With Thanks and Good Wishes….

It’s hard to believe that another school year has ended and we are already preparing for the next. As part of that preparation, many leaders will be attending the Summer Leadership Academy in Ruidoso to learn new skills and enhance current ones.  New leaders are beginning their terms of office. So this seems the right time to say thanks to those who have made such a difference in their locals over the years and are now moving on to new challenges and opportunities.

Our longest serving presidents are José de Jesús Cervantes of NEA-Bernalillo and Pablo Martinez of the Roswell Education Association. Both have been committed leaders who have worked hard to achieve and maintain quality collective bargaining agreements and to protect the rights of both certified and classified school employees.  Brian Every of Espanola NEA led the local in their successful fight for collective bargaining rights and the continuing challenges by the district to limit the rights of employees. Eva Krakowska of Central Consolidated Education also led the team that achieved collective bargaining and has worked hard to protect the rights of employees as the district implements the federal School Improvement Grants. Lisa Dean of Deming has helped the local transition to new leadership and Lake Arthur president Virginia Reedy worked hard to grow membership to majority status.  Theresa and Floyd Chavez are both retiring from the Las Vegas Schools where Theresa has served as president for many years, achieving collective bargaining rights for certified employees there.  Santa Fe president Laurie Longiaru will remain in a leadership position after working hard to continue to improve the Santa Fe contract and work collaboratively with the district leadership on legislative advocacy issues. Diane and Joe Trujillo will remain active in the local and region after their years serving as president or co-presidents of the Tucumcari local.  

The role of the president is a tough one. The president is the face of the local, the person that members call with problems and the contact person for the district when they have issues. Local presidents answer emails late at night and early in the morning before and after their regular workday. They attend networking sessions to work with other presidents, meet to share information, and in general work to improve the power and status of the local. Whether the president of your local is new or continuing in the position, be sure to express your appreciation for the time she or he volunteers to make your professional life better. While presidents often shoulder the blame for any problems, they seldom receive appreciation for the successes they work so hard to achieve.  I want to say thanks to all our local presidents and other officers for all they do to make the local and the state association successful! I wish our outgoing officers success in whatever new opportunities are before them.

To our new presidents and officers, know that you have a team working with you—that  your members and  leaders are there to support you, provide direction and feedback, and help you grow your local. The president is elected to be the face and voice of the local, but it is our membership that makes the difference in every local. And that is something we can all help with—we can all talk to our colleagues about the importance of membership, especially in these tough times. We can let our friends, family and community members know how important it is to support our public schools, how hard we work to provide the best opportunities for our children, and how critical it is that we continue to invest in public education.  It is our collective voice that makes a difference for our kids and for our profession!

I wish you a happy and safe summer!

In unity

Sharon