June 30th through July 6th, 30, (3 from HTEA), Mercer county delegates traveled to the

Boston Mariott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts. NJEA welcomed NJ delegates with a
delegation party. The next five mornings, starting promptly at 7 am sharp was an inpirational
message followed by the NJEA caucus of almost 500 individuals who voted on upcoming New
Business Items (NBI's), of which there were a total of 159. Here's how the process works:
someone from anywhere in the country can have an idea, concern or approach they feel would
benefit the entire educational system, and can submit it to be brought up at each individual
state caucus for debate (support, oppose or neutral), From there, any individual can approach a
microphone and declare their opinion. However each state's delegation decides to rule is the
position that the state will take on the RA floor. Keep in mind, anyone can stand firm on their
own personal opinion, and vote any way they choose. They do not have to vote the way the
state declares. Some of the more important/interesting NBI's debated at the state and national
level were:

NEA will notify members via website which companies they are boycotting and why
(adopted)
Review research and data of online credit recovery for students across the nation.
(adopted)
To continue to advance the rights of LGBTQ students and staff through legal efforts, civil
rights, not hold NEA/RA in non-supporting states, provide tools and have webinars in
which affiliates may refer. (adopted)
Develop an online toolkit to assist everyone in combating hate speeches and violence of
white supremacists, nationalists, "alt-right" groups, against people of color, LGBTQ,
women, minority religious groups and immigrants. (adopted)
NEA will use existing digital media to promote substance abuse prevention programs,
counseling, support groups and treatment centers to educate dangers of all types of
drugs and to help those already addicted. (adopted)
A common misconception that educators enjoy long luxurious summer breaks. Show the
world how many educators work over the summer to regain more respect for the
profession by conducting a two-year campaign. (opposed)
Most people are unaware that standardized tests were originally designed to promote
white supremacy. We need to expose this history, revolutionize schools, and end
institutional racism. (adopted)
After the morning state sessions, debates over social justice, the dangers posed by the
Trump-DeVos education agenda, and ending the proliferation of unaccountable charter schools
continued to dominate the 96th NEA Representative Assembly in the Boston Convention
Center. Despite addressing these serious challenges, the spirits of delegates were lifted by
emotional presentations from student poets that kicked off each days activities as well as
appearances and speeches from individuals such as reading advocate LeVar Burton, 2017 NEA
Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year Saul Ramos, and 2017 National Teacher of the
Year Sydney Chaffee.
During the Representative Assembly, NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garca assured the
7,000 delegates that NEA would not try to find common ground with Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos, who is pursuing an aggressive school privatization agenda, while refusing to protect our
most vulnerable students from discrimination. Delegates overwhelmingly approved a new
policy statement in response to the rapid expansion of unaccountable, privately managed
charter schools. The statement draws a sharp new line between charter schools that have a
positive effect on public education and those unaccountable, privately managed charter schools
that hurt public schools and students. NEA will forcefully support state and local efforts to limit
charter growth and increase charter accountability, and slow the diversion of resources from
neighborhood public schools to charters.
All of this was completed daily by 8pm due to the bus drivers having to be off the road
by that time per their union contract.
Wendal and Tom's last RA