Uniting for a better future for our students, our educators, and our communities.
The 2021 NEA Representative Assembly will be held virtually on the new tentative dates of June 30 – July 3. These dates still may change. More details to come as they are made available by NEA.
Here is the link to the NEA Delegate Resource Page: https://ra.nea.org/delegate-resources/
Important 2021 Annual Meeting and Virtual RA Dates (Please note some times are TBD.)
| DATE | MEETING | TIME |
| May 20 | First Wisconsin Caucus Meeting | 7:45 p.m. CST |
| June 9 | 1st Virtual RA Delegate Tele-Townhall with President Becky Pringle | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 10-12 & 25 | NCUEA Meeting | TBD |
| June 17-19 (Pending) | NEA Aspiring Educators Conference | TBD |
| June 21 | 2nd Virtual RA Delegate Tele-Townhall with President Becky Pringle | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 23-24 | NEA-Retired Annual Meeting | TBD |
| June 22 | Virtual Open Hearing on Proposed Amendments to Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 23 | Virtual Open Hearing on Proposed Resolutions | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 24 | Virtual Open Hearing on Proposed Legislative Program | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 26-27 | NCESP General Membership Meeting | 4:15 – 6:15 p.m. EDT |
| June 28 | Virtual Open Hearing on Proposed Strategic Plan and Budget | 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT |
| June 27-28 | NEA Resolutions Committee Meeting | TBD |
| June 28 | NCSEA General Membership | 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. EDT |
| June 29 | NEA Board of Directors Meeting | 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. EDT |
| June 29
June 29 – July 3 |
HCR Awards Program
State Caucus Meeting Dates |
8:00 p.m. EDT
|
| June 30 – July 3 | 2021 Virtual Representative Assembly | TBD |
| TBD | Women’s Issues Committee (WIC) Hearing | TBD |
| TBD | Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC) Hearing | TBD |
| TBD | Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Committee Hearing | TBD |
| TBD | Elections Committee Meeting | TBD |
| TBD | NEA Conference on Racial and Social Justice | TBD |
RA Platform
The 2021 Virtual Representative Assembly will be a full-featured meeting where we will be able to conduct the business of the RA. We will be using a virtual platform that will allow for debate, voting on business items, and all other RA business. Delegates and leadership will have multiple opportunities to familiarize themselves with the platform via a demo that will be made available to them, and also through the pre-RA meetings such as the Budget Hearing.
Registration for the 2021 NEA Virtual RA
Registration this year will include a two-step process.
- Register in Cvent
- Create an Account/Virtual Badge in Freeman
Once delegates are registered into the NEA system by WEAC Staff, all attendees will be asked to register in Cvent. This step not only confirms the intent to attend but also allows NEA to collect the necessary information for delegates and non-delegates alike. Cvent registration will work very much as it has in the past and we expect the first email asking delegates to register will go out in late May. On June 15, all registered attendees will be sent an email that includes a link and a unique identifier. This email will ask attendees to create an account with a password in Freeman. The account will serve as their “virtual badge” and allow access to the RA as well as the Open Hearings specific to their registration type. Anyone registering in Cvent after June 15 will receive the email to create their account/virtual badge as soon as the Cvent registration is complete.
Standing Rules
The NEA Board of Directors has adopted temporary Standing Rules to govern the 2021 Virtual Representative Assembly. These Rules are designed to uphold our spirit of debate and democracy while recognizing the parameters of a virtual meeting setting.
Submission of Items for Debate
New Business Items: The temporary Standing Rules establish procedures for submission of new business items that will ensure all delegates will be able to view, study, and discuss NBIs with their caucuses before debate on the floor. To this end, all NBIs must be submitted no later than June 15, 2021.
Amendments to the Legislative Program, Policy Statements, and Resolutions must be submitted no later than 4:00 pm Eastern time on June 30 (the first day of the RA).
Candidates for NEA Office
The 2021 Representative Assembly will elect two members to the NEA Executive Committee as well as members to At-Large seats on the NEA Board. The filing deadline for Executive Committee seats is April 15, 2021. The number of At-Large seats will be announced by June 1 and the filing period will open immediately thereafter. The filing deadline for At-Large seats will be June 15, 2021.
Elections
The vote for NEA candidates will take place by secret mail ballot mailed directly to delegates’ home addresses. Ballots shall be sent out no later than July 2, 2021, to the home address of each delegate as submitted on their delegate registration form. Mail ballots must be returned by July 23, 2021, to be counted in the 2021 Representative Assembly elections.
Special Interest Caucuses
Special Interest Caucuses will meet at times that comply with the Standing Rules, though set times have not yet been designated.
PAC Fundraising
The RA, even in its virtual form, is a critical event for raising much-needed PAC money. At last year’s virtual RA we were able to recreate some of the fun PAC fundraising atmosphere and competition with the online silent auctions. We have continued our partnership with GiveSmart, an online silent auction tool, and it will be available again this year. Each affiliate wanting to do a virtual silent auction will be able to use GiveSmart. In addition to adding a new tool, we’ve upgraded our personal fundraising pages. GO Pages are now PACtivist Pages and can be found here, https://educationvotes.nea.org/fundraise. Each delegate will receive personal incentive items for reaching the fundraising goal. Contributions collected throughout the year will be counted towards a delegate’s goal.