NEA In the News

NEA officials, members and leaders at the local, state, and national levels and the education issues they care about are making news and are the subjects of news and features in the media around the country every day.  Here is a small sample of this media coverage.

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School districts eye drug testing

Getting a teaching job in the Bethlehem and Easton area school districts [PA] may soon require one more test.

A drug test.

Both districts are considering new policies to screen prospective professional employees for substance abuse problems.

...John Clark, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said talk about screening all employees has quieted down. He said he is not aware of any policies being floated to screen existing employees for drugs, which PSEA opposes.

The Morning Call article by Steve Esack
Jan. 17, 2008

Court Ruling Threatens Virtual Schools

...The ruling, the first of its kind in the U.S., placed the Wisconsin Virtual Academy at the center of a national policy debate after critics raised a key question: Do virtual schools amount to little more than home schooling at taxpayer expense?

...Barbara Stein of the National Education Association, the teachers' union, objected to the use of tax dollars to support what she called a new form of home schooling.

"The issue is whether a program where you don't have licensed educators and where you don't have students working directly with other students should be getting fully funded as though it were a quality educational experience," she said.

The Washington Post article by Ryan J. Foley
Jan. 16, 2008

Unions Take On Tax Cut Issue

TAMPA - Unions representing government employees are ratcheting up their campaign against the Jan. 29 property tax referendum, but local governments, for the most part, are staying on the sidelines.

...The Florida Education Association has joined the League of Women Voters, the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union to fight the amendment, said Mark Pudlow, FEA spokesman.

The Tampa Tribune article by  Ellen Gedalius
Jan. 2, 2008 

Hearing set on casinos' challenge to tax petition

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Former Nevada Supreme Court Justice Miriam Shearing will hear the challenge filed by Nevada casinos against a teachers' union petition to raise gambling taxes to fund education.

A Jan. 18 hearing has been set to review the Nevada Resorts Association suit against the initiative backed by the Nevada State Education Association that would raise $250 million a year for public schools.

Las Vegas Sun article
Jan. 1, 2008

New Grants Designed To Help Teachers

A new grant will help current and prospective teachers interested in furthering their education.

...Diane Shust, director of government relations for the National Education Association, said her organization was enthusiastic about the grant and hoped it would provide support for those entering the teaching profession.

"Regarding college costs, we will continue our efforts to ensure that public institutions, which remain the most affordable and accessible postsecondary options for students, are provided the support they need to serve their students, their state and our nation," she said.

The Post-Journal article by S. Alexander Gerould
Jan. 1, 2008

Working for better education smart idea

It's a sign of the times - the population of ethnic minority students is soaring across the U.S., and public schools are increasingly challenged economically, educationally and socially.

But this year, the National Education Association employed a new weapon in the battle to improve public education -- its Minority Community Outreach program and the I Love My Child initiative.

New York Daily News article by Jared McAllister
Dec. 30, 2007

Union files complaint against Shiprock school district

SHIPROCK, N.M.—The National Education Association is accusing the Central Consolidated School District of discriminating against union members.

Las Cruces Sun-News/Associated Press article
Dec. 29, 2007

City educators watch union's case closely

St. Cloud educators are watching as the state teachers union, on behalf of the Sauk Centre school district, prepares to ask for court action on a compensation program.

The union's lawsuit challenges the state education department's rejection of Sauk Centre's application to join the Quality Compensation program. The program provides additional money for professional development, teacher evaluation, performance pay and alternative pay schedules.

...Education Minnesota, the state teachers union, paid for the appeal to the state Court of Appeals and is paying for the request for a hearing before the Minnesota Supreme Court.

St. Cloud Times article by Dave Aeikens
Dec. 20, 2007

Task Force Suggests Higher Teacher Salaries

With one out of every five teachers in the state's public schools eligible for retirement at the end of the present school year, a special task force has made several recommendations to fill the holes, including increasing teacher pay.

...Teachers' unions have long pushed for higher salaries for their members, arguing better pay would help in recruiting teachers. Average pay in the state for a starting teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience is just over $29,000, said David Haney, executive director of the West Virginia Education Association.

The State Journal article by Walt Williams
Dec. 20, 2007