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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 1998

NEW ORLEANS – Ever wonder what it would be like to sit down for a chat with the Vice President? Teacher Theodore (Teddy) Taylor of Berea had just that opportunity today, as he and nine other education employees from across the country met with Vice President Al Gore for a roundtable discussion on public education. The Vice President was in New Orleans to address the more than 10,000 delegates to the National Education Association's Representative Assembly, where he announced the first federal grants in a new school improvement program.

The Vice President met for nearly an hour with the small group, asking questions about the hot education topics of the day, including class size, school modernization, technology, and improving teacher quality.

Taylor, a 24-year veteran of the classroom, is a physical education/wellness teacher at Madison Southern High School. He is one of 160 delegates from the Kentucky Education Association at the 77th NEA Representative Assembly. An NEA member since 1977, he also attended the NEA annual meeting last year in Atlanta.

The NEA Representative Assembly attracts over 10,000 delegates, who attend professional and organization workshops, elect NEA officers, debate NEA policy, and set the organization's budget.

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.4 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers. The NEA's annual meeting runs through July 6 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.4 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers. The National Education Association is holding its annual Representative Assembly in New Orleans, La., from July 1 through July 6.