A Lifelong Commitment to Advocacy
NEA-Retired member Ed Foglia received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award for his exceptional lifetime service to the union and public schools.
“Ed Foglia is the personification of education excellence,” says NEA-Retired President Anita Gibson. “[His] contributions to our retirees and public education continue to make a difference for so many.”
The annual award is the highest honor that an NEA-Retired member can receive.
Foglia’s contributions to public education span 70 years. He began his education career in 1957 as a middle school reading teacher in San Jose, Calif. He was elected as president of the Cambrian District Teachers Association in 1960 and again in 1966. He was elected as the California Teachers Association (CTA) president in 1978 and reelected in 1986, serving the longest tenure in the association’s history. He has also served on the NEA Board of Directors.
In 1988, Foglia led the union’s campaign to pass Proposition 98, which constitutionally guarantees that 40 percent of California’s budget will go toward funding K–12 schools and community colleges. This success earned him the nickname “The Father of Proposition 98.”
He credits his activism to his strong passion and commitment to his family, union, and profession.
Since retiring, Foglia has held numerous positions at CTA/NEA-Retired, including serving as president from 2008 to 2012, and later serving on the board of directors and as chair of the Liaison Committee to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System.
Foglia led successful campaigns to increase the pension death benefit for the state’s retired public school teachers and to increase their loss of purchasing power.
Foglia currently serves on the NEA-Retired Board of Directors.
“Age should never be a barrier to getting things done,” he says. “For age brings experience, and experience brings wisdom.”
To learn about the Distinguished Service Award, please visit nea.org/NEA-Retired-Awards.
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