Texas State Teachers Association/National Education Association SPRING 2004

Advocate

2 TSTA ADVOCATE

Rumors abound in thecapital city regardingthe answer to the

question, “Will there be aspecial session this spring?”

Remember that the legisla-ture put off dealing withschool finance last sessionand set up a committee tostudy this complex issue. Therumor mill has it that, evenafter exhaustive research,lawmakers still can’t agree onhow to finance Texas schools.

The facts, however, are hardto ignore and the problemsmust be solved.

There are more than four mil-lion Texas school children, anamount that grows annuallyby about 70,000 students.

Per pupil expenditure isabout $600 less than the na-tional average.

The state funds less than40%, the lowest amount in50 years, leaving the balance

to be paid by local propertytaxes.

Almost half the state’s schooldistricts have reached theircap of $1.50 per $100 as-sessed property value. Dis-tricts are cutting back onprograms, increasing sec-ondary class sizes, and somedistricts may be chargingchildren to ride the bus!

Texas is 41st in the nation instate money for school dis-tricts and almost $6,000below the national average inteacher salaries.

Over 50,000 classrooms arefilled with inappropriatelycertified teachers because ofthe teacher shortage. TheGovernor is suggesting in-centive programs, some ofwhich would require match-ing district funds, rather thanputting new money into ourschools.

We are in a crisis, and anyplan that doesn’t address thefundamental issues is irrele-vant! If there is a special ses-sion, it will require us to beorganized, energized, andfully engaged in the process.

Not only will we have the is-sues of school finance, butthere are those leaders andlegislators who would undo adecade and a half of educa-tion reform and push ourschools back to the 1970s.These retro-reformers wouldundo the K-4 class size limits,eliminate contracts and dueprocess, and make everyother benefit we have foughtfor a matter of local control.They will continue to press

forward with an agenda thatmakes standardized testingthe only measure of successfor students, teachers, andschools.

This is wrong, and we mustcontinue to say it is wrong tothese “education-is-a-busi-ness” reformers who don’tunderstand our schools andthe hard work it takes everyday to insure studentachievement and success.

We must tell them that we arenot a business. Our bottomline is children, not profits.We do not send any defective“materials” back to the fac-tory to be remade. We takeevery child, even those withspecial needs that are expen-sive to educate. And we takethem as far as they can go!

We are the ones on the frontlines defending public educa-tion. We must stand up andface down those who woulddestroy that which is the cor-nerstone of our democracy.The purveyors of vouchersand virtual charters wouldwillingly sacrifice that whichis great on the altar of corpo-rate profit. We must not letthat happen.

Stay alert, my friends. Thespecial session will probablybe of short duration so wemust be long on determina-tion that our schools shouldbe financed properly withoutrolling back the standardsthat have led to their im-provement in the educationof ALL the children in ourgreat state.

Stay alert, my friendspr

esid

ent’s

not

es

We are not a busi-ness. Our bottomline is children,not profits. We donot send any de-fective “materials”back to the factoryto be remade. Wetake every child,

and we take them as far asthey can go!

SPRING 2004 3

UPFRONT

4 Pressure Builds to Repeal OffsetThe bill that closes the one-day loophole passed, but

momentum continues to build for the Social Security

Fairness Act, which would repeal both the Government

Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. Other

news on the Governor’s “initiatives” and TSTA’s rebuttal,

instant certification, our educational support and retired

groups, and more.

FEATURE

10 The Shaping of Texas Public SchoolsFirst in a three-part series celebrating 150 years of Texas

public schools and 125 years of TSTA. In this issue: the

events leading up to the first state public school system

in Texas.

TSTA CONVENTION

13 House of Delegates to Consider AmendmentsWhen delegates gather in Austin’s Renaissance Hotel

April 23-24, they will consider amendments to the TSTA

Bylaws and conduct other Association business.

16 Read about the Candidates for NEA DirectorTwo of our members are running for NEA Director for

Texas, Place 1. The election will take place during the

TSTA Convention.

17 Supervisor Sought for Board of Directors PostUse the nomination form inside to nominate someone for

an at-large supervisory position on the TSTA Board of

Directors; the spot will be filled at the April TSTA

Convention.

NEA CONVENTION

18 Nation’s Capital Hosts NEA Annual MeetingAll the important information about the NEA Representa-

tive Assembly in Washington, D.C., this summer including

a hotel form, travel information, and a schedule of events.

22 Vote for NEA DelegatesThis year, for the first time, we’re holding the election for

state delegates in the Advocate. Your ballot is on page 25.

TSTA Advocate is an officialquarterly publication of the TexasState Teachers Association/National Education Association.

How to Contact Us: Call877-ASK-TSTA, visitwww.tsta.org, or write to TSTA,316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX78701. Please send addresschanges to the attention ofMembership Records ormembershiprecords@tsta.org.

Advertising: If you would like toadvertise, contact Nichole Loweryat 512-476-5355, ext. 1292.

TSTA makes no representationsregarding advertised products orservices that are not endorsed.

Postmaster: Send addresschanges to TSTA MembershipRecords, 316 West 12th Street,Austin, TX 78701.

PRESIDENTDonna New Haschke

VICE PRESIDENTAnn Heuberger

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORE.C. Walker

DIRECTORJay Levin

EDITORDebbie Mohondro

PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALISTRichard Kouri

PRODUCTION TECHNICIANSusan Martin

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGERLeann Kloesel

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARYAdriana Roque

SECRETARY/ADVERTISINGNichole Lowery

Copyright 2004 by

Texas State Teachers AssociationNational Education Association

316 West 12th St., Austin, TX 78701www.tsta.org • 877-ASK-TSTA

AdvocateVol. 23, No. 3 Spring 2004

inside

4

10

13

18

4 TSTA ADVOCATE

On February 11, theHouse passed HR743, the so-called

“Social Security ProtectionAct,” by a vote of 402-19. Atpress time, we expected thePresident to sign it soon.

If you have not been in-volved in the battle, the billincludes a provision westrongly opposed that elimi-nates the option for teachersin Texas and Georgia to trans-fer to a district covered by So-cial Security for as little asone day to avoid the impacts

of the Government PensionOffset (GPO). The GPO re-duces public employees’ So-cial Security spousal or sur-vivor benefits by two-thirdsof their public pension.

(For more background onthe GPO and the WindfallElimination Provision, whichreduces the earned Social Se-curity benefits of an individ-ual who also receives a publicpension from a job not cov-ered by Social Security, visitwww.nea.org/lac/socsec.)

The lopsided vote indicatesthe popularity ofthe bill as a whole.A better indicationof Congress’ feel-ings about the off-set language was anearlier vote on anattempt byTSTA/NEA andRepresentative Mar-tin Frost (D-TX) toreplace the loop-hole amendmentwith provisions tocompletely repealthe GPO andWindfall Elimina-tion Provision. Thatattempt failed on a226-197 vote.

Thank you for allof your efforts incontacting mem-bers of Congress.It did make a differ-ence. The debateon HR 743 clearlydemonstrated thatmembers of Con-gress were very wellaware of theGPO/WEP issue

and were under a lot of pres-sure from their constituents—you—to do something.

SOCIAL SECURITY:SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES

NEA worked very closelywith Members of Congressand their staffs as theyworked out differences be-tween the House and Senatebills. NEA and state affiliategrassroots efforts resulted insignificant victories in thefinal bill:➤Change in effective dateto June 30, 2004. The origi-nal Senate bill had an earlyeffective date that would havegiven educators no transi-tional time before losing theopportunity to transfer andavoid the GPO. NEA was suc-cessful in changing the effec-tive date to June 30, 2004,thereby giving educators ad-ditional time to take advan-tage of the one-day rule.➤Transition period forcounting prior service.There is a five-year transitionperiod after the bill is signedinto law. Effective July 1,2004, a person can qualify forSocial Security spousal bene-fits if they worked for fiveyears (at any point in theircareer) in a Texas schooldistrict that paid into bothTRS and Social Security ANDtheir last 30 days of employ-ment is in a district that paysboth. After the transitionalperiod, the law will requirethat a person’s last five yearsof employment will have tobe in a district that pays bothTRS and Social Security in

Social Security:

Loophole closes but repeal bill is moving

SPRING 2004 5

order to be eligible forspousal benefits without theGPO reduction.➤Elimination of require-ments to subject more peo-ple to the offsets. The finalagreement does not includean NEA-opposed provisionthat would have allowed theIRS to notify the Social Secu-rity system about individualswho should be subject to theoffsets but are not currentlyoffset. Elimination of thisprovision is a significant vic-tory, as it will protect individ-uals not currently offset fromlosing benefits and will pre-vent others from having torepay benefits they have al-ready received.➤Limitation of “divided re-tirement” to Kentucky andLouisiana. The final bill willallow only the states of Ken-tucky and Louisiana to con-duct “divided retirement” ref-erenda. (The original Senatebill allowed all states to oper-ate a dividend retirement sys-tem.) Under such a system,public employees will vote onwhether to allow individualsto choose to enter the SocialSecurity system, but all newemployees will be required toparticipate in Social Security.NEA believes that allowing allstates to operate a divided re-tirement system could be afirst step by Congress towardmandatory Social Securitycoverage for all state and localemployees, which NEAstrongly opposes.➤Mandate to disclose theimpacts of the GPO andWEP. The final bill requires astate or local government en-tity hiring an individual for anon-Social Security coveredposition on or after January1, 2005 to provide the indi-

vidual with a written noticeexplaining the potential im-pact of the offsets. The billalso requires the Social Secu-rity Administration to includein their annual Social SecurityAccount Statements after Jan-uary 1, 2007 notification ofthe potential impact of theoffsets for individuals whomight be subject to them.

SOCIAL SECURITY:WHICH DISTRICTS MIGHTHIRE YOU FOR A DAY?

NEA recommends that, ifyou’re planning to retire be-fore the loophole closes, youhave all your paperworkcompleted way in advance ofthe June 30 deadline, as theremay be administrative timeneeded to process your claim.

Be ssure tto ccontact SSocial

Security tto ffind oout hhow tthisnew llaw wwill aaffect yyou. Fail-ure to contact Social Securitycould result in not being ableto take advantage of the loop-hole.

If you are looking for aschool district that will hireyou for one day, check withthe following: ➤Coleman ISD, contact EdPryor through www.coleman-isd.com or 325-625-1896;$300 processing fee➤Fort Davis ISD, call Debbieat 432-426-4444, ext. 301;$500 tax-deductible donationto the scholarship fund;openings after June 14➤Iraan-Sheffield ISD, callDelbert Dodds at ext. 224 orLois Ann McKenzie at ext.222 at 432-639-2512 or

email ddodds@esc18.net;$475 application processingfee➤Kilgore ISD, fax BeckyMoss your name, home ad-dress and phone number, andthe dates you want to workat 903-983-3212 or go towww.kisd.org/Programs/Business/trs/TRS-offer.htmto check the car pool bul-letin board and to requestan application; $500 applica-tion fee➤Lindale ISD, call April, Pat,or Angie at 903-882-6611;$350 processing fee➤Somerville ISD, call R. Martinand Co. at 281-890-8485;$700 fee ($500 tax deducti-ble plus $200 processing)➤Sweeny ISD, call R. Martinand Co. at 281-890-8485;

Social Security: Momentum builds for repealMomentum continues to build for repeal

of the Government Pension Offset (GPO)

and the Windfall Elimination Provision

(WEP).

As of February, the House version of the

Social Security Fairness Act, HR 594,

had 287 bipartisan cosponsors.

NEA has received firm assurances that

Chairman Clay Shaw (R-FL) will move

GPO/WEP legislation through the House

Ways and Means Committee’s Subcom-

mittee on Social Security this year.

A resolution (House Resolution 523)

seeking a discharge petition has been in-

troduced in the House of Representa-

tives. Although NEA had considered the

possibility of pursuing a discharge

petition to move the GPO/WEP legislation

forward, such a petition is not needed at

this time, since legislation will move out

of committee. (A discharge petition is a

procedural mechanism designed to force

stalled legislation out of committee.)

The sponsors of our GPO/WEP repeal

legislation, Representatives McKeon (R-

CA) and Berman (D-CA), have made

movement of GPO/WEP legislation a top

priority. NEA supports the sponsors’

strategy because we believe it offers the

best chance for action. Therefore, we are

not encouraging members of Congress

to sign the discharge petition.

NEA will continue to work closely with

McKeon, Berman, and Shaw.

How can you help? Use the NEAweb site at www.nea.org/lac/socsecto email your Senators and Repre-sentatives and urge them to supportfull repeal of the GPO and WEP.

6 TSTA ADVOCATE

$700 fee ($500 tax deducti-ble plus $200 processing)➤West ISD, contact Amy at254-826-7500; $650 process-ing fee➤West Rusk ISD, visitwww.westrusk.esc7.net/re-tire.html; call 903-895-4503,ext. 101, 103, or 105; fax903-895-2267; or emailmillst@westrusk.esc7.net;$600 processing fee

For updates on districts,see www.tsta.org/classroom.For more information aboutthe school districts, use TexasEducation Agency’s TexasSchool District Locator athttp://deleon.tea.state.tx.us/SDL.

SOCIAL SECURITY:SHOULD YOU RETIRE?

Most TSTA members knowthe Social Security loophole isclosing. What is less clear tothem is “What does that

mean to me?” It is difficult toanswer that question in ageneral way. What it meansto any individual memberdepends on a variety ofcircumstances.

So, how does an individualdetermine whether or not thepotential loss of this loopholeshould force them to retireearlier than planned? Arethere alternatives that mightmake staying longer more at-tractive? What if leaving be-fore the loophole closes is noteven an option? What can youdo to minimize the impact?

Certainly the Social Secu-rity office should be your firststop for answers. But one ad-ditional source that might notoccur to you is your NEA Val-uebuilder financial represen-tative. The NEA ValuebuilderProgram is a supplemental re-tirement program endorsedby NEA and TSTA that has

several options to assist in avariety of circumstances. YourValuebuilder representativescan help you evaluate whereyou stand and what the poten-tial loss of the loophole mightmean to you personally. Ifyou have been curious aboutthe answer to some of thesequestions, now is a good timeto give your Valuebuilder repa phone call or an email.➤El Paso and SurroundingAreas: Phil Boyd, 915-592-2782, boydphil@sbcglobal.net ➤Houston and SurroundingAreas: Linda Eaton, 281-277-6400, leaton@dearborn-creggs.com ➤San Antonio and Surround-ing Areas: Diane Mullen &Associates, 800-723-6616,dianema@swbell.net ➤The Valley and Surround-ing Areas: Steve Brooks,956-969-8585,sbmullen@flash.net

➤Corpus Christi and Sur-rounding Areas: Karen Watts,361-241-8696➤Metroplex: Liz Picone,800-609-6580 (Please indi-cate your ISD),Lpicone@neamb.com ➤Bryan/College Station andSurrounding Areas: SteveColson, David Phinney &Doug Crum, 979-680-0658,stcolson@tca.net ➤Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa and SurroundingAreas: Jeff Pannell, 806-794-8524➤North Austin ISD and Dis-tricts North of Austin: CindyForeman, 512-342-2288,foremn0711@aol.com ➤South Austin ISD and Dis-tricts South of Austin: SusanWinkler, 512-894-3533, ben-efitslink4u@hotmail.com

For areas not listed, contactLiz Picone at 800-609-6580or picone@neamb.com.

Essay Contest!The U S Rice Producers Association is sponsoring a contestfor students in grades 4-12 in the states of Arkansas, California,Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas.

Participating students need to write a 500 to 800 word essayabout the subject:

RICE FARMING: EARTH’S FRIENDHow rice farming benefits our air,

our land, our water and our wildlife.

One student winner for each grade will receive $150.00.Background information and contest rules and regulationscan be found at www.riceromp.com/contest.

Essays must be received by April 14, 2004. E-mail essays toriceessay@aol.com or mail to U S Rice Producers EssayContest, 2900 Wilcrest, Suite 180, Houston, TX 77042.

SPRING 2004 7

If students needhelp, they’ll have toimprove

What limited funds wehave for education wouldbest be spent in schoolswhere students are alreadydoing well on tests and grad-uating under the most acade-mically challenging course ofstudy. That’s the Perry planfor Texas school finance.

In late January, the Gover-nor released his plan of“financial incentives to spurschools and students towardthe goal of maximumperformance.”

Perry said legislatorshelped him develop his pro-posals, crediting Sen.Florence Shapiro and Rep.Kent Grusendorf as the lead-ers who have championedthe move to reward Texasteachers who produce high-achieving students.

A sampling of what schoolswould receive under thePerry plan:➤$100 per student for eachyear they advance in highschool, so long as they passthe TAKS➤$100 for each student whoscores at least 90% on allTAKS tests taken ($200 ifthey’re at-risk) ➤$1,000 for each graduate($2,000 if they’re at-risk)who successfully completesthe Distinguished Achieve-ment Program➤$100 for each student pass-ing the Algebra I end-of-course exam (additional $100for each at-risk) ➤$100 per LEP student pass-ing the TAKS test and an ad-ditional $100 for each stu-dent who receivescommended performance on

all sections of the TAKS. Read the rest of Perry’s

agenda at www.governor.state.tx.us.

TSTA responds to‘incentive’ plan

“This isn’t about rhetoric; itis about arithmetic. Rhetoricisn’t going to fill the 53,000classrooms that have inappro-priately certified teachers inthem,” TSTA President DonnaNew Haschke said, respond-ing to Perry’s plan. “We mustraise the state salary schedulenow to address this problem.

“If we are going to continue

to improve the education sys-tem in Texas, we must be ableto attract and retain highlyqualified teachers into ourclassrooms. Any plan thatdoes not help school districtsaccomplish this goal will notimprove public education inour state.

“We are $5,000 below thenational average in teachersalaries, the state’s share offunding for public educationhas slipped to the lowest in50 years, we have almost halfthe districts in the state at the$1.50 cap and they are cut-ting back on programs, in-

creasing secondary class sizesand charging kids to ridethe bus.

“Incentives don’t allow dis-tricts to plan their budgets forthe next school year and can’tbe used to fund salary in-creases or anything that is areoccurring expense. TheGovernor’s incentive planmight lead to more districtsbeing able to afford new As-troturf, but won’t lead to anyteacher getting a pay raise.

“Furthermore, attempts toroll back state standards andend the 22-1 class size limit,the salary schedule, and other

Volunteer to be on a TSTA committee

Name ________________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

City___________________________________________________State____________ Zip____________

Home Ph. ________________________________ School Ph.___________________________________

Social Security Number _________________________________________________________________

Local Association ___________________________________________________ TSTA Region________

Classification______________________________ Ethnic Status_________________________________

Home Email ___________________________________________________________________________

School Email __________________________________________________________________________

Local Activities_________________________________________________________________________

State/Regional Activities _________________________________________________________________

Please mark the appropriate boxes below:

CIA LPA CBE Other______________________________________________________

The TSTA president is charged with ap-pointing individuals to a number of Associ-ation statewide and special committeesand task forces each year. All members areeligible to serve in these appointed posi-tions; if you are interested in volunteeringsome time to serve in these appointed po-sitions, please let the TSTA president knowby submitting the form below to TSTA,President’s Office, 316 W. 12th St., Austin,TX 78701; or faxing to 512-486-7053 byMay 28, 2004.

TSTA’s statewide committees are in the

following areas: Community and Instruc-tional Advocacy, Legislative and PoliticalAdvocacy, and Constitution, Bylaws, andElections.

Other task forces and special commit-tees are formed from time to time, such asthe current task force on collective bar-gaining. Please indicate your particulararea of interest and expertise whether ornot it is listed above.

You may also recommend a colleague forconsideration for an appointed position.

8 TSTA ADVOCATE

benefits that are necessary tokeep teachers in the class-room will only make the situ-ation worse.

“There is no political short-cut to educational excellence.Texas schools don’t need apatchwork of incentives thatoffer only after-the-fact re-wards or a funding systemthat treats students as if theywere widgets coming off anassembly line. We need a realinvestment in our schools toprovide all students with edu-cational opportunity.”

Perry names neweducation chief

Governor Rick Perry hasnamed Dr. Shirley Neeley, su-perintendent of Galena ParkISD in the Houston area, asthe new State Commissionerof Education.

A teaching professionalsince 1971, she started with

GPISD in 1975 as a sixthgrade teacher and became su-perintendent in 1995.

In announcing the appoint-ment, Perry said Neeley, whohas come out in support ofvouchers, is a “results-driveneducation leader who seeschallenges as opportunities,and who has proven that suc-cess in our schools is notpredicated on the wealth of acommunity, but the commit-ment of the educators, par-ents and students in thatcommunity.”

“We are delighted to see acommissioner appointed whonot only has firsthand knowl-edge of how the publicschools of Texas work butalso has been a classroomteacher,” TSTA PresidentDonna New Haschke said.“We are also glad to see theGovernor break the ‘glassceiling’ at TEA by appointing

the first woman to ever becommissioner. TSTA looksforward to working with thenew commissioner to con-tinue the gains being made bythe children of Texas.”

GPISD has been rated anexemplary district for the pasttwo years. The district has astudent population that is66% economically disadvan-taged and 88% minority.More than 80% of GPISDgraduates enroll in higher ed-ucation. The number of stu-dents taking the SAT or ACThas doubled under Neeley’stenure and the dropout rate isamong the lowest in the state.

Instant teacherrule diminishesprofession

In November, the StateBoard for Educator Certifica-tion (SBEC) proposed a rulethat would allow an individ-ual with any degree to be-come a certified teacher with-out completing an authenticpreparation program. Underthis rule, an individual withany degree could becomecertified to teach in grades8-12 if he/she could pass atest. The rule does not setout any minimum standardsin training or require any pre-vious experience in a class-room setting.

At press time, the StateBoard of Education (SBOE)was set to deal with the ruleat its February 25-27 meet-ing. The SBOE only has vetoauthority over proposedSBEC rules, and it takes a 2/3vote of the 15-member SBOEto veto the rule.

The four statewide teacherassociations were working to-gether to defeat this rule. Ourmembers were contacting

their SBOE members to askthem to vote against it. Visitour web site to find out whathappened.

To keep up with the newseach week, sign up for theBriefing, our electronicnewsletter, at the same site.

Filing deadline forTSTA state officers

Nominations are open forTSTA Officers (TSTA Presidentand TSTA Vice President)with nominations being dueat TSTA’s Organizing Centerfor Executive and Governanceon September 15, 2004. Theelection will be conducted atthe April 2005 State House ofDelegates. Contact TSTA’sCenter for Executive andGovernance, 316 West 12thStreet, Suite 510, Austin,Texas, 78701, 877-ASK-TSTA, ext. 1514 or 1510, fora filing form and informationregarding the filing process.The term of office for TSTAPresident and Vice Presidentshall be for three years oruntil successors are electedbeginning on July 15, 2005.

Kids allowedthree treats

On February 3, 2004,Texas Department of Agricul-ture modified its Foods ofMinimal Nutritional ValuePolicy (issued July 28, 2003)to include exemptions thatgive school districts someflexibility in allowing FMNVon campuses under certaincircumstances:

School Nurses: This policydoes not apply to schoolnurses dispensing FMNVs tostudents on a case-by-casebasis for medical purposes. Accommodating Students

with Special Needs: Special

Box 5279, Eugene, OR 97405(800) 377-3480

www.educatorstravel.com

“GreatH osts!”“Beyond Price!”

“Better than Hotels!”

SPRING 2004 9

Needs Students whose Indi-vidualized Education Pro-gram (IEP) plan indicatesthe use of an FMNV for be-havior modification or othersuitable need may be givenFMNV items. School Holiday Celebra-

tions: Students may be givenFMNV items during theschool day for up to three dif-ferent holiday celebrationseach school year to be deter-mined by school officials.These items may not be givenduring meal times in theareas where school meals arebeing served or consumed.

It’s TSTA Nightat the Spurs!

Join the Spurs for theirMarch 20 game against theBoston Celtics and save. Theyare offering you, your friendsand family a special deal on apackage; you get a ticket, hotdog, soda, ice cream andSpurs T-shirt for $14.45 or$24.45, depending on theseat you choose—which isless than you’d normally payfor the ticket alone. Go towww.tsta.org/news/Teacher-Appreciation.pdf for details.

Cruising withTSTA-Retired

Mark your calendar for Oc-tober 31, 2004. TSTA-Retiredis planning a fall conferenceon a Carnival Cruise. The tripwill be for seven nights andsails from Galveston to Pro-gresso, Cozumel, and Belize.The group will meet on theship in lieu of the “SeniorPartners Conference” theyusually have in the summer.For more information, con-tact Vivian Gaschen at vi-vian@fullertvl.com or 1-866-828-6311.

In other TSTA-R news:➤The TSTA-Retired StateConvention will be March25-26 at the TSTA Headquar-ters Building in Austin. EveryTSTA-Retired Active Memberis invited to attend; yourpresence makes you a votingdelegate. On March 25,there’s registration from 1:30-2 p.m.; the House of Dele-gates from 2-4:30 p.m. in theL.P. Sturgeon Room; aspeaker who will give her hu-morous angle on Texas poli-tics; and an opportunity tosocialize. The next day, mem-bers will have a workshop onhow retired members are get-ting involved with first-yearteachers through NEA’s men-toring program; an update onretirement legislation; and apresentation by NEA MemberBenefits. ➤NEA-Retired’s Spring Re-gional Conference is in Tuc-son, Arizona, April 2-4,2004. The registration form isin “This Active Life.” This is avery informative and fun timespent with other NEA-RetiredMembers. Contact yourTSTA-R Board member formore information.

A new year anda new site

You are invited to visit theNEA Member Benefits website, which is newly re-designed for 2004. Now it’seasier to see all the greatproducts and services, give-aways, and information avail-able to NEA members! Wehave: ➤Faster and easier navigation ➤A new Tools & Tips sectionwith many financial calcula-tors and a wealth of informa-tion to stretch your income ➤Enhanced pages for Insur-

ance, Financial Services andMember Discount programs ➤Online account access toyour NEA life, auto andhomeowners insurance,credit cards, and NEA Value-builder accounts...and more!

The new NEA MemberBenefits Web Site is morevaluable than ever. Pleaseshare this message with anNEA colleague, and visit usoften at www.neamb.com!

Do you know yourcredit score?

Does your credit score sayyou are credit worthy?

A credit score is a numberthat reflects your credit risklevel. It is generated throughstatistical models using ele-ments from your credit re-port. Banks, credit card com-panies, insurance companies,auto dealers, retail stores andmost other lenders that issuecredit or loans use creditscores to quickly summarizea consumer’s credit history,saving the need to manuallyreview an applicant’s creditreport and provide a better,faster risk decision.

There are primarily twotypes of scores, generic bu-reau-based scores and customscores. Among bureau-basedscores, the most widely usedscore in the financial serviceindustry is the FICO scoregenerated by the Fair, IsaacCompany. The bureau-basedcredit scores draw on statis-tics from a large number ofconsumers across a variety ofaccounts.

Scores are not just used torate the credit worthiness ofconsumers. Lenders also usescores to predict consumerresponse to offers sent in themail, the likelihood that ac-

count holders will file forbankruptcy or that a con-sumer will move their loan toanother lender.

If credit scores is a topicthat you would like more in-formation about, contactNEA Member Benefits Con-sultant Liz Picone, 800-609-6580, or by email at Lpi-cone@neamb.com, toschedule a workshop on thissubject for your members.

ESP CornerHOWARD NOMINATED TOTRS-CARE COMMITTEEShirley Howard of Midlandhas again been nominatedto the Teacher RetirementSystem of Texas TRS-CareRetirees Advisory Commit-tee. Howard also holds aneducational support pro-fessional at large positionon the NEA Board of Di-rectors and has twicebeen named TSTA’s ESPof the Year. Her term onthe TRS committee, in theActive Auxiliary position,began February 1.

AUSTIN ESP WINSBACK PAYEducation Austin has set anew record for a back paywin for an educationalsupport professional mem-ber. Patricia Roach,Murchison Middle Schoolfood service manager, hasjust been notified that shewill receive $13,213.67 inretroactive pay (beforetaxes). This back pay winis based upon the experi-ence pay consultationagreement that EducationAustin negotiated withAustin ISD in 2001-02.

The first mission school, San Francisco de los Tejas, later renamed Mission San Francisco de Espada, was built in 1730.

Reprinted from the March 1976 Texas Outlook magazine

SPRING 2004 11

on Francisco de laMata was aghast at theunstructured hours of

idle entertainment whichfilled the days of San Antoniode Bexar youngsters.

The Saltillo native, “muchgrieved at heart,” describedthe children as “runningabout as vagabonds engagedonly in pernicious pursuitssuch as playing with arrowsand ropes, and spending theirtime in childish games andother idle entertainmentswhich lead only to perdition.”

So in 1789 he sought offi-cial sanction from the ca-bildo, or village council, andopened a school.

Earlier efforts to establisheducation in Texas, then underSpanish rule, also had pro-duced only transitory results.➤Crockett, 1690. San Fran-cisco de los Tejas was estab-lished, the first missionschool and a prime educa-tional force in the territorydeclared as “New Spain.”➤In the next 100 years,Spain founded some 26 moremissions in attempts to “civi-lize” the Indians throughChristianity. These missions,somewhat resembling con-

temporary industrial schools,offered the basics in cultivat-ing crops, practicing animalhusbandry, or constructing ir-rigation facilities.➤By 1746 the first non-mis-sion educational institutionbegan operation at San Fer-nando de Bexar. Founded byDon Cristobal de los SantosCoy, it was a joint venture,built on land donated by thegovernment, with buildingsfurnished by the church andmaintained by the people.

An attempt was made bySpanish officials in 1802 toestablish a school system, butit was not until after the Mex-ican Revolution ended in 1821that a constitutional provisionwas made for education.

Officials of the Mexican Re-public, in drafting the consti-tution of Coahuila and Texas,called for establishment of el-ementary schools and semi-naries in principal towns.

In 1828 free textbooks—along with 100 charts, 36 cat-echisms, and other materials—were supplied for the firsttime through public funds ata San Antonio school. Sup-ported by private subscrip-tion supplemented by munic-

ipal subsidies, it offeredlessons in the three R’s, reli-gious doctrine, and morals.

Public free primary schoolsalso were established that yearby a law which simultaneouslycreated the timeless enigma ofpublic school finance.

“The central governmentshifted responsibility for edu-cation to thestates; thestates, havingno money,shifted theburden to theayuntamien-tos (municipalgovernment);the ayun-tamientos,likewise without funds, didnot know what to do,” notesa pamphlet, The MexicanTexans, from the Institute ofTexan Cultures, University ofTexas at San Antonio.

Within the next few years,six primary schools were pro-jected. Yet the Mexican gov-ernment never implementedthose plans.

Private institutions—com-munity, “old field,” and“cornfield” schools—playedan important role in educa-

An attempt was made by Spanish

officials in 1802 to establish a

school system, but it was not until

after the Mexican Revolution

ended in 1821 that a constitutional

provision was made for education.

One hundred fifty years ago, provision was made for thefirst state public school system in Texas. One hundredtwenty-four years ago, the Texas State Teachers Associationwas founded.

This year and next, we will recognize these milestones in avariety of ways.

TSTA is part of “TexEd150,” a team brought together by theTexas Education Agency and Texas School Public RelationsAssociation (an organization of public relations people whowork for our school districts) to draw public attention to the150-year anniversary of Texas public schools.

TexEd150’s efforts kicked off with a proclamation from theGovernor and a news conference at the Administrators’

Mid-Winter Conference in January. Among the projectsteam members have collaborated on is a traveling exhibit,which you will see at this year’s House of Delegates. If youhappen to visit the Texas Education Agency building inAustin, you will also see a permanent display in their lobby.

The Advocate will carry a three-part series, starting with thestory above which outlines the events leading up to the cre-ation of our schools. The article, which has been slightlyedited, was originally printed in 1976 in TSTA’s Texas Out-look magazine.

In the summer issue, we’ll look at a list of events thatshaped our schools, and in the fall, we’ll hear some of thestories behind the history.

12 TSTA ADVOCATE

tion among American colon-ists during this period. Oneof the best academies of theday was Thomas J. Pilgrim’sschool near the Gulf coast.

Numerous ethnic groupsfurther contributed to the de-velopment of Texas educa-tion. The Institute of TexanCultures has a Norwegianreader used in BosqueCounty and Danish languageschool books from Danevangin Wharton County.

Irish Texans organized thefirst Houston area school in1824. There were Chineseschools in that city also, aswell as in San Antonio, andthe Chinese Baptist churchhelped many immigrantslearn English, using the Bibleas a textbook.

But by 1833 both Mexicanand Anglo-American citizenswere dissatisfied with condi-tions in Texas. In an effort toplacate them, the State Con-gress declared that half of theincome from municipalfunds, up to $2,000, wouldbe directed toward education.

The following year a surveyby the federal governmentpointed out that Texaswanted “a good establishmentfor public instruction wherethe Spanish language may betaught, otherwise the lan-guage will be lost.”

Despite all attempts, diffi-culty in obtaining qualifiedteachers, a depleted statetreasury, and extreme povertyof the people were responsi-ble for the government’s fail-ure to develop an effectiveeducational system.

This failure “to establishany system of public edu-cation” weighed heavily inthe revolt against Mexico, asemphasized in the Texas

Declaration of Independence.When the constitution was

adopted March 17, 1836, itwas declared the duty ofCongress, “as soon as circum-stances will permit, to pro-vide by law a general systemof education.”

Yet education did not re-ceive much attention untilMirabeau B. Lamar waselected president of the Re-public in 1838. His effortsearned him the title,

“Father of Education in Texas.”Following his first message

to Congress, which includeda plea for public education,the Committee on Educationintroduced “a bill which laidthe foundation for the presentendowment of public educa-tion in Texas,” writes Freder-ick Eby in The Development ofEducation in Texas.

Enacted January 26, 1839,it provided that threeleagues—13,284 acres—ofland in each county be sur-

veyed and set apart for a pri-mary school or academy. Twocolleges or universities wereprovided with an endowmentof 50 leagues.

A bill enacted the follow-ing year set apart a fourthleague and stipulated thatthe Chief Justice and his asso-ciates in each county wouldact as a board of schoolcommissioners.

Among their responsibili-ties: Divide counties into

school districts, examinecandidates for teachers’ cer-tificates, inspect and super-vise the schools.

Statehood in 1845 broughtwith it the establishmentof free schools as providedfor in the newly rewrittenconstitution. A tenth of allpublic revenue derived fromtaxation was to be appro-priated for education, al-though only the interestaccrued from investment ofthe fund could be spent, pro-

viding a perpetual source ofincome.

As a result of this increas-ing interest in education,there was talk of a teachersmeeting in Houston. The“Convention of the Friends ofEducation” was held January9, 1846, the first of its kindin the state. Uniform text-books were recommended; aboard was appointed to ex-amine teachers; and an orga-nization known as the TexasLiterary Institute grew out ofthe session.

By 1848 the Legislaturehad chartered eight universi-ties, seven colleges, 10 acade-mies, and four institutes.They included San AugustineUniversity, Rutersville Col-lege, Galveston University,Marshall University, and Bay-lor University (Waco).

The first petition to thegoverning body for publiclyfunded education, longchampioned by German Tex-ans, came in 1849 from Pas-tor Adolph Fuchs.

After Texas received $10million from the 1850 sale ofland to the United States,Gov. E. M. Pease was suc-cessful in his request to theLegislature that $2 million beallocated for a Special SchoolFund. Interest from the fundwould help support theschools.

The 1854 law also includeda provision for immediate or-ganization of commonschools. Tuition for indigentchildren would be absorbedfrom state revenue directedtoward education, while afinal feature enabled conver-sion of private institutionsinto common schools.

—Debby Bay, March 1976Texas Outlook magazine

Mirabeau B. Lamar, elected president of the Republic in 1838.

If you are a delegate to the

2004 TSTA Convention, you

will be voting on five proposed

amendments to TSTA’s Bylaws.

The amendments are printed

below, for your review prior to

arriving at the convention.

Wording in brackets with

strikethrough [ ] reflect current

language to be deleted and

items bolded and underscored

reflect insertion of proposed

new language.

Other information about

convention housing and trans-

portation appeared in the win-

ter 2003 Advocate and is avail-

able on the TSTA web site,

www.tsta.org. Further informa-

tion about the convention will

be mailed directly to delegates.

PROPOSED BYLAWSAMENDMENTS

1INTENT: To comply withNEA Bylaw requirements

Article III, Members

Section 2. Qualifications and

Conditions of Membership

D. Substitute Teacher members

1. QualificationsSubstitute Teacher mem-bers not qualifying forActive membership shall:a. Hold credentials ap-

propriate to their re-spective duties;[and]

b. Maintain member-

ship in the National

Education Associa-

tion and the TSTA

local affiliate when

eligible under the

constitution or by-

laws of the local af-

filiate; and

[b.] c. Support the goals and

objectives of TSTA

and abide by these

Bylaws.

2. Dues

Substitute Teacher mem-

bers shall pay annual dues

of fifty percent (50%) of

the amount of the dues

of Active members.

3. Privileges

Substitute Teacher mem-

bers shall:

a. Be entitled to such

services as may be au-

thorized by the Board

of Directors; and

b. Be eligible to serve as

a voting delegate to

the House of Dele-

gates if a member of

TSTA and local affili-

ate when eligible and

elected under provi-

sions of Article VIII,

Section 2D.

4. Restrictions

Substitute Teacher mem-

bers shall not be eligible:

a. To hold elective office;

and

b. To vote unless serving

as a voting delegate to

the state House of

Delegates under the

provisions of Article

VIII, Section 2D.

Maker: Constitution, Bylaws

and Elections Committee

Rationale: Same as intent

Vote Required: Two-Thirds(2/3rds)

Financial Impact: None

2INTENT: To change thedate for locals to submit

compliance documents toTSTA

Article IV, Affiliate StructureSection 1. Local Affiliates

C. Minimum Standards ofCompliance for active localaffiliates

An active local affiliate shall:

1. Apply the one-person/one-vote principle inelecting delegates to theregional house of dele-gates, the state House ofDelegates and the NEARepresentative Assemblyand in electing membersof governing bodiesexcept that the affiliateshall guarantee ethnic-minority representationat least proportionate to

Five amendments to consider at the125th Annual TSTA Convention

April 23-24, 2004 • Renaissance Austin Hotel

SPRING 2004 13

14 TSTA ADVOCATE

its ethnic-minoritymembership;

2. Provide for proportionaterepresentation on gov-erning bodies betweennonsupervisory membersand supervisory mem-bers if the local affiliate isan all-inclusive one;

3. Guarantee due process tomembers in matters ofcensure, suspension, orexpulsion and to officersin matters of impeach-ment and removal;

4. Require all Active, andEducational Support Pro-fessional members tomaintain membership inthe region, state and na-tional associations whereeligible;

5. Have the same member-ship year, and fiscal yearas that of TSTA;

6. Conduct elections forTSTA which guaranteeopen nominations andsecret ballots. In theevent that there is onlyone candidate for a posi-tion, secret balloting maybe waived, and the can-didate declared elected.

7. Elect officers that shallassume office either onJune 1 or July 15 follow-ing election;

8. Conduct a yearly audit offinancial transactions andtransmit a copy of thisaudit to TSTA withinsixty (60) days [from theend of the terms of theoutgoing local officers forthe year which has justconcluded] of the end ofthe fiscal year;

9. Submit by June [1] 30annually a list of officersand if changes weremade and a copy was not

previously submitted toTSTA, a revised updatedbylaws and/or constitu-tion;

10.Hold a minimum ofthree (3) general or rep-resentative meetings peryear;

11.Submit names and ad-dresses of associationrepresentatives and veri-fication of training asspecified by the Board ofDirectors; and

12.Provide for an appealsprocess through a localelection committee, toresolve local electionchallenges. The appealsprocess shall include amember’s right to ap-peal in writing the deci-sion of a local electioncommittee to the stateExecutive Director. Theappeal to the ExecutiveDirector must be deliv-ered or postmarked onor before the tenth dayafter receiving the writ-ten decision of the localelection committee.

Maker: Constitution, Bylawsand Elections Committee

Rationale: Audits should bedone on a fiscal year basis.

Vote Required: Two-Thirds(2/3rds)

Financial Impact: None

3INTENT: To allow addi-tional delegates for grow-

ing locals

Article IV, Affiliate StructureSection 2. Regional Affiliates

D. House of Delegates

1. CompositionThe Regional House ofDelegates shall be com-posed of:a. All elected regional of-

ficers, Regional Board

of Directors and Boardof Directors members;

b. Local affiliate dele-gates shall be electedon the ratio set byeach region’s govern-ing document pro-vided the ratio main-tains the one-person/one-vote principle.Delegates shall be al-located on the num-ber of Active, Educa-tional Support Profes-sionals, and Life mem-bers holding member-ship in the local affiliateon May 31 of the pre-ceding year except asprovided in ArticleVIII, Section 2. A. ofthese Bylaws. Majorfraction shall be usedin allocation of dele-gates. Locals not allo-cated a delegate basedon the above ratio,but which maintainannual officers andmeet the requirementunder Article IV, Sec-tion 1, C, 11, shall beallocated one (1) dele-gate to the RegionalHouse of Delegates;

Article VIII, The StateHouse of DelegatesSection 2. Allocation ofDelegates

A. Local AffiliatesLocal affiliates shall electone (1) delegate for eachfifty (50) members or majorfraction thereof based onthe local affiliate’s Active,Life, and EducationalSupport Professionalmembership on May 31 ofthe year immediately pre-ceding the state House ofDelegates. Any local mayapply by January 15 to theExecutive Director toqualify for additional dele-

gates based on member-ship growth. Upon receiptof such application, theExecutive Director shalldetermine if the local isentitled to additional dele-gates based on the mem-bership as of January 15and shall notify the localwhether or not it qualifiesfor additional delegates.In such instances, the Ex-ecutive Director shallmake a similar calculationto determine the appropri-ate number of delegatesfor the Regional House ofDelegates and shall notifythe local and the RegionalPresident of the result. Lo-cals not allocated a delegatebased on the above ratio butwhich maintain annual offi-cers and meet the require-ment under Article IV, Sec-tion 1, C, 11, shall beallocated one (1) delegate tothe state House of Dele-gates. New locals that haveaffiliated after the May 31deadline shall have repre-sentation based on theirmembership one hundredtwenty (120) days prior tothe state House of Delegates.

Maker: Constitution, Bylawsand Elections Committee

Rationale: Same as intent

Vote Required: Three-Fourth(3/4th)

Financial Impact: None

4INTENT: To clarifylanguage

Article VII, Board of DirectorsSection 1. Board of Directors

A. Composition

1. [The Board of Directorsshall be composed of thePresident, the Vice Presi-dent, the Regional Presi-dents, the NEA Directorsand elected At-Large

Board of Directors mem-bers.] The Board of Di-rectors shall be com-posed of the followingvoting members: TheTSTA President, theTSTA Vice President,the TSTA RegionalPresidents, the TFAPresident, the Presidentof TSTA-R, the Presi-dent of TSTA-SP, theNEA Directors forTexas and elected TSTAAt-Large Board of Di-rectors members.

2. [The presidents of the de-partment affiliates andNEA At-Large Board ofDirectors members shallbe ex officio memberswithout the right to voteor to make motions.]The following TSTAmembers shall be ex of-ficio members of theBoard of Directors with-out the right to vote orto make motions: NEAExecutive Committeemembers elected by theNEA RA; NEA At-LargeBoard of Directorsmembers elected by theNEA RA; NEA Direc-tors elected by NEA-R;and NEA Directorselected by NEA-SP.

Maker: Constitution, Bylawsand Elections Committee

Rationale: Same as intent

Vote Required: Two-Thirds(2/3rds)

Financial Impact: None

5INTENT: To clarify lan-guage so that the an-

nouncement of candidates run-ning for TSTA Office and/orNEA Director shall be pub-lished in an every memberpublication in the first issueafter the close of filing.

Article VIII, The StateHouse of DelegatesSection 5. Functions

The state House of Delegatesshall:

A. Act as the highest decision-making body of TSTA ex-cept when these Bylawsgive exclusive powers to theBoard of Directors orofficers;

B. Adopt the rules and agendafor the state House ofDelegates;

C. Provide for the election ofthe President and Vice Pres-ident at the state House ofDelegates;

Nomination and Election

1. Nominations for the of-fice of President, VicePresident, NEA Directorand Alternate NEA Di-rector shall be by openfiling with the ExecutiveDirector no later thanSeptember 15.

2. Announcement of thosefiling for office shall bepublished [in the monthprior to election,] in [an]the first every-memberpublication with a copydeadline after the closeof filing.

3. The election shall beheld at the state House ofDelegates. In the eventthat only one candidatefiles for TSTA President,Vice President or NEADirector then that indi-vidual shall be declaredthe winner and no ballotshall be printed.

4. The election committeeof the Association ap-pointed by the Presidentshall tabulate all ballotsand the chairperson ofthe Election Committeeshall certify the results of

the election to the TSTAHouse of Delegates.

5. In the event no candidatein a race receives a ma-jority vote, a runoff willbe conducted betweenthe two candidates re-ceiving the highest num-ber of votes using thesame procedures as es-tablished for the firstballoting.

6. The Board of Directorsshall establish timelinesand procedures forelections.

D. Provide for the election ofthe NEA Director and Alter-nate NEA Director, by NEAmembers only who areelected delegates, at thestate House of Delegates;

Nomination and Election

1. Nominations for the of-fice of President, VicePresident, NEA Directorand Alternate NEA Di-rector shall be by openfiling with the ExecutiveDirector no later thanSeptember 15.

2. Announcement of thosefiling for office shall bepublished [in the monthprior to election,] in [an]the first every-memberpublication with a copydeadline after the closeof filing.

3. The election shall beheld at the state House ofDelegates. In the eventthat only one candidatefiles for TSTA President,Vice President or NEADirector then that indi-vidual shall be declaredthe winner and no ballotshall be printed.

4. All voting members whohave been properly certi-fied to the state House of

Delegates and who areNEA members may beeligible to vote in theelection of NEA Directorand Alternate NEA Di-rector.

5. The election committeeof the Association ap-pointed by the Presidentshall tabulate all ballotsand the chairperson ofthe Election Committeeshall certify the results ofthe election to the stateHouse of Delegates.

6. In the event no candidatein a race receives a ma-jority vote, a runoff willbe conducted betweenthe two candidates re-ceiving the highest num-ber of votes using thesame procedures as es-tablished for the firstballoting.

7. The Board of Directorsshall establish timelinesand procedures forelections.

E. Establish goals consistentwith the Charter and theseBylaws;

F. Amend these Bylaws;

G. Receive reports and act onrecommendations of the of-ficers, the Board of Direc-tors and the statewide andspecial committees;

H. Authorize expendituresfrom the Permanent Fundof TSTA by a three-fourths(3/4) vote; and

I. Enact other measures asmay be necessary to achievethe goals and objectives ofTSTA.

Maker: 2003 State House ofDelegates

Rationale: Same as intent

Vote Required: Majority

Financial Impact: None

SPRING 2004 15

Rita C. HaeckerProfessional Training: Univer-sity of Texas at Austin, Decem-ber 1988, B.A. of Science inEducation; June 1990, Bilin-gual Endorsement

Professional Experience:Austin ISD, August 2002-03,Consultation Chairperson; Au-gust 2000-03, Joint InsuranceCommittee Chairperson; Au-gust 2002-03, CharitableChoice Fund, Inc. president

Professional Education Asso-ciations: National EducationAssociation, National CouncilUrban Education Association,Texas State Teachers Associa-tion, Texas Association forBilingual Education, NationalAssociation of BilingualEducation, American Federa-tion of Teachers, Texas Federa-tion of Teachers

Offices Held: Local: EducationAustin, Vice President, 1999-2003; Austin Association ofTeachers, Vice President, 1998-99. State: TSTA Region 27 VicePresident, 1998-2000; TSTARegion 2E, President, 2000-03; NEA Resolutions Commit-tee member, Texas ElectedRepresentative, 2000-03

Campaign Statement: Teach-ers and Educational SupportProfessionals in Texas deservea strong, experienced voice toarticulate their interests at thenational level. As your electedrepresentative on the NEA Res-olutions Committee for the pastthree years, I have gained theexpertise to be that voice.

My 14 years as a classroomteacher and ten years as localelected officer and TSTA Re-gion President, gives me a broadperspective of local and state-wide issues. As a local TSTAleader I successfully negotiatedagreements on health care, pro-fessional development and sti-pends that have made a differ-ence for our TSTA members.

As your NEA Director, I will usemy abilities as a proven leaderto represent you. I ask for yoursupport in electing me NEADirector for Texas, Place 1.

Russell BryantProfessional Training: Mid-western State University, 1987,B.B.A.; 1994, teacher certifica-tion; 2002, M.Ed.

Professional Experience: Wi-chita Falls ISD, 1994-present,teacher-elementary

Professional Education Asso-ciations: Texas State TeachersAssociation; Association of Su-pervision and Curriculum De-velopment; Phi Delta Kappa

Offices Held: Wichita Falls Ed-ucators Association, President,1998-2000; Region 21, Presi-dent, 2000-2002; Region 4B,President, 2002-present; TSTABudget Committee, Vice Chair,

2000-2003; TSTA AdvisoryCommittee, present

Campaign Statement: I madethe decision to become an ed-ucator because of the impor-tance and value of education toeveryone. My passion for andcommitment to public educationand my students is the reason Ihave spent my entire career asa member of TSTA/NEA. Thereis no other organization so ded-icated to the idea that everychild deserves a quality educa-tion and every employee inpublic school deserves respect,just compensation, and apositive environment in whichto work. I have actively servedat all levels of TSTA/NEA. Ihave served on the TSTA Boardof Directors for four years andhave actively represented thestudents and educators I rep-resent. I am now asking for theopportunity to use my experi-ence, passion, and commit-ment to represent the publiceducation employees of Texason the NEA Board of Directors,Place 1. I promise to listen welland provide responsible, rea-soned representation.

16 TSTA ADVOCATE

For the first time since the change in the TSTA Bylaws callingfor NEA Directors to be elected by delegates to the TSTA

House of Delegates, there is a contested election for NEA Director,Place 1.

While we have held elections for at-large positions to the TSTABoard at previous Houses of Delegates, this will be the highestlevel election conducted at the HoD.

We hope for a smooth election process, but we encouragedelegates to arrive in plenty of time to get registered and vote.

Delegates must have their credentials with them in order to vote.Registration will be open Friday from 7 a.m. until the end of the

first General Session (usually between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.). On Sat-urday, registration will open again at 6:30 a.m. Regional caucusesare scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., with voting from 8:15to 9:00. If you plan on arriving to register on Saturday morning,be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to get registered and vote.

Here are the statements from the two excellent leaders seekingelection to the NEA Director for Texas, Place 1 position.

TSTA House of Delegates to elect NEA Director

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Be sure to bring your credentials with you andarrive in plenty of time to register and vote.

One of the “core values” forTSTA is that certain groups

(minorities and ESPs) shouldbe insured an appropriate voicein the organization, while othergroups (administrators) shouldnot be allowed to have influ-ence beyond their numbers.TSTA has adopted Bylaws andpolicies to insure that the orga-nization operates in a way thatreflects this value.

Under the policies, we do acalculation each year to deter-mine what proportion of ourmembership is in each of thosethree (3) categories, based onthe May 31 membership num-bers. TSTA membership shows23.8% of our members as eth-nic minorities, 11.2% as ESPsand 3.3% as supervisory. Witha Board of 25 (President, VicePresident, Regional Presidents,NEA Directors for Texas), thatmeans TSTA must have at leastsix (6) minorities and three (3)ESPs, and one (1) supervisor.

Just considering continuingmembers for 2004-05, we havenine ethnic minority Boardmembers. Therefore, no addi-tional action is required fromthe Board of Directors to reflectthe proper balance of ethnic-minority members. Both edu-cational support at-large Boardmembers’ terms go anotheryear and one educational sup-port regional president is con-tinuing. Therefore, there willbe no need to hold an electionfor an educational support at-large member.

The term of the supervisoryat-large Board member is expir-ing so the State House of Dele-gates will need to elect a super-visory at-large Board member.Therefore, TSTA must seeknominations now for a supervi-sory at-large Board member.The election will be held at the2004 House of Delegates on

April 24. The person electedwill serve July 15, 2004through July 14, 2006.

The TSTA Board of DirectorsPolicy EP-14 stipulates that allnomination forms must bemailed to TSTA by CERTI-FIED MAIL WITH RETURNRECEIPT REQUESTED,FAXED, OR DELIVERED INPERSON WITH A RECEIPTISSUED BY TSTA BY THEDEADLINE ESTABLISHEDEACH YEAR IN THE ELEC-TION TIMELINE ADOPTEDBY THE BOARD OF DIREC-TORS as stated below. Nomi-nation forms that are re-ceived through the regularmail will not be accepted andwill be returned to the sender.

Based on TSTA’s Bylaws, TSTAwill mail a packet to each per-son who files a form detailingthe responsibilities of a Boardmember. The packet also willcontain a form the candidatemust sign and return stating thecandidate has read the packetand will accept the responsibil-ities if elected. The candidatestatement form does not have tobe returned with the nomina-tion form, but must be signed

and returned before ballots aredistributed and within thetimeline as stated in this article.

Please make sure that theSUPERVISORY NOMINATIONFORM with this article isCOMPLETELY filled out andSIGNED by the nominee. Inorder to comply with the ap-proved Election Timeline, can-didates will need to complywith the following timeline:➤April 2 (Friday): Deadline forreceipt of flyers to be includedin delegate packets.➤April 5 (Monday): Nomina-tion Form postmark deadline ifmailed by certified mail withreturn receipt requested.➤April 8 (Thursday): Nomina-tion Form receipt deadline of4:45 p.m. for filing by fax or inperson.➤April 15 (Friday): 4:45 p.m.deadline for receipt of signedstatement by candidate.➤April 24 (Saturday): Electionto be held at the TSTA StateHouse of Delegates.➤April 24 (Saturday): RunoffElection (if necessary) at theTSTA State House of Delegates.

Qualifications:

➤Be actively engaged in the

education profession withinthe state at the time of election➤Have held Active, TSTA-R,ESP, TFA, or any combinationof Active, ESP, TSTA-R andTFA or life membership inTSTA for at least three consecu-tive years preceding election➤Be actively employed as asupervisory member➤Maintain membership statusand educational position inTSTA during term of office ➤Sign and return the form ac-cepting the responsibilities of aBoard member

If mailing a nomination form,send by certified mail with re-turn receipt to TSTA’s Centerfor Executive and Governance,316 West 12th Street, Austin,TX 78701 or fax to 512-486-7053. Hand delivered nomina-tion forms must be received bythe Center for Executive andGovernance with a handwritten receipt being issued.Questions regarding the elec-tion are to be directed to theCenter for Executive and Gov-ernance by calling 877-ASK-TSTA, ext. 1514 or 1510, oremailing sandras@tsta.org orconnier@tsta.org.

N O M I N AT I O N F O R M

TSTA Board of Directors Supervisory At-Large PositionI am filing for a supervisory position and certify that I am a supervisory member of TSTA.

Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________City____________________State_________ Zip_________

Home Phone____________________________________ Day Phone _______________________________________

Local Assn._____________________________________ Soc. Sec. #_______________________________________

Email__________________________________________ Position__________________________________________

Work Site_______________________________________ School District____________________________________

When mailing by certified mail, the nomination form must be postmarked on or before April 5 with re-turn receipt requested. Mail to: TSTA, Center for Executive and Governance, 316 West 12th Street,Suite 510, Austin, Texas 78701.

If faxing or delivering in person, the nomination form must be received on April 8 by 4:45 p.m. byTSTA’s Center for Executive and Governance with a return receipt being issued. Fax to 512-486-7053 orhand deliver to Suite 510 at TSTA Headquarters, 316 West 12th Street in Austin.

Signature of Nominee _____________________________________________________________________________

Election of TSTA supervisory at-large Board of Directors member

SPRING 2004 17

18 TSTA ADVOCATE

he 2004 NEA Repre-sentative Assembly will beheld at the Washington

Convention Center inWashington, DC. The TexasDelegation to the 2004 NEARepresentative Assembly willbe housed at the HyattRegency Crystal City Hotel inArlington, Virginia. The hotelis adjacent to Washington’sReagan National Airport.

The hotel is convenientlylocated to Metro rapid transit,nearby shopping and restau-rants. Texas delegates attend-ing the NEA RepresentativeAssembly will want to viewTSTA’s web site,www.tsta.org, for up-to-dateinformation on lodging,

travel, delegate night outevent and Texas’ “official uni-form” order form.

TRANSPORTATIONWashington is serviced by

three area airports and Am-trak. Baltimore-WashingtonInternational (BWI) airport isabout 40 miles away; Dulles is27 miles; and Reagan Nationalis next to the Hyatt RegencyCrystal City Hotel with thePotomac River being on thefar side of the airport. Amtrak’sUnion Station is downtownand about four miles away.

The hotel offers FREEshuttle to/from Reagan Na-tional Airport. Directions onthe Baggage Claim level of

the Reagan airport will pointyou to the shuttle stop.

Cab fares are approximately$70 to downtown DC fromBWI and Dulles and no morethan $15 from Reagan Na-tional. Cab fare from ReaganNational to the Texas delega-tion hotel, Hyatt RegencyCrystal City, is $6.

If you choose to use theMetro (www.wmata.com) thehours of operation on Metro-rail start at 5:30 a.m. week-days and at 7 a.m. on week-ends. Metrorail closes atmidnight (3 a.m. on Fridayand Saturday). Remember toverify the departure time forthe last train from the stationyou plan to use. Metrorail

fares and passes range from$1.20 to $3.60. Non-rushhour, evening and weekendprices are lower than rushhour prices. The largestamount of change the ticketmachines give is $5. One-daypasses are $6 and allow un-limited rail travel on week-days after 9:30 a.m. and allday on weekends. One-weekpasses are $30 and allow un-limited rail travel for sevenconsecutive days. The Metro-rail system uses a farecardsystem to collect fares. Thefarecard is a lightweight card,with a magnetic strip on theback. It records where youenter and exit the system, andremembers the remaining fare

NEA Representative AssemblyJuly 2-7, 2004, Washington, D.C.

Washington D.C. Convention Center, photo by MH Concepts

T

SPRING 2004 19

left on the card. Farecards arepurchased from machines lo-cated at the station entrance.These machines accept coins,bills up to $20 and mostmajor credit and debit cards(Visa, Mastercard and Dis-cover). If you are taking theMetrorail to the Hyatt RegencyCrystal City, you will take theBlue or Yellow line to the Crys-tal City Station. Take the esca-lators from the station up to thestreet. Once you are at the topof the escalators, turn to the lefttoward the brown Metro sign.The Hyatt shuttles stop at thecorner (look for the White/RedShuttle sign) every half hour.For pick-up at the Metro, youmay call the hotel directly at703-418-1234. The Metrorailcost is $1.15 to the hotel.

Southwest Airlines, in co-operation with TSTA, is offer-ing attendees who choose tofly into Baltimore-Washing-ton International airport forthe 2004 NEA RA/Conven-tion a 10% discount on mostof its already low fares for airtravel to and from the event.You or your travel agent maycall Southwest Airlines Groupand Meetings Reservations at800-433-5368 and referencethe assigned ID Code M0346.Reservation Sales Agents areavailable 7:00 a.m. to 8:00p.m. Monday through Fridayor 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat-urday and Sunday, CentralStandard Time. These dis-counted rates are not avail-able on the Internet. Youmust make reservations fiveor more days prior to travelto take advantage of this offer.

If attendees are driving, theHyatt Regency Crystal CityHotel provides 300 spaceswith in and out privileges atthe cost of $22. The hourly

rate is $6.00. An attendant ison duty.

CAR RENTALReceive discounted car

rental rates by logging ontoTSTA’s web site and clickingon Member Benefits to re-quest a rental car identifica-tion card or calling TSTA’sMember Benefits office at800-364-8622. Delegates willneed a rental car identifica-tion card in order to receivediscounted car rental rateswith Advantage, Alamo, Avis,Budget, Dollar or Hertz.Please call early enough forTSTA to provide you with thecard by return mail.

HOTEL RESERVATIONSThe lodging form is located

on page 21. Friday, May 21,2004, is the deadline for re-ceiving the form in the Centerfor Executive and Gover-nance. It is very importantthat you submit your lodgingrequest forms as early as pos-sible. All rooms will be assignedon a first-come, first-servedbasis. Iowa, North Carolinaand South Carolina delega-tions will also be housed atthe Hyatt Regency CrystalCity Hotel.

Mail lodging forms to theattention of the OrganizingCenter for Executive andGovernance, Texas StateTeachers Association, 316West 12th Street, Austin,Texas 78701 or FAX them to512-486-7053. Do not con-tact the hotel directly. Reserva-tions must be made throughthe Organizing Center forExecutive and Governance.

You MUST include a creditcard number or check withyour reservation for onenight’s deposit in order toguarantee your reservation.

All deposits are fully refundableif reservation is cancelled within72 hours prior to arrival. If anincomplete credit card num-ber or no credit card and/orcheck is submitted, reserva-tions will not be made.

TEXAS CAUCUSMEETINGS

The first Texas Caucusmeeting is scheduled for Fri-day, July 2, at 1:00 p.m. AllTexas Caucus meetings willbe held at the Hyatt RegencyCrystal City Hotel.

TEXAS NIGHTTSTA is again coordinating

for the Texas delegates a“Night Out” on July 2. At thistime, TSTA is consideringtheater tickets at the KennedyCenter. However, other op-tions are also available andare being researched. As plansare finalized, delegates willreceive information on howto order ticket(s). It is esti-mated that the cost for Texasdelegates will be approxi-mately $30. Keep monitoringthe TSTA web site for themost up-to-date information.

CLUSTERINGTO ELECT NEADELEGATES

Delegate allocations arebased on NEA membership asof January 15, 2004. NEA lo-cal affiliates are allocated dele-gates on a ratio of one dele-gate for each 150 (or majorfraction thereof) active, NEAlife, and educational supportmembers of NEA. Thus, localassociations with 75 or fewerNEA members must clusterto elect an NEA delegate. Ifyour local association has 75or fewer NEA members and isinterested in clustering toelect an NEA delegate, you

must contact your regionalpresident for assistance. Clus-ter forms are due at TSTAHeadquarters, OrganizingCenter for Executive andGovernance, by May 5.

THE TEXAS TRADITIONTexas delegates capture the

eyes of the entire nation ateach NEA Representative As-sembly. The uniform for allTexas delegates will be aTexas Vest or Texas Shirt(Texas Flag with a white staron the right front side of thevest or shirt) with white ornavy blue pants/skirt/dress/shorts (no stone washedjeans). Delegates may orderthe “Texas Vest” by submit-ting in writing to the Orga-nizing Center for Executiveand Governance the appro-priate size (Small, Medium,Large, X-Large, 2XL, 3XL and4XL) and a check madepayable to TSTA in theamount of $37.50. TSTA willnot accept phone orders. Anorder form is printed withthis article and will be in theMay mailing to delegates. Itmay also be found on TSTA’sweb site. Deadline for receiptof ALL Texas Vest orders isMay 14. The Texas Vests willbe available for pickup at thefirst Texas Caucus meeting onJuly 2. The official Texas uni-form is worn on the days thatthe NEA RA is in Session(July 4-7). All Texas delegatesare expected to wear the offi-cial “uniform.”

TENTATIVEPRE-ANNUALMEETING EVENTSCHEDULE

The tentative Pre-AnnualMeeting Event Schedule islisted on page 20.

20 TSTA ADVOCATE

TENTATIVE MEETING EVENT SCHEDULE

The schedule outlines all of the activities of the 2004 NEA Convention. Information packets will be mailed to allTexas delegates in early May. The first Texas delegation meeting is scheduled for July 2 at 1:00 p.m.

PRE-CONVENTION SCHEDULESunday, June 278:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m...............Student Leadership Conference

Monday, June 288:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Ethnic Leaders Meetings8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m...............Student Leadership ConferenceNoon–5:00 p.m. ....................National Council of Urban

Education Associations Meeting2:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. .............NEA-Retired Annual Meeting

Tuesday, June 298:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Student Leadership Conference8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............NEA–Retired Annual Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............National Council of Urban

Education Associations Meeting9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Joint Conference on Concerns of

Women and Minorities9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Resolutions Editing Committee

MeetingWednesday, June 307:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. ..............Women’s Issues Hearing8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m...............Joint Conference on Concerns of

Women and Minorities8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............NEA–Retired Annual Meeting9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon ...........The NEA Fund for Children and

Public Education Meeting9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m...............National Council of Urban

Education Associations Meeting9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m...............Constitution, Bylaws and Rules

Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Resolutions Editing Committee

Meeting1:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. .............National Council of State Education

Associations Meeting4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. .............Constitution, Bylaws & Rules

Committee Meeting w/ Candidatesfor NEA Office

Thursday, July 18:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Men's Issues Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Candidates Interview Day9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Resolutions Committee Meeting11:15 a.m.–5:00 p.m.............Board of Directors Meeting3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. .............Credentials Committee Meeting

Friday, July 28:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ............Open Hearing on Resolutions9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Campaigning; Exhibits9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Delegate, Successor Delegate,

Non–Delegate Registration9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m...............Read Across America Read-In1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. .............Texas State Delegation Meeting4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. .............Special Interest Caucus Meetings4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. .............National Council for Higher

Education Conference4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. .............National Council for Educational

Support Professionals7:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m. ...........Special Guests' DinnerEvening .................................Texas Night Out

Saturday, July 3All Day ..................................Campaigning7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ..............State Delegation Meetings9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Delegate, Successor Delegate,

Non–Delegate Registration9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Exhibits9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon .........Open Hearing on Budget &

Strategic Planning 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.............Resolutions Committee MeetingNoon–1:00 p.m. ....................Special Interest Caucus Meetings1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. .............Legislative Open Hearing1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. .............Open Hearing on Constitution,

Bylaws and Rules2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. .............Elections Committee Meeting5:00 p.m................................Board of Directors Meeting6:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. ...........Human and Civil Rights Awards

Dinner

CONVENTION SCHEDULESunday, July 4All Day ..................................Campaigning7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ..............State Delegation Meetings9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. ............Exhibits9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Delegate Registration9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. ............Special Interest Caucus Meetings11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.............Representative Assembly

Monday, July 57:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ..............State Delegation Meetings8:30 a.m.–12:00 noon ...........Voting for Officers9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Delegate Registration9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Profit Fundraising Activities9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ............Special Interest Caucus Meetings10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.............Representative AssemblyLUNCH BREAK.....................Special Interest Caucus Meetings7:30 p.m.–12:00 a.m.............Friendship Night

Tuesday, July 67:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ..............State Delegation Meetings8:30 a.m.–12:00 noon ...........Voting on Amendments and Runoff

Elections (if necessary)9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Delegate Registration9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Profit Fundraising Activities9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ............Special Interest Caucus Meetings10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.............Representative AssemblyLUNCH BREAK.....................Special Interest Caucus Meetings

Wednesday, July 77:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ..............State Delegation Meetings9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon ...........Non–Delegate Registration9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Credentials Committee Meeting9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m...............Non–Profit Fundraising Activities9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ............Special Interest Caucus Meetings10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.............Representative AssemblyLUNCH BREAK.....................Special Interest Caucus Meetings

SPRING 2004 21

HOTEL REGISTRATION FORM FOR NEA CONVENTION DELEGATES

July 2–7, 2004 • Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VirginiaComplete all requested information and return to TSTA by May 21, 2004. Check-in time 3:00 p.m.—Check-out time 12:00 noon.

DO NOT CONTACT THE HOTEL DIRECTLY

HYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITY ROOM RATE (Texas Delegation Hotel) _____ Single room (1 person—1 bed)...........................................$135.002799 Jefferson Hwy. _____ Double room (2 people—2 beds)........................................$135.00Arlington, VA 22202 _____ Triple room (3 people—2 beds) ..........................................$145.00Phone: 703-418-1234 _____ Quad room (4 people—2 beds) ..........................................$155.00Fax: 703-418-1289 _____ Rollaway (___ people @ $10 per additional person)

Cut-off date for ALL rooms and room rate is May 21, 2004. All rooms are subject to a 9.75% room tax.Rooms not booked through TSTA may be charged at the hotel rack rate.

I will arrive (June/July) ______________________________________, 2004 at _____________ (a.m./p.m.) and I will depart July ____________, 2004.

Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address, City, State, Zip: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day phone: _________________________________________________________ Evening phone: ___________________________________________

Home email: ________________________________________________________ School email:______________________________________________

List ALL individuals per room (one name per line) and accommodations desired: Circle Room No. 1 Circle Room No. 2

Room Type Room Type

Single 1. _______________________________________________ Single 1._______________________________________________

Double 2. _______________________________________________ Double 2._______________________________________________

Triple 3. _______________________________________________ Triple 3._______________________________________________

Quad 4. _______________________________________________ Quad 4._______________________________________________

First night’s room and tax is due upon receipt of reservation. Deposits can be made by major credit cards or check. Make check payable to Hyatt Regency Crystal City.Should cancellation be necessary, you must advise the hotel 72 hours prior to your arrival date. If the hotel is not advised, you will be responsible to pay for spaceheld.

Approved major credit card: _________________________________________________________________ Exp. date:__________________________

Credit card #:_____________________________________________________ Name on card:______________________________________________

Return to: TSTA Organizing Center for Executive and Governance, 316 W. 12th St., Austin 78701, fax 512-486-7053

TEXAS VEST ORDER FORM

NEA Representative Assembly, July 4-7, 2004NUMBER OF UNISEX VESTS BEING ORDERED AT $37.50 PER VEST:

SMALL:________ MEDIUM:________ LARGE:________ XL:________ 2XL:________ 3XL:________ 4XL:________

IF YOU WISH TO SPECIFY AN EXACT SIZE, PLEASE COMPLETE BELOW:

CHEST: _________________ WAIST: _________________ HIPS: _________________ CHEST: (Base of neck to waist)_____________________

All vests will be available for pick up at the first Texas Caucus meeting on July 2. If you wish to have your vest mailed to you, you will be charged anadditional fee of $2.50 per vest to cover shipping costs.

________ I will pick up the vest(s) at the first Texas Caucus Meeting, July 2.

________ Please mail the vest(s) and I understand that I must pay the shipping fee of $2.50 per vest.

Total amount included: $_____________________________________

Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address, City, State, Zip: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day phone: __________________________________________________________ Evening phone: ___________________________________________

Home email: ________________________________________________________ School email:______________________________________________

ORDERS AND CHECKS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN MAY 14, 2004:TSTA Organizing Center for Executive and Governance, 316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX 78701

22 TSTA ADVOCATE

In past years, ballots for State Delegates were mailed to local associa-

tions and the locals con-ducted the election and re-turned the results to TSTA.

This year the ballots areprinted in this issue of theAdvocate. There is a separateballot for each region and TexasFaculty Association (TFA)and another ballot for state-wide Category II. You musthave an NEA membershipcategory to be eligible to vote.

HOW TO VOTE

1.Turn to page 25 of thisissue. Remove the entire

page by cutting or tearingalong the dotted line.

2.If you are not surewhich TSTA region is

yours, check the mailing labelon the back cover of the mag-azine. In the upper left corneryou will find one number andone letter (e.g., 2C) or TFA.This is your TSTA region.You will need that label toverify your right to vote.

3.On the page that youremoved from the

Advocate, find the ballot foryour region. The number ofdelegates for each region isdetermined on the basis ofthe one-person, one-voteprinciple. The ballot for yourregion will tell you how manyvotes you may cast. You mayvote for the printed name(s),or you may write in a nameand vote for the write-in.

4.Mark only the sectionsof the ballot that are for

Category II and for your re-gion. Seal it in an envelope.

5.To preserve the secrecyof your ballot, seal that

sealed envelope inside a sec-ond envelope.

6.Peel the label off theback cover of the mag-

azine and use it as the re-turn address by affixing itto the outside envelope. Ad-dress and mail the envelope to:

TSTA Election316 W. 12th StreetAustin, TX 78701

If the label is not attached,the vote will not be counted.Some locals may be encour-aging members to vote bycollecting the sealed en-velopes and mailing a groupof envelopes together. This isacceptable, so check withyour local president to see ifyour local is doing this.Whether you mail it your-self or your local collectsand mails envelopes, bal-lots must be received atTSTA headquarters in

Austin by 5 p.m. on Friday,April 16, 2004.

Some of the candidatesrunning for State Delegateprovided statements that youwill find below. TSTA policyprovides for printing state-ments from those candidateswho file such a statement be-fore the established deadline.TSTA policy also providesthat any candidate may havean observer present when theElections Committee can-vasses the ballots on April 17at the TSTA building inAustin. Please contact Connieor Sandra at 1-877-ASK-TSTA if you want an observer.

CANDIDATESTATEMENTS

Below is a listing of allnominees with their Profes-sional Involvement State-ments, if they provided one:

Category II

➤Rose Champion, Hispanic.I have been a member ofAOBE/TSTA/NEA for 20 plusyears. Served on ExecutiveBoard as Membership Chairand Administrator on Execu-tive Board for 2003-2004.

➤Guadalupe Y. Morales,Hispanic. Joined TSTA as ateacher in 1963 and bought alifetime membership. Asclassroom teacher, servedas treasurer, secretary andvice-president of the localassociation.

➤James (Jim) R. Wells,Caucasian. Joined TSTA1948. Held and served posi-

PLEASE NOTE:There iis aan iimportant cchange tthis

year iin tthe mmanner iin wwhich TTSTA

elects SState DDelegates tto tthe NNEA

Representative AAssembly.

Please remember to

peel the label off the

back of this magazine

and place it as the

return address on the

outer envelope that

contains your ballot. If

you forget your label,

your vote will not be

counted. To protect

the secrecy of your

ballot, seal it inside

one envelope and

place that inside

another envelope to

mail to TSTA. If you

have questions, call

877-ASK-TSTA.

Vote here for NEA delegates

SPRING 2004 23

tions of Leadership both ac-tive and retired-local-state-national. First PresidentTSTA-Retired. Please elect meas your delegate.

➤Bobbie Duncan, Caucasian.My experiences as both an ac-tive and retired member andmy continued local advocacyqualify me to represent theentire membership on NEAissues. Thanks!

Region 1A

➤Alberto Villarreal, Jr., His-panic. No Statement Provided.

Region 1C

➤Eliza M. Garcia, Hispanic.No Statement Provided.

Region 1D

➤Beth Shellenberg, Cau-casian. Building Representa-tive, SATC Board of Directors,SATC/AFT merger team, Al-liance Executive Councilmember, local PAC.

➤Gracie Oviedo, Hispanic.Editor of SATC Now newslet-ter, SATC Treasurer,SATC/AFT merger team,TSTA CIA state committee,Alliance Treasurer, Alliance-Consultation Team member.

Region 2A

➤Leah Osborne. I recentlywent to the Ambassador’sAcademy. I realized at thatmeeting the importance ofour association and what itcan do for our members.

➤Delia Camacho, Hispanic.Your vote is greatly appreci-ated! Qualifications: NEAWomen’s Caucus Chair, NEAWomen’s Issues CommitteeMember, PAC Council Repre-sentative—NEA Fund forChildren & Public Education.

Region 2B

➤Gilbert F. De La Rosa,

Hispanic. I’ve representedTexas as a delegate and haveworked hard to representyou. I would appreciate theopportunity to representTexas again. Vote for Gilbert.

Region 2C

➤John T. Duncan, Caucasian.No Statement Provided.

Region 2D

➤Gloria Bryant-McCoy,Black. I have been a teacherfor the past 34 years and

would like to be a delegatefor the convention.

Region 2E

➤Felecia Owens, Black. I haveserved in offices on my localand region level and am cur-rently on the CIA committee.

➤Rae Nwosu, Black. I cur-rently serve as an ExecutiveBoard member for EducationAustin. I also was a partici-pant in the TSTA AmbassadorTraining last year.

➤Louis Malfaro. President,Education Austin; President,Austin Central Labor Coun-cil; VP, Texas AFL-CIO; Mem-ber, AFT Program and PolicyCouncil; Member, TSTA-TFTMerger Team.

➤Rita Haecker, Hispanic. Icurrently serve as TSTA Re-gion 2E President and VicePresident of EducationAustin. I’ve also served as amember of the NEA Resolu-tions Committee.

The Delegate StoryNEA Bylaws and policies determine the allocation of delegates to the NEA RA.

TSTA is allocated one delegate for every 1,000 NEA active and educational sup-

port members. Allocation and election of these delegates must comply with the

NEA requirements about open nominations, secret ballots and the one-person,

one-vote principle.

TSTA policy allows the TSTA Board to determine whether to elect the delegates by

Region or in one statewide election, or in some combination of those methods.

The Board has determined to elect as many by Regions as we can, consistent with

the NEA requirements.

TSTA is allocated 37 state delegates. One of those is reserved for the state Vice-

President (the State President also is an automatic delegate, but does not count

against our total allocation). Based on proportional representation, three delegates

must be elected as “Category II” delegates, representing supervisors and NEA

Active Retired members. That leaves 33 to be allocated by regions this year.

Local associations are allocated one delegate for each 150 active and educational

support NEA members or major fraction thereof. Locals with fewer than 76 NEA

members may cluster to form delegate units. Presidents of locals that have 76 or

more members should receive from NEA in late February the number of delegates

to be elected to the 2004 NEA Representative Assembly with an accompanying

form that is due at TSTA by April 10 and a copy of guidelines to assure propor-

tional representation by educational position. Local presidents should send the

state and NEA copies of the local delegate report forms to TSTA as soon as possi-

ble after they conduct their local NEA delegate elections or by April 10.

One of the core values for both NEA and TSTA is appropriate representation for

ethnic minority members. Locals are encouraged to seek and elect ethnic minori-

ties as delegates to help TSTA meet our goals for ethnic minority representation.

➤Shirleta Jackson. I havebeen an NEA/TSTA memberfor over twenty-five years.TSTA programs have affordedme opportunities to representand serve campus andcommunity.

➤Relaine Reeves, Caucasian.I serve as Region 2E Secre-tary. I also serve on the Edu-cation Austin Executive Boardand the Joint InsuranceCommittee.

➤Brenda Urps-Williams,Black. I have been an activemember in the association atthe local, state and nationallevel for over 18 years.

➤Karen Barnes, Caucasian. Iserve as a member of the Dis-trict Consultation Team. Ialso serve as a member of theEducation Austin ExecutiveBoard.

➤Bill Arteaga, Hispanic. Icurrently serve on the Edu-cation Austin ExecutiveBoard. I have representedESP’s on many local and statecommittees.

Region 3B

➤Lucy Reza-Morales, His-panic. AEA elections chairand former local president,region executive board, statecommittee—Constitution &Bylaws, former chair TSTAWomen’s Caucus, serve onvarious TEA/EXCETcommittees

➤Joyce Roberta Miller-Alper.JR is a combination of institu-tional memory and vision forour region and state. Reelect aleader of over 18 years thatreflects YOUR views.

Region 3D

➤Davey G. Vela, Hispanic. Amember for 30 years, andhave served as a NEA dele-

gate 15 years. Please send aqualified person to NEA.

➤Diane Wilkerson, Cau-casian. I’ve been an activemember of the Conroe Edu-cation Association TSTA/NEAserving as Association Build-ing Representative, local andregional officer and on stateboard.

➤Roseanna Rawlins, Cau-casian. I am Western RegionalDirector of the Peace and Jus-tice Caucus, a national boardfor NEA. I work against high-stakes testing and appreciateyour vote.

Region 3E

➤Rebecca Veazey. I haveserved as local and regionalpresident, state budget com-mittee for three terms, cur-rently local grievance chair-person, membershipchairperson, state legislativecadre member.

➤Bettie J. Curtis, Black.Served on the State ExecutiveBoard for eight years, at-tended many NEA Conven-tions, and was the first Blackto serve as District V TSTAPresident.

Region 3F

➤Winifred Jackson, Black. Iam an activist for childrenand education. I currentlyserve as President of Region3F and Longview Educators.I’ve served on various statecommittees.

➤Cathy DeCloux, Caucasian.No Statement Provided.

Region 4A

➤A. “Andy” Cleveland. Hav-ing taught through manychanges in education theNEA convention allows me tosee, hear and share what’s

new coming “down the edu-cational pike.”

➤A. Dayne Antwine, Ameri-can Indian/Alaska Native. NoStatement Provided.

➤James D. Harris, Caucasian.No Statement Provided.

➤Loretta Wheeler, AmericanIndian/Alaska Native. NoStatement Provided.

Region 4B

➤Russell Bryant, Caucasian.No Statement Provided.

➤Doris Hill, Caucasian. I ama TSTA/NEA member ofseven years; a TSTA Ambas-sador, 2003; State House ofDelegates; NEA Conventiondelegate; and a legislativecadre member.

Region 4D

➤Ethene L. Jones. A memberof TSTA for over 10 years.Continuous involvement inNew Member Recruitmentand Special Projects. “I lookforward to being a NEA dele-gate.”

➤Jay Frederick, Caucasian.CTD member—3-1/2 years;Building Rep—1-1/2 years;BoD—1 year; Most membersin my building of all schoolsin DISD; #1 recruiter withinCTD.

➤Donna Beimer, Caucasian.As a dedicated teacher andactive member for the past 30years, I would appreciateyour vote. I will work veryhard for the organization.

➤Mildred T. Savannah,Black. If elected, I will repre-sent all stakeholders in TSTA.All votes will be cast in thebest interest of the associationand my fellow members.

➤Esther A. Sebua, Asian. I

serve Dallas ISD’s District 5group of dedicated, talented,multicultural teachers andhope to represent them, theirconcerns and interests at thenational level.

➤Blanca E. Flores, Hispanic.I’m involved with CTD whereI’m on the BOD. I’m also aprofessional interpreter. I’vehelped with curriculum writ-ing and teacher assessmenton educational issues.

➤Ronald L. Savannah, Black.As a delegate to the NEA RA,my votes will be cast in ac-cordance with TSTA goalsand objectives.

➤Mary Deniece Smith, Black.I’m a nine year teacher fromDallas ISD. I’ve attended re-gional, state, and nationalconventions and enjoy learn-ing what is going on in myprofession.

➤Girtha Hunt, Black. I aminvolved in my local associa-tion. At the present time, Iserve as District Director,Area Representative and asgrievance liaison for mycampus.

➤Rebekah R. Cole, Black. Achild’s education shouldn’t betaken lightly. Children areempowered by educators, al-ways learning something new.Let’s not forget about the chil-dren. Keep THEM first!

Region 4E

➤Maritza M. Knight, Black &Hispanic. I am MaritzaKnight, a bilingual mathteacher, twice NEA conven-tion delegate and Human Re-lation Council Member. Letme be your voice at the Con-vention.➤Ila M. Gilstrap, Black. NoStatement Provided.

24 TSTA ADVOCATE

SPRING 2004 25

VOTE ONLY WITHIN YOUR REGION BY PLACING AN “X”BEFORE THE NAMES OF THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES.

TFAVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 1AVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Alberto Villarreal, Jr.

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 1BVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 1CVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Eliza M. Garcia

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 1DVote for up to four (4)

candidates.

___ Beth Shellenberg___ Gracie Oviedo

___ Write-in_______________

Local____________________ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 2AVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Leah Osborne___ Delia Camacho

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 2BVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Gilbert F. De La Rosa

___ Write-in_______________

Local_________________

REGION 2CVote for one (1) candidate.

___ John T. Duncan

___ Write-in_______________

Local _________________

REGION 2DVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Gloria Bryant-McCoy

___ Write-in_______________

Local _________________

REGION 2EVote for up to three (3)

candidates.

___ Felecia Owens

___ Rae Nwosu

___ Louis Malfaro

___ Rita Haecker

___ Shirleta Jackson

___ Relaine Reeves

___ Brenda Urps-Williams

___ Karen Barnes

___ Bill Arteaga

___ Write-in_______________

Local _________________

REGION 3AVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Write-in_______________

Local _________________

REGION 3BVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Lucy Reza-Morales

___ Joyce Roberta Miller-Alper

___ Write-in_______________

Local _________________

REGION 3CVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 3DVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Davey G. Vela

___ Diane Wilkerson

___ Roseanna Rawlins

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 3EVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Rebecca Veazey

___ Bettie J. Curtis

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 3FVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Winifred Jackson

___ Cathy DeCloux

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 4AVote for one (1) candidate.

___ A."Andy" Cleveland

___ A. Dayne Antwine

___ James D. Harris

___ Loretta Wheeler

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 4BVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Russell Bryant___ Doris Hill

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 4CVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Louise Watkins

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 4DVote for one (1) candidate.

___ Ethene L. Jones

___ Jay Frederick

___ Donna Beimer

___ Mildred T. Savannah

___ Esther A. Sebua

___ Blanca E. Flores

___ Ronald L. Savannah

___ Mary Deniece Smith

___ Girtha Hunt

___ Rebekah R. Cole

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

REGION 4EVote for up to two (2)

candidates.

___ Maritza M. Knight___ Ila M. Gilstrap

___ Write-in _______________

Local _________________

2004 STATE NEA DELEGATES ELECTED AT-LARGE

2004 STATE NEA DELEGATES ELECTED BY REGION

CATEGORY II MEMBER POSITIONS: To vote, place an “X” before the names of no more than three (3) candidates.

___ Rose Champion ___ Guadalupe Y. Morales ___ James (Jim) R. Wells ___ Bobbie Duncan ___ Jerry Watkins

___ Write-in _____________________________________________Local ___________________________________________________

BALLOT FOR STATE NEA DELEGATES

BALLOT VOID

Official b

allot is

provied in the

2004 Spring Adova

te

26 TSTA ADVOCATE

Visit www.neamb.com during February to win a $100 Gift Card.

THE NEW WWW. NEAMB. COM

WS480204

NewYear, NewSite,New Reasons to Visit.

www.neamb.com

The new NEA Member Benefits Web Site is more valuable than ever.Check out the redesigned neamb.com Web Site today. Now it’s easier to find out about allof the great products and services, giveaways, and information available to NEA members.Log on to the new Site today for:• Faster and easier navigation with better access to information• New TTools && TTips section with many different financial calculators and a wealth

of additional guidance exclusively for members• Enhanced pages for Insurance, Financial Services and Member Discount Programs• Expanded F r e e ff o r MM e m b e r s section featuring popular monthly giveaways and

other free member-only offers • Online account access, free classroom resources and more

SPRING 2004 27

GO FOR THE MAGICGO FOR THE MAGIC

4 Day / 3 Night

Disney/Epcot AreaHotel Package

Only$139

Monday thru Friday 9 AM - 8 PM E.T.

.... Saturday 9 AM - 12 NOON

AMERICAN EXPRESS

Card

For All 3 Nights

2 Adults & 2 Children

Vacations are a special time for everyone. With this offer, your major expense, lodging, is being offered to you at

a deep discount. You can now enjoy the exciting experience of Walt Disney World, Sea World, Epcot, MGM

Studios and Universal Studios. Within minutes of your accommodations, enjoy the splendor of the many

beautiful lakes, fishing, golfing, swimming, horseback riding and the beautiful citrus country of Central

Florida. Or enjoy the pool, spa, restaurants and nightclubs at your fingertips.

Hotels include: Red Roof Inns, Wynfield Inn, Ramada Inn, Quality

Inn, Holiday Inn, Summer Bay* and Island One*.

I A T A N

Endorsed By

ARC

Endorsed By

Take advantage of this exclusive offer by sending a $85.00 deposit plus $5.00 forshipping and handling by Apr. 30, 2004. Travel dates are good through Apr., 2005.

Attraction tickets available online at: www.exectourtravel.com/

For More Information

Call 1-800-272-4707

Full Service Cruise Agency

365 DAY

AVAILABILITY

Exclusive Travel Package Designed Especially For

To receive your reservation package, please send $85.00, plus $5.00 S & H. (Check, Money Order or Credit Card.)

Executive Tour & Travel, Inc.301 Indigo Drive • Daytona Beach, FL 32114

TSTA ACCT: # JK 13703-012

30 DAY ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIRED

The price includes 4 days / 3 nights hotel accommodations for 2 adults and 2 children up to 12 years of age. Room tax not included.Add $25.00 per room per night for holidays or if less than 30 days notice. Executive Tour and Travel Services is registered in the State

of Florida as a Seller of Travel. Florida Registration No. 22752. CST No. 2065118-40. Travel to Florida not included. *Tour required.

TSTAMEMBERS, FAMILIES & FRIENDS

Another

TSTA

Member Benefit

TSTA aand MMembers AAuto SServicesPreferred AAuto BBuying PProgram

Announce aan EExciting

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT!

To SSave tthe MMost MMoney (($$$)Shop wwith TTSTA’s PPreferred DDealer NNetwork

Our NEW preferred auto-buying

program can help TSTA mem-

bers save even more. Shop

online at www.tsta.org/benefits

to find a preferred dealer who

has agreed to offer a NO HAS-

SLE, NO HAGGLE price to TSTA

members. Visit the contact

person at any one of the follow-

ing preferred dealers to enjoy

great savings and incredible

service. Prefer the phone? Call

800-342-1617 for a personal

advisor to assist you in locating a

great deal on a new or pre-

owned vehicle. Check the web

site daily for dealers being

added—www.tsta.org/benefits.

AUSTINCharles Maund Toyota512-458-2222Bill Kipferbillkipfer@hotmail.comDavid McDavid Acura of Austin888- 4 My AcuraDoug Abramsdabrams@mcdavid.com

ARLINGTONHiley Mazda VW817-575-6000Brad Nutt (VW), Hurdie Burk (M)bradnutt@hileyvw.comhurdieburk@hileymazda.com

BRYAN – COLLEGE STATIONTom Light Chevrolet979-776-7000Bubba Dicksonbdickson@tomlight.com

CORPUS CHRISTIAllen Samuels Chevrolet361-884-5234Abe Feldafeld@asag.net

DALLASCrest Cadillac, Infiniti, Isuzu, Oldsmobile972-578-7511Rob Laughonrlaughon@vtaig.comFriendly Chevrolet214-920-1900Ken Seecusales@friendlychevy.comPark Place: Mercedes, Porsche888-837-6089Debbie Wrightppfleet@parkplacetexas.comToyota of Irving972-258-1200Bill Vaughn, Mike Barnhartfleet@toyota-irving.comVolvo of Dallas972-428-1200Ned Fardeeceyned.fardeecey@volvoofdallas.com

DECATURJames Wood: Buick, Chevrolet, GMC,Oldsmobile, Pontiac888-494-7942Audra Rhineaudra@jameswood.com

DENTONJames Wood: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet,GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac888-616-9003Robbie Pearsonrpearson@jameswood.com

EL PASOCrawford Imports: Suzuki, Subaru915-595-1777Randy Smithrsmith@crawfordimportcenter.com

Crawford Auto Plaza: Buick, GMC, Pontiac915-778-7781Agustin Vasquezavasquez@crawfordautoplaza.com

FORT WORTHFive Star Ford817-498-8838David Deger, Reid Harmondavid@5starford.comreid@5starford.com

Frank Kent: Cadillac, GMC, Honda,Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac817-696-4000Bill Barnes, Joe Snelus, Roger Doylefleetsales@frankkentcars.com

Park Place: Lexus-Grapevine817-416-3100Dorian Jimenez, Tripp Steeledorian_jimenez@parkplacetexas.com tripp_steele@parkplacetexas.com

Thornhill Nissan817-560-9000Gary Harrellgary@thornhillnissan.com

Vandergriff Honda817-275-3371John Shumaker, Mike Allensales@vandergriff.dealerspace.com

HARLINGENBert Ogden Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth956-423-5555Ray Crumrayc@bertogdenonline.com

HILLSBOROHillsboro Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler,Dodge, Jeep254-582-2525Bruce Glascockbruceg@hillsboroautomall.com

HOUSTONCourtesy Chevrolet713-686-7777Kerry Marshkmarsh@courtesychevy.comDavis Chevrolet713-291-3678Larry Davis, Al Floresldavis@davischevrolet.comaflores@davischevrolet.com Goodson Chrysler, Dodge, Honda, Jeep832-601-4000David Froeschldfroeschl@unitedauto.com

JASPERAllison Chevrolet409-384-4693Russell Duplantisrussell@allisonchevrolet.netJasper Ford Lincoln Mercury409-384-3411Joe Griggsjoe@jasperford.net

KILLEENPatriot: Pontiac, Buick, GMC254-690-7000Rodney Truett, Andrea Womackrtruett@patriotcars.comandreaw@patriotcars.com

LEWISVILLEFord Country of Lewisville972-221-2900Bill Lettsbilllet ts@fordcountry.net

Lewisville VW972-538-0700Kevin Bedfordsales@vwautoteam.com

LUBBOCKGene Messer Toyota806-748-4800Charlie Hopkinsinternet@genemessertoyota.com

MCALLENBert Ogden: BMW, Nissan956-631-6666David Floresteetered@hotmail.com

PLANOPark Place: Lexus972-407-7000Troy Tucker, Tim Tolsonttucker@parkplacetexas.com ttolson@parkplacetexas.com

SAN ANTONIOEnterprise Car Sales210-646-0673Ernesto Cantu, Milan Hulek,Jaime McCordernesto.cantu@erac.commhulek@erac.comjaime.mccord@erac.comThe Dodge Superstore210-253-3030Scot Carl, Alan Gwinscarl@saauto.com

SAN MARCOSCecil Atkission GMC, Pontiac512-392-4300Kevin Lutzkevinsmc03@yahoo.com

SHERMANHoliday Chevrolet903-564-3551Ronny Gregoryronny@holidaychevy.comLawrence Marshall: Honda,Mazda, Toyota903-463-9800

Vicki Wrightvicki.wright@lawrencemarshall.com

SULPHUR SPRINGSGober Merrell: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC,Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep903-885-9521Terry Blountgobermerrell@hotmail.com

SWEETWATERToliver Auto: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet,GMC, Pontiac915-235-4384George Walkertoliverap@hotmail.com

TERRELL-KAUFMANRandall Noe: Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep,Plymouth, Mercury972-524-3775Craig Bakerrnoe@earthlink.netRandall Noe: Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile972-932-2195Faron Youngmoney@nuwavenet.comWylie Musser: Buick, Pontiac, GMC Trucks972-524-7827Perry Stovallwyliemusser@aol.com

VICTORIAAtzenhoffer: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Mazda,Mitsubishi361-578-0181Leesa Brownnewcar@atzenhoffer.com

WICHITA FALLSJames Wood: Buick, Chevrolet, GMC,Oldsmobile, Pontiac817-430-0600Audra Rhineaudra@jameswood.comJames Wood: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet,GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac972-434-1515Robbie Pearsonrpearson@jameswood.com

TSTA invites you to Discover Intelligent Fun!

TSTA invites you to Discover Intelligent Fun!

Feel the full effects of a real shuttle launch in our AAA of Texas NEW BLAST OFF experience! Climb over 5 stories in our Mars-themed MARTIAN MATRIX! Take a secret look behind the scenes on a

NASA TRAM TOUR! SPACE CENTER THEATER – the largest giant screen in Texas – hang onto your seats! Plus, THE FEEL OF SPACE and NEW interactive exhibits each and every season! Open daily, located just

minutes from Hobby Airport. Take I-45 South, exit NASA Parkway and follow the signs. Call (281) 244-2100 or visit www.spacecenter.org for more information.

SAVE 40%SAVE 40%TSTA is proud to announce special discount tickets to Space Center Houston are now available to all TSTA members. Now save up to 40% off the regular admission price when ordering directly through TSTA. It's Fast. It's Easy. And it saves you money. Contact Joyce Call at TSTA Member Benefits at 1-800-364-8622

Planning a visit to the NASA area? Call toll-free 1-877-WBSTRTX (1-877-927-8789) or visit www.cityofwebster.com for a free information package with more than $300.00 in area savings!

SPRING 2004 31

TSTA/NEATexas State Teachers Association/National Education Association

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

AREA CODE HOME PHONE

METHOD OF PAYMENT_____1 Cash/Check _____ 2 Payroll Deduction Authorization (below)

I hereby authorize the______________________________________________ SchoolDistrict to deduct the total amount of the annual obligation as set by the appropri-ate Association governance bodies in _________ equal payments in order to paymy dues to the professional associations and organizations listed and for politicalaction contributions indicated. The authorization will continue in effect for thisschool year and future years, including any increase that may occur, until I givewritten notice to the local by September 15 to revoke. I further authorize any un-paid annual balance to be deducted from my final check. The Local Associationwill notify School District officials of the annual dues amounts for all levels of theAssociation each year.

LOCAL ASSOCIATION HIRE DATE

NAME OF ISD

DATE OF BIRTH

� American Indian/Alaska Native � Asian� Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander� BlackEthnicity information is optional and failure to provide it will in no way affect your membership status,rights or benefits in NEA, TSTA or any of their affiliates.This information will be kept confidential.

� Hispanic� Caucasian (not of Spanish Origin)� Unknown AREA CODE WORK PHONE

CAMPUS/WORKSITE

POSITION (I.E. CLASSROOM TEACHER, LIBRARIAN, BUS DRIVER, ETC.)

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

EMAIL AT HOME

EMAIL AT WORK

ANNUAL DUES AND CONTRIBUTIONS AMOUNT

1. Professional Dues—TSTA/NEA (Active) $369.00Professional Dues—New to the profession $251.50

2. Substitute Dues—Full-time $272.25Substitute Dues—Part-time $132.50

3. Educational Support Dues—Full-time $191.00Educational Support Dues—Part-time $ 98.00

4. NEA Fund for Children and Public Education(suggested amount $15.00)

5. TSTA-PAC (see disclaimer below) $ 9.00

6. Region Dues

7. Local Association Dues

TOTAL

✔

DISCLAIMER: The TSTA Political Action Committee (TSTA-PAC) and National Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education collect voluntary contributions from Association members anduse these contributions for political purposes, including, but not limited to, making contributions to and expenditures on behalf of friends of public education who are candidates for federal office. Contribu-tions to TSTA-PAC and The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education are voluntary; making a contribution is neither a condition of employment nor membership in the Association, and members havethe right to refuse to contribute without suffering any reprisal. Although the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education requests an annual contribution of $15, this is only a suggestion. A member maycontribute more or less than the suggested amount, or may contribute nothing at all, without it affecting his or her membership status, rights, or benefits in NEA or any of its affiliates.

Contributions or gifts to The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, TSTA-PAC and local PACs are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.

Federal law prohibits The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education from receiving donations from persons other than members of NEA and its affiliates, and their immediate families. All donations frompersons other than members of NEA and its affiliates, and their immediate families, will be returned forthwith.

MEMBER SIGNATURE DATE

“I decline to contribute to TSTA-PAC and I understand this will not in any way affect my membership status or rights.” _______________INITIAL

Former student member?______YES ______ NO

Annual membership dues to NEA include $4.50 for NEA Today, $2.45 for NEA-Retired and/or $16.00 for the Higher Education publications. The NEA publication(s) receivedby members are based on membership category. Annual membership dues to TSTA include subscription to the TSTA Advocate. Membership is open only to those whoagree to subscribe to the goals and objectives of the Association and to abide by its constitution and bylaws.

LOCAL ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVE

_____ Please check if you would like to receive TSTA’s electronic newsletter, theTSTA Briefing, which is distributed by email at least once a week.Send to: � home email address � work email address

ETHNICITY

2003-04 Enrollment FormPlease return this completed form to your Association Representative or mail to TSTA Membership Department,

316 West 12th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-9516. If you have questions, call 877-ASK-TSTA.

STEP TWO

Please share this copy of the Advocate with othersTexas State Teachers Association316 West 12th StreetAustin, Texas 78701

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDTexas State

Teachers Assoc.

There’s been a change in how you voteInside this issue, on page 25, is the ballot you’ll

use to vote for the state delegates who will repre-

sent you at the NEA Convention this summer.

Step-by-step instructions for

voting are in the accom-

panying article.

To protect the secrecy of

your ballot, you will seal it

inside one envelope, then

place that envelope in-

side a second envelope to

mail to TSTA.

Please remember to peel the label off the back of

this magazine and place it in the upper left-

hand corner of the outer en-

velope that contains the

envelope holding your bal-

lot. In other words, it will

serve as your return

address label.

This step is very important

because if you forget your

label, your vote will not

be counted!STEP ONERemember to affix the label below to the outside envelope.