NEA Delegates Block Private School Workers From Membership

Washington

Employees of private K-12 schools won’t be able to join the National Education Association any time soon, after nearly two-thirds of the delegates at the union’s annual convention turned down a proposal from the executive leadership to accept them.

The 10,000 delegates attending the Representative Assembly held here July 3-6 voted, however, to allow private preschool workers to join the NEA's membership ranks. Doing so would be contingent on the approval of the state affiliate.

During the four-day Representative Assembly, delegates representing the union’s state and local affiliates heard from the new executive leadership, including President-elect Dennis Van Roekel, Vice President-elect Lily Eskelsen,...