The NEA Resolutions Attacks and Issues

“There you go again,” Ronald Reagan once said to diffuse his political opponents. Well, there the critics of NEA go again, attempting to divide NEA members by innuendo and bait and switch tactics. To understand the latest event you need to understand the players and the process.

The NEA Resolutions are statements of general belief of the association. Any member can propose a new resolution or a change to the current language. Such proposals are submitted to the Resolutions Committee, a body elected by each state delegation to the NEA Representative Assembly. Seats are proportional by membership, so California with the largest membership has the most committee members. The Resolutions Committee meets in February to debate proposals submitted at open hearings, held regionally, or sent in by members or their locals. The report from February is the preliminary report and not official policy yet. The report is sent out to state affiliates and later to delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly the following July. After an open hearing, the Resolution Committee then reviews the preliminary report, edits it as needed, and presents it to the 10,000 delegates of the NEA RA to debate. Delegates may set aside resolutions to amend, delete, or refer back to the committee. Delegates may also submit new resolutions to the body for debate. Democracy in action.

The current attacks on NEA as promoters of a “homosexual agenda” were started after a proposal was presented to the Resolutions Committee in February to add a new paragraph to Resolution B-8. The new language was accepted by a vote of the committee and placed in the preliminary report. Unfortunately, the new paragraph when referenced back to three paragraphs above it could be construed to support same-sex marriage. That was not the intent of the member who brought the new language, nor was it the intent of the committee. Many e-mails were generated on the issue and a discussion began among state presidents, the NEA President, the NEA Resolutions Committee Chair, the maker of the new language, and NEA General Counsel on what was the intent and where could that intent be better placed for clarity. The intent was to make sure that benefits are provided to those in legally sanctioned relationships, not a demand to make relationships legal. [Currently, seven states have some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, Vermont and Connecticut have civil unions, California has domestic partnerships and the District of Columbia, Maine, New Jersey and Hawaii have laws that grant same-sex couples at least some of the legal benefits of marriage. In addition the number of Fortune 500 companies offering domestic partner benefits stood at 216 at the end of 2004. Almost 8,300 private and public employers nationwide provide domestic partnership benefits to their employees. Many of America’s leading companies, including the Big Three automakers, IBM, Microsoft, Shell Oil, Walt Disney, Fannie Mae, Citigroup, Xerox, AOL Time Warner, and United and American Airlines offer these benefits. In addition, 11 states and 188 local governments offer their public employees domestic partnership benefits. These include cities in every part of the country, from Atlanta, Los Angeles to New York City, to Madison, Wisconsin and Iowa City.]

The updated language was accepted by the Resolutions Committee as part of B-10 Discrimination after a lengthy discussion and became part of the final report to be presented to the Representative Assembly. B-8 went back to its previous form with no new language. Delegates to the RA set aside the proposed resolution for debate and one amendment was proposed. Amendments are dealt with first. The proposed amendment to add “educational needs” to the list of rights had already been defeated by the Resolutions Committee due to concerns about new regulations to IDEA. It was withdrawn by the maker. The Alabama delegation moved to refer the entire resolution back to the Resolutions Committee, which would have eliminated not only the new language but also the old language on discrimination. The question was called, debate closed, and the motion failed overwhelmingly. B-10 was then passed by the RA overwhelmingly.

Well, back at the ranch, or right wing think-tank as it is sometimes known, the American Family Association decided to get in the act with its e-mail machine. The AFA, based in Mississippi, is best known for its boycott attempts at Disney Land and Disney World for Disney’s support of the “homosexual agenda”. [“Nothing disappointed the [American Family Association] more than Disney's enthusiastic embrace of [the homosexual] movement that rejects everything that is sacred to Christians about human sexuality, marriage and family.” (April 2001, “Why the Disney Boycott Shouldn't Go Away”)]

The AFA also believes the PTA is an agent in the homosexual takeover of schools [“But the National PTA continued right along, increasingly becoming a tool to promote a left- wing philosophy instead of helping the children with their educational needs. The latest project for the National PTA is the promotion of the homosexual agenda…Stop the PTA from using your children to promote their left-wing political agenda. “AFA Journal, February 2001 Edition].

The AFA even believes the Bush administration may be in on the plot. ["Now the Bush Administration is opening its arms to homosexual activists who have been working diligently to overthrow the traditional views of Western Civilization regarding human sexuality, marriage and family… AFA would never support the policies of a political party which embraced the homosexual movement. Period.” (4-16-01, AFA Press Release)]

Of course popular media is a prime target with boycotts of television shows a staple for fund-raising. [ Among its hundreds of boycott targets over the years are "Cheers," "The Johnny Carson Show," "Saturday Night Live," "Roseanne," "Nightline," "NYPD Blue," and “Ellen.”] PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts are also frequent targets. [ Donald Wildmon, AFA’s founder, has called for the shutdown of PBS and as a result of the AFA's campaign, many state legislatures reduced funding for public broadcasting. The AFA spearheaded the attack on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in the 1980’s, using direct mail and extensive print advertising to distort its record of sponsorship of the arts.] The AFA is also a part of the network of groups determined to attack NEA whenever possible. Why? Follow the money. If you go on AFA’s web site almost every bullet leads you, just as Disney’s rides lead you to a gift shop, to a donation request. The phrase “homosexual agenda” is apparently a big seller.

Several more clicks will lead you to the real goal: vouchers. One of AFA’s “solutions” to the NEA problem is for educators to join the Christian Educators Association. Travel to their website and find this news release by their founder and director about the just announced $100 million voucher proposal sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander and supported by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings,” The mainstream media is calling the scholarships ‘vouchers,’ but Finn Laursen with the Christian Educators Association says whether it’s called a scholarship or a voucher, it amounts to school choice and he gives it his support. “I think it’s hopeful, I think it’s something we need to try..”

We can not fully fund IDEA or No Child Left Behind and want to cut Head Start, but now we can spend $100 million on vouchers? We can, if we weaken the one group politically powerful enough to block vouchers – the NEA.

The NEA is a 2.8 million member organization with a diverse membership. It can be bureaucratic, dogmatic, stubborn, and confused by the very nature of its size and participatory democracy. But, the NEA is clear about its goals, every child in America deserves a quality public education. We, the members of NEA are not part of, nor servants to any vast left-wing agenda. We simply believe in our goal, believe in our jobs, and believe in our union. Passion with a purpose can be intimidating. I’m glad that I have 2.8 million other NEA members out there working together to achieve our purpose with passion..

Ralph Noble, Georgia Association of Educators, NEA Resolutions Committee member