NEA President Delivers Aid on Visit to Alabama Schools

On South Wintzell Avenue in Bayou la Batre, Alabama, towering piles of debris lined the street. Boarded-up shop windows and doors were tagged with spray-painted warnings: "Keep Out. Looters will be Shot." The humid air was filled with dust and echoed with the drone of bulldozers and the clang of metal against metal. But above the din, out in the schoolyard, the sound of girls laughing and clapping signaled a growing sense of hope in this storm-weary town. Cheerleading practice had resumed at Alba Middle School.

That sense of hope swelled when NEA President Reg Weaver arrived in Bayou la Batre September 19. "We have a mission!" Weaver said, as a group of Alba Middle students surrounded him to hear how NEA is helping their school.

Just after Hurricane Katrina, the students at Alba Middle and Alba Elementary, next door, couldn't find much to be hopeful for. Powerful winds whipped up a 30-foot tidal surge that swept into their schools, swamping classrooms, destroying lockers -- along with their owner's belongings inside -- and reducing what had been a brand-new and gleaming hardwood basketball court in the gym into a gluey mess of tar. Four feet of water deluged the music room, and dozens of waterlogged library books had to be thrown away.

But after the maintenance crews and custodians, many of them NEA members, took on the heroic effort of cleaning up, the fetid smell of floodwater began to lift. Furniture was scoured or replaced. With the help of contractors, floors and carpeting were taken up and classrooms were disinfected. And new books began to appear on scrubbed shelves. Only nine days following the disaster, classes were back in session.

On his tour of Alba Middle and Alba Elementary schools, Weaver saw the ravages the schools suffered and the hard work of the staff, parents and students to start putting their schools back in order.

"I will never forget what I have seen, or what these people have told me," Weaver said. "I make a solemn vow to bring their stories back to Washington to make sure that our national leaders understand just how important it is we help."

NEA presented two checks of $2,500 to Alba Middle and Alba Elementary schools to help with recovery. "This is from our hearts," said Sarah Horton, president of the Mobile County ESP and NEA Board Member, on behalf of NEA's 2.7 million members. The checks represent some of the first assistance distributed through NEA's effort to raise $1 million for schools, students, and school employees affected by the hurricane.

NEA also presented $60,000 in direct aid to the Alabama Association of Educators.

"It means so much that NEA has traveled down here to witness firsthand the unique needs and challenges facing us in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," said AEA President Ollie Underwood. "Their generosity and support will allow Alabama's students, educators and their schools to get back to a sense of normalcy during this difficult time."

--Cindy Long, NEA staff writer