to www.veaconvention.com.
www.veanea.org
n
n
n
Passed several bylaw amendments brought up for consideration. One provides for restoring and scaling up the Association’s Public Relations Campaign dues
assessment, which was suspended last year. Another
creates two additional seats on the VEA Legislative Committee.
Raised nearly $86,000 for the VEA Fund for Children and Public Education, exceeding the goal of $80,000. The popular art auction alone raised nearly $5,000. (See p. 8 for more.)
Approved the Association’s 2011-2012 budget and the 2011 resolutions; also the VEA goals and objectives,
mission statement, and vision statement.
n
Heard from VEA Executive Director Philip Forgit, who told delegates that the only way out of current troubles is to “organize, organize, organize.” Drawing a parallel to Weight Watchers, he pointed out that VEA can
continue to provide an excellent set of programs, but “if you want results, you’ve got to do the work.
UniServ directors can’t organize for you—this is your organization. We must show up, fight for something, and win it together.”n
Row 1: Mary Hatwood Futrell, former VEA and NEA president,
charges up the crowd.
Row 2: Retired member Ernie Holley sings the national anthem;
Cheryl Sprouse (top) and Kathy Clark (bottom) deliver the legislative and Fitz Turner Commission reports, respectively; delegates
register and follow floor action.
Row 3: Delegates listen and confer during discussion of business.
NEWS
7
Standing Ovation
Stand up and give a cheer for these individuals and groups, honored at the third annual VEA Awards Dinner:
Friend of Education Award
Betty Lambdin, the recently-retired director of the VEA’s Office of Teaching and
Learning, received the VEA’s Friend of Education Award, the Association’s highest
honor, for her decades of work to boost learning in the Commonwealth’s public
schools. In accepting her award, Lambdin said that, “The true friend of education is
the Virginia Education Association, the fiercest, most effective advocate for quality
education in the Commonwealth.” (Lambdin is pictured at right with Dr. Boitnott.)
Award for Teaching Excellence
Dr. Rebecca Lee Austin, an instructional technology resource teacher in Washington County, received the Award for Teaching Excellence, which recognizes classroom
excellence and innovation. Austin said Association programs and staff played a key role
in helping her gain confidence and expand her approach to reaching students.
Legislator of the Year
State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, who represents Falls Church and
parts of Fairfax and Arlington counties in the General Assembly, received VEA’s
Legislator of the Year award, the Association’s highest legislative honor. VEA
President Dr. Kitty Boitnott said of Whipple, who is retiring after posting the highest
VEA voting record in the past two sessions, “VEA has had no better friend, and we
will miss her dearly.”
Education Support Professional of the Year
The Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year award went to
John Day, a school bus driver in King George County, who founded the
Driver Leadership Council (DLC) to advocate for the rights of his colleagues.
The DLC has become an effective force for improving the working conditions
of King George drivers and driver’s aides. “The VEA taught us by giving us
the tools to help ourselves, and we learned how to tackle our issues and are
now leading the way,” said Day. (Day is pictured with Meg Gruber, VEA VP.)
The Fitz Turner Award for Outstanding Contributions in Intergroup Relations
In recognition of his lifetime of work on behalf of the disadvantaged,
State Senator Henry L. Marsh III of Richmond received the Fitz Turner
Award for Outstanding Contributions in Intergroup Relations. Marsh said
the VEA award was particularly special to him, because of the vital work
public educators do. “You have been there all the time,” he said. “You don’t
get the credit for Virginia’s success, but you deserve it.”
Phyllis Hollimon, a guidance counselor at Bailey’s Bridge Middle School
in Chesterfield County, earned the Mary Hatwood Futrell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Education. She received the honor for her diligent
and creative outreach to her school community and beyond. (Hollimon
is on the right in the picture, next to Shannon Broughton, who nominated
her.)
Youth Award for Human and Civil Rights
The Joe 15 Team, groups of Prince William County students
who have formed community service clubs in their schools,
received the Youth Award for Human and Civil Rights.
Formed after a youth was gunned down, Joe 15 clubs have
held blood drives, collected food for the needy, volunteered
at a homeless shelter and senior citizen facility, adopted a
stretch of highway, and promoted peaceful conflict resolution.
Row 1: David Johnson, former VEA executive director, delivered a compelling speech.
Row 2: Current Executive Director Philip Forgit urged delegates to organize.
Row 3: Superman (aka UniServ Director Fred Glover) tossed t-shirts to lucky attendees.
Row 4: NEA Executive Committee member Princess Moss (far left) was joined at panel
discussion by (left to right) Lee Dorman, Sarah Patton, and Tommie McCune, Virginia’s
NEA Directors.
Row 5: Delegates respond to speech by Mary Hatwood Futrell and speak to an NBI.
In addition, six Locals earned 2010 Activism Awards from the VEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education, in recognition
of their community activities and outreach. The winners: Albemarle Education Association, Loudoun Education
Association, Orange County Education Association, Prince William Education Association, Richmond
Education Association, and Roanoke Education Association. For more on the winners, go to www.veanea.org/
home/press-room.htm.
www.veanea.org
VEA Delegate Assembly photos by Lisa Sale. Photo of Sprouse by Tom Allen.
Mary Hatwood Futrell Award for Distinguished Leadership in Education
NEWS
8
Thanks to President’s Circle Members
Joshua Ajima, Loudoun
Sarah Ajima, Loudoun
Helen Allen-Taylor, Chesterfield
James Amaral, Prince William
Calvin Andrews, Pulaski
Jennifer Andrews, Henrico
Ellisa Arbogast, Loudoun
Carol Bauer, York
Renee Beverly, Spotsylvania
Audrey Biggers, Alexandria
Michael Bladel, Loudoun
Kellie Blair Hardt, Manassas City
Doris Boitnott, VEA Staff
Kitty Boitnott, Henrico
Angelia Bono, Loudoun
William Bono, Loudoun
Ralph Booher, Retired
Bonnie Bowen, Halifax
Joan Bowers, Halifax
Lily Brabble, Chesapeake
Ora Briggs, Sussex
Tracie Buchanan, Alleghany
Clarence Burke, Washington
Lucille Burns, Retired
Carolee Bush, Retired
Dorothy Carter, Henry
Fay Carter, Spotsylvania
Karen Chamberlain, Smyth
Robert Childress, Buchanan
Edwin Clark, Washington
Marjorie Clark, Retired
Pamela Clark, Retired
Angela Clevinger, Pulaski
Anita Cline, Retired
Jeffery Cobb, Virginia Beach
Leslie Coleman, Wmsbg.-J City
Barbara Coleman-Brown, Retired
Melody Copper, Virginia Beach
Beth Craig, Chesapeake
Kathleen Crowe, Fairfax
Chris Daniel, VEA Staff
Mimi Dash, Fairfax
Kathryn Davis, Fairfax
Tyrus Davis, Fairfax
John Day, King George
Jacqueline Denton, Hampton
Kerdene DePriest, Fairfax
LaNette Desler, Retired
Lee Dorman, Arlington
Jeremiah Doucette, Washington
Susan Duda, Fairfax
Kathy Dyess, Manassas City
Wade Ellegood, Richmond City
Elise Emanuel, Retired
Farryl Essig, Chesterfield
Samuel Eure, York
Eddie Fifer, Retired
Suzette Flowers, Chesterfield
Daniel Foose, Prince William
Justin Forrester, Scott
www.veanea.org
Jaim Foster, Arlington
Mary H. Futrell, Alexandria
Matthew Gallelli, Loudoun
Debra Gaskin, Virginia Beach
Ronald Gheen, Fauquier
Rita Gimbel, Pittsylvania
Reba Goff, Floyd
Edith Good, Retired
ElizabethGoodson, Fauquier
Victor Gravley, Wythe
Roger Gray, Richmond City
Jill Grissom, Manassas City
Patricia Grosso, Frederick
Meg Gruber, Prince William
Katherine Hairston, Retired
Michael Hairston, Fairfax
Loretta Hall, Loudoun
Kellie Hardt, Manassas City
Harriet Hardy, Pittsylvania
Davondra Harper, Wmsbg.-J City
Fred Hash, Grayson
Charlotte Hayer, Richmond City
Patricia Headley, Chesterfield
Virginia Healy, Harrisonburg
Kathryn Heil, King George
Melodie Henderson, Chesterfield
William Henderson, Jr, Newport News
Carol Henry, Newport News
Kevin Hickerson, Fairfax
Susan Hill, Loudoun
Warren Hill, Prince William
Ernest Holley, Retired
Ruth Hopson, Hampton
Dana Houck, Spotsylvania
Albert Howard, Retired
Malia Huddle, Chesapeake
Katherine Hudson, Lynchburg
Frances Hunter, Radford
Alfreda Jackson, Suffolk
Anita Jackson, Prince William
Clara Jackson, Retired
Holly Jackson-Conrad, Richmond City
Cheri James, VEA Staff
Gertrude Jennings, Dinwiddie
Debbie Jessee, Retired
Bland Johnson, Retired
Sandra Johnson, Lee
Patricia Johnson-Lewis, Retired
Jacqueline Jones, Chesterfield
Rob Jones, VEA Staff
Teresa Jones, Franklin
Kristina Karnes, Bedford County
Cynthia Kennedy, Retired
Patricia Kennedy, Retired
Michael Kimble, Buckingham
David Kinsella, Prince William
Jonathon Kite, Page
Bonnie Klakowicz, Prince William
Jim Kline, Floyd
Karen Lavinder, Roanoke Co.
Shirley Levines, Retired
Urzetta Lewis, King George
James Livingston, Prince William
Joellen Livingston, Prince William
Donna Lopez, Mecklenburg
Nicole Lowe, King George
Shelley Lucke-Jennings, Arlington
Joseph Marler, Bristol
Wendy Marr, Prince William
Wilberta McCoy, Newport News
Tommie McCune, Campbell
Sonya Meekins, Giles
Dominic Melito, Virginia Beach
Belinda Merriman, Chesterfield
Annie Mickens, Petersburg
Walt Mika, Fairfax
Crystal Mitchell, Portsmouth
Carolyn Molly, Gloucester
Princess Moss, Louisa
Lisa Mullen, Loudoun
LoisMullins, Tazewell
Karen Olivares, VEA Staff
William O’Sick, Danville City
John Osterhout, Chesapeake
Lloyd Page, Nottoway
Adah Parashar, Richmond City
Sarah Patton, Covington
Tereana Pendleton, Salem
Wanda Perkins, Arlington
Dennis Pfennig, Retired
Peter Pfotenhauer, Spotsylvania
Gail Pittman, VEA Staff
Kelly Pleasant, Montgomery
Linda Powell, Stafford
Susan Quattlebaum, Suffolk
Diane Rainer, Virginia Beach
ElizabethRandolph, Wmsbg.-J City
RebeccaRayburn, Louisa
ElizabethReid, Manassas City
Kathryn Reip, Fairfax
Kim Roberson, Danville
Ernest Roberts, Russell Co.
Leslie Rodgers, Nelson
Amanda Rollins, Spotsylvania
Scott Rowe, Prince George
JulieRuhlen, Loudoun
Thomas Ryder, Roanoke County
Nancy Sage, Fairfax
Claire Scholz, Loudoun
Charles Schonder, Retired
Gloria Shaw, Prince George
Ray Shupp, Fauquier
Eurgentine Simmons, Chesterfield
Marianne Simpson, Spotsylvania
BenjaminSizemore, Mecklenburg
Bruce Smith, Prince William
Catherine Smith, Virginia Beach
Robert Smith, Fairfax
Carolyn Smith, Portsmouth
LoisStanton, Chesterfield
Pat Stello, Spotsylvania
Patricia (Jane) Stevens, Retired
Latasha Suggs, Roanoke City
Sandra Sullivan, Loudoun
Wynndolyn Thompson, Fairfax
Bertha Tiffany, Retired
Deborah Todd, Spotsylvania
Karen Trear, Montgomery
Shannon Turner, Pulaski
DeborahUmstead, Alleghany
Robert Umstead, Alleghany
Jeremy Utt, Hampton
Dorothy Uzzle, Petersburg
Fred Vann, Richmond City
Peggie Vaughan, Newport News
Linda Vess, Retired
Ellen Vicens, Arlington
Nancy Vollmer, Retired
Dorothy Walton, Charlottesville
Deborah Ward, Newport New
Daphne Warring-Sorrell, Portsmouth
Betty Webb, Smyth
Cheryl Welke, Loudoun
Lynette Wesselhoft, Fauquier
Andy White, Prince William
Stephen Whitten, Mecklenburg
Carla Williams, Craig
Elizabeth Williams, Fauquier
Florrie Williams, Alexandria
Kim Williams, Culpeper
Vera Williams, Portsmouth
Don Wilms, Chesterfield
Barbara Wilson, Louisa
Sharon Woinski, Pulaski
Martha Wood, Retired
Kathy Wuebker, Loudoun
Deborah Yost, Botetourt
Jenny Zienius, Radford
Fundraising Stars
Delegates raised $85,752 for the VEA Fund
at the Roanoke convention, an average of
$142 per delegate. Among those taking top
honors for fundraising:
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District 14, representing local Associations in Amelia, Brunswick, Greensville, Isle of Wight, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg,
Nottoway, Prince Edward, Prince George, and Sussex, took home the VEA top
trophy by raising $316 per delegate.
District 24, Virginia Beach, was second, raising $278 per delegate.
District 26, Loudoun, won third place, raising $259 per delegate. It also won the coveted windsock award for largest amount raised, at $8,037.
As convention fundraising closed, these local
Associations earned Galaxy ($5 raised per
member) and Super Star ($8 per member)
status:
Galaxy: Botetourt, Craig, Danville, Franklin
County, Giles, Nelson, Nottoway, Petersburg,
Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Smyth, Suffolk, and Wythe.
Super Star: Alleghany, Covington, Floyd,
Grayson, King George, Louisa, Mecklenburg,
and Radford.
District 14 delegates revel in their victory!
Photo by Lisa Sale.
Congratulations and thank you to the
members of the “President’s Circle” for
their voluntary contributions to the VEA
Fund for Children and Public Education.
The list reflects members as of April 2011
on a minimum continuous giving plan
of $15 or more each month (or $180
total) to the VEA Fund.