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NEA-NEW MEXICO Great Public Schools Begin with US!

Making Students a Priority

Promoting Professional Excellence

Improving the Well-Being of School Employees

and

Annual Delegate Council, Virtual Saturday, November 6, 2021

This 136th NEA-NM Delegate Council is dedicated to

WILHELMINA YAZZIE

2021 NEA Human & Civil Rights Award Winner: Wilma Mankiller

Memorial Award Nominated by NEA-New Mexico on December 4, 2020

(For full information, please see Table of Contents)

NEA-NM DELEGATE HANDBOOK 2021 Virtual Delegate Council

Table of Contents

PAGE Letter from the State President ………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

Governance Team …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

Agenda & Order of Business …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3-4

Temporary Rules of Order ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

2020 Annual Delegate Council Minutes …………………………………………………………………………….. 6-17

NEA-NM Employee Milestone Recognitions ……………………………………………………………………... 18

At-Large Elections to the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors …………………………………………. 19

Educational Retirement Board (ERB) Report ……………………………………………………………………… 20a-20b

NM Public School Insurance Authority (NMPSIA) Report …………………………………………………… 21

NM Retiree Health Care Update ………………………………………………………………………………………… 22

2022 NEA-NM Legislative Platform ……………………………………………………………………………………. 23-29

NEA-NM 3-1 (g) Plan for 2020-2021 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 30-32

NEA-NM 2022 Strategic Plan & Strategic Budget ……………………………………………………………….. 33-47

NEA-NM Constitutions & Bylaws, Standing Rules & Proposed Amendments ……………………… 48-80

NEA-NM Resolutions and Proposed Amendments …………………………………………………………….. 81-109

Wilhelmina Yazzie Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 110-116

Dear Council Delegate:

Congratulations on your election as a delegate to the NEA-NM Virtual Delegate Council, our highest representative governing body. The National Education Association is the largest network of education professionals in the country. The National Education Association of New Mexico has for 136 years sought to promote and advance the education profession, protect the rights and interests of our members, and secure an adequately funded and equitable public education system for all students. Educators, as always want a voice, and we want decision makers to hear our stories and know that we matter, and the future of the country lies in our hands: for these reasons the theme of this year’s council is “Disrupt and Create”

We continue to deal with the very real COVID-19 pandemic that is challenging us as a nation. We continue to battle the inequities and health challenges that our students and educators face. NEA-NM has been working around the clock to protect the health and well-being of our members, students, and families. You make a difference every day in the lives of our children, and your dedication and commitment to children and families is inspiring. Hearing stories of your service, creativity, and action on behalf of children and families is what keeps us focused on the work that needs to be done to support you. It will take every one of us to Disrupt and Create to make the changes that must be made to educate the citizenry of the future. Disrupt the practices that interfere with our mission to create opportunities for students to learn and thrive.

Since our country’s inception, we have fought for the right to assemble, and raise our voice. We must rededicate ourselves to teaching science and the social studies, which teach students how to interact in a very complex world. We must teach students how to be good consumers of information and to tell the difference between fact and fiction. We must work to protect ourselves and our planet from the misinformation that permeates our country and divides us. We must teach each other and our students to observe and to listen and to Disrupt and Create in our own collective best interests.

Our 2021 Annual Delegate Council will be held virtually, and delegate check-in is from 8:00-8:50 am and Council will begin promptly at 9:00 am. We will hear the latest from the programs and members who provide oversight on the Education Retirement Board (ERB), the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority (NMPSIA), Retiree Health Care (RHCA) and others. These are programs and benefits created for member by members and education partners.

We will also hear about our 2021 NEA-NM Legislative Platform. Our Education Political Action Committee (EDPAC) and NEA-NM Board of Directors are recommending your approval of this platform and 2022 Legislative targets, which we will all need to act upon. We have made many changes to the platform, which evolves as we gather information from you, our members. We must all prepare to take bold action by disrupting bureaucratic mandates that don’t make sense and creating actions that do.

Be sure to have access to all the electronic delegate materials Elizabeth will send you prior to Council. Due to the virtual nature of this council, the NEA-NM Board of Directors has stepped in to provide a process that respects the tradition of previous council business, but that is not possible to conduct in a virtual setting. Please review the enclosed materials prior to the Delegate Council on Nov. 6th. You will be asked to approve the NEA-NM operating budget, so take some time to review those documents.

We are uplifted that you have made the decision to continue advocating for safety, equity, and excellence in our public schools.

Sincerely,

Mary Parr-Sanchez President

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NEA-NM GOVERNANCE TEAM

LEADERSHIP

Mary Parr-Sanchez, President

Bethany Jarrell, Vice President

Denise Sheehan, NEA Director

Melanie Hallbeck, Alternate NEA Director

Earl Wiman, Executive Director

Dave Greenberg , Executive Director of

Community Schools

Edith Brycelea, Deputy Executive Director of Operations

BOARD OF DIRECTORS



Denise Sheehan, NEA Director

Melanie Hallbeck, Alternate NEA Director

Grace Mayer, NE-NC

Kate MacDermott, NE-NC

Carolyn Serafin-Abeyta, Central

Jennifer Trujillo, Central

Tammie Yazzie, NW

Denise Dawson, SE

Bess Rusk, SE

Irma Valdespino, SW

Mary Daniel-Montoya, SW

Diana Jackson, SW

Delphina Ponce, ESP At-Large

Eloy Gonzales, Retired At-Large

Eduardo Holguin, Retired At-Large

CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS COMMITTEE

Melanie Hallbeck, Chair, SW

Sue Holland, NE-NC

Stephen Reynolds, SE

Kyla Johnson, NW

Jennifer Trujillo, Central

Ex-Officio:



Staff: Greg Maxie


Edith Brycelea, Deputy Executive Director of Operations

EDPAC (Education Political Action Committee)


Bethany Jarrell, Vice President Kate MacDermott, NE-NC

Jonathan Martinez, NE-NC

Rebecca Gale, Central

Sandra Goldberg, Central

Shannon Facka, NW

(Education Political Action Committee Cont’d)

Kat Bustillos, SW

Thomas Esparza, SW

Yazmin Izquierdo, SE

Denise Dawson, SE

Rosalinda Carreon-Altamirano, Retired

Mary Lou Cameron, Retired Staff:

Steve Sianez, GR Director


RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

Natalia Martinez, Chair, SW

Kim Avila, NE-NC

Maryann Chavez, Central

Diana Jackson, SW

Danielle Jim, NW

Tamaran Garriott, SE

Grace Mayer, NEA Resolutions Member, Ex-Officio

Lucille Martinez-Holguin, NEA Resolutions Alternate Member, Ex-Officio

Ex-Officio:



Staff: Brian Huebner, Liaison

STRATEGIC PLANNING - BUDGET COMMITTEE

Bethany Jarrell, Chair/Vice President

Henry Gonzales, Retired

Melanie Hallbeck, SW

Denise Sheehan, SW, NEA Director

Bess Rusk, SE

Janel Williams-Salazar, NE/NC

Royceann Lafayette, Central

Tammie Yazzie, NW

Ex-Officio:


Staff:


CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE Sue Holland, Credentials Chair, NE-NC Region Chair

Bobbie Stratton, Interim Central Region Chair

Charity Cheung, SW Region Chair

Carrie Boatwright, SE Region Chair

Lisa Felix, NW Region Chair

NEA-NM VIRTUAL ANNUAL DELEGATE COUNCIL Sponsored by California Casualty NOVEMBER 6th, 2021, 9:00 AM

ORDER OF BUSINESS Open Hearings: Virtual Click on Zoom Link in Delegate Confirmation Email to Join

Budget, Nov 2, 2021, 5:00-5:30 pm Resolutions, Nov 2, 2021, 5:30-6:00 pm

Delegate Registration 8:00 am-8:50 am Click on Zoom Link in Delegate Confirmation Email to Join

Call to Order President Mary Parr-Sanchez

Pledge of Allegiance Mirieli Montes, US Flag Salute to State Flag: Monica Brycelea, NM Flag Melanie Hallbeck

“I SALUTE THE FLAG OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO, THE ZIA SYMBOL OF PERFECT FRIENDSHIP AMONG UNITED CULTURES.” Land Acknowledgement

Land Acknowledgement Moment of Silence: Necrology Report

Melanie Hallbeck We will have a moment of silence for all the friends, family, and members we lost this year.

Report of the NEA-NM President President Mary Parr-Sanchez introduced by Vice President Bethany Jarrell

BUSINESS MEETING

Introductions Vice President Bethany Jarrell introduces Governance Executive Director Dr. Earl Wiman introduces Staff/Employee Milestone Recognition

NOMINATIONS for ESP At-Large Board of Directors RA Delegates Election Ballot Placements

Jennifer Trujillo Elections Committee Chair President Mary Parr-Sanchez

Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Lieutenant Governor, Howie Morales

President Mary Parr-Sanchez

NEA Human and Civil Rights Award: Wilma Mankiller Awardee 2021

NEA Awards Video: Wilhelmina Yazzie

NEA-NM Special Award Wilhelmina Yazzie

Approval of Preliminary Credentials Committee Report

Sue Holland Credentials Committee Chair

Adoption of Order of Business President Mary Parr-Sanchez Adoption of: Temporary Rules of Order Minutes

President Mary Parr-Sanchez

Fund for Children & Public Education & NEA-NM EdPAC

NEA Director: Denise Sheehan NEA Alternate Director: Melanie Hallbeck

Election Business: • Announcement of Nominations

received by October 20 Deadline

• Nominations Closed for all positions

Jennifer Trujillo, Elections Committee Chair President Mary Parr-Sanchez

CALL TO ACTION NEA-NM PAC FUND

Steve Sianez Bethany Jarrell

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LUNCH BREAK 12:30-1:30

RECONVENE FOR AFTERNOON SESSION

Report of the NEA-NM Executive Director

Dr. Earl Wiman introduced by President Mary Parr-Sanchez

Credentials Committee Final Report

Sue Holland, Credentials Committee Chair

Bylaw/Standing Rule Amendments

Melanie Hallbeck, Const/Bylaws Committee Chair

Resolutions Natalia Martinez, Resolutions Committee Chair Fund Report Denise Sheehan: NEA Director

Melanie Hallbeck: Alternate NEA Director PRES-VP CANDIDATE SPEECHES ESP CANDIDATE SPEECHES

Jennifer Trujillo, Elections Committee Chair

Voting for ESP At-Large Jennifer Trujillo, Elections Committee Chair NM Public School Insurance Authority (NMPSIA)

President Mary Parr-Sanchez introduces Richard Valerio, Executive Director, NMPSIA Katherine Chavez, Benefits & Wellness Operations Manager, NMPSIA

Educational Retirement Board Report (ERB) Break

Mary Lou Cameron, Describes her role and directs delegates to the report.

Report of the NEA Director Denise Sheehan

Adoption of 2022 NEA-NM Legislative Platform

Vice President Bethany Jarrell

NEA-NM Vice President’s Report/ Budget Presentation

Vice President Bethany Jarrell Budget Committee Chair, introduce committee

Announcements and

Elections

President Mary Parr-Sanchez and Vice President Bethany Jarrell Jennifer Trujillo, Elections Chair

Final Tally of PAC Fundraiser and Prize Drawings & Final Tally of EdPAC Fundraiser and Drawings

Denise Sheehan, NEA Director Melanie Hallbeck, NEA Alternate Director

ADJOURNMENT President Mary Parr-Sanchez

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TEMPORARY RULES OF ORDER NEA-NM DELEGATE COUNCIL, Revised for Virtual Meetings and

based on the NEA national model regarding meeting rules and requirements.

I. Meeting format: Zoom will be used as the meeting platform.

II. Voting will be conducted through Zoom and/or delegate email throughSurvey Monkey.

III. To address the chair, delegates must use the “raise hands” feature on theZoom platform. Having been recognized by the chair the delegate mayspeak for no more than 3 minutes, and will state:

a) his or her nameb) the name of the local Association representedc) the purpose for seeking recognition:

• to speak in favor

• to speak in opposition

• point of information

IV. Discussion, debate, points of information, will be allowed following theinitial report after a motion has been moved and seconded for acceptanceor adoption. Each member will be recognized for a period of three (3)minutes only in debate requiring action of the Council. This is intended togive each member an opportunity to speak on each item for action.

V. The chair requests the right to recognize an NEA-New Mexico memberother than delegates or committee members for the purpose of:

• point of information

• to speak in favor

• to speak in opposition

Such time yielded by the chair shall not exceed three (3) minutes.

VI. Main motions will not be amended, votes on main motion will be yes or no.

VII. Robert’s Rules of Order Completely Revised shall be the parliamentaryauthority for this Council on all questions not covered by the Bylaws andsuch Standing Rules as the Council may adopt.

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NEA-NEW MEXICO

2020 DELEGATE COUNCIL

OCTOBER 24, 2020

MINUTES

CALL TO ORDER

President Mary Parr-Sanchez brought the one hundred thirty-fifth annual NEA-New Mexico Virtual Delegate Council

to order at 8:30 AM, using the gavel of her father-in-law Albert Sanchez, state president of NEA-NM in 1966.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND SALUTE TO STATE FLAG

President Mary Parr-Sanchez introduced Jacqueline Sanchez to lead in the United States pledge and Monica Brycelea

to lead in the New Mexican pledge.

Each year brings some sorrow as we lose some of our cherished members and friends of NEA-New Mexico. President

Parr-Sanchez held a moment of silence for those we have cherished and lost.

President Parr-Sanchez read the Land Acknowledgement.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Vice President Bethany Jarrell introduced President Mary Parr-Sanchez for the President’s Report. She stated she

grew up in Albuquerque, UNM and moved to Las Cruces with the love of her life. Received her master’s degree and

taught 28-years, with 4 children 2 grandchildren; she assisted members employee rights issues, worked with local

bargaining team to ensure employees of LCPS would not have to deal with the same types of treatment she endured.

she has served as a NEA-NM Board member and vice president prior to becoming president of NEA-NM. She

observed community schools in the district on how they supported the students and families in the community. She

worked tirelessly to transition a middle school in Las Cruces to a community school. She coordinated with NEA and

NEA-NM to expand community schools throughout the state. Now, as state president, she has advocated for all

educators across the state. She has increased communications with the local leaders and members of New Mexico.

She has advocated for our members by communicating with the PED Secretary and the Governor.

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Bethany for that introduction and stated she didn’t do it all on her own, but with the

support of the NEA-NM Board members and staff.

She attributed this Council meeting as being the first virtual and most challenging we’ve had. Along with high COVID-

19 rates, unemployment, and children facing hunger, loneliness, and isolation. Many of our members are placing their

own lives at risk. Our elected leaders have failed to provide a second relief package for our schools, our states and

people are facing unemployment. Our members have been in an impossible situation, affecting every area of our lives

and yet, teachers are being dinged in their evaluations when they go out of their lane to help kids or when they dare to

express their first amendment rights. A new teacher evaluation system has rolled out. She shared eight reasons to feel

hope:

1) You’re not in this alone. We have worked with the PED Secretary to let him hear firsthand from our members

what the challenges are in teaching schools. The governor has done everything within her power to keep us safe. She

signed into law the new public employee bargaining act that expands the rights of workers and will have a positive

impact for years. She shared the fact that we have depended our partnerships with NM Center on Law and Poverty,

Voices for Children, Transform Education, and AFT New Mexico to name a few. We stand together going into the

upcoming 60-day legislative session.

2) NEA has taken our leadership and staff to the next level. Dr. Earl Wiman was recently accepted with a three-

year contract, bringing a wealth of knowledge to NM. He has sharpened and grown the skills of the NEA-NM staff

who work hard for you every day.

3) We’re changing the way we’re working, learning new skills, and trying new approaches and we’ve gotten

out of our comfort zones. We have upped our game in providing e-news at a minimum of two times a month and

sending additional information to our members. We have been much more intentional in collecting data from our

members and putting into formats that have been widely shared with the legislature, PED, and the governor so that

people in power hear directly from our collective voice. We have strengthened our relationship with the Jones Firm

and speak with them almost daily and working with NEA national.

4) Leaders throughout the state have risen to the challenge. We have all of our members fighting for all ranges

of education employees on the ground. We have leaders like Mary Lou Cameron, past president of NEA-NM,

advocating for us and monitors the Education Retirement Board. The Delegate Council last year asked her and the

Education Retirement Board to divest from private prisons. Last week the Board voted to do so.

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5) We’re recommitting to social, racial, and education justice so that when we go back to school we’re fighting

for safety and equity. The future of schools isn’t online, it’s in our schools. We’re ready to lead NEA-NM by launching

a fellowship that will be discussed later in being involved across the state.

6) We’re going to elect education friendly candidates on November 3rd! She shared several candidates NEA-

NM recommended. She talked about the “Get out the Vote” campaign and asked that everyone encourage all to vote.

7) We have been here before. In 1919, the Spanish Flu happened, and we have had experience. We are going to

make it through.

8) Because we’ll get through this together.

President Parr-Sanchez spoke in support of NM Constitutional Amendment 1 to change the Public Regulations

Commission to appointed positions.

INTRODUCTIONS

Vice-president, Bethany Jarrell, introduced the 2020-2021 NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors.

Mary Parr-Sanchez President Denise Dawson SE

Bethany Jarrell Vice President Bess Rusk SE

Ashley Peacock Alternate NEA Director Melanie Hallbeck SW

Grace Mayer NE-NC Mary Daniel-Montoya SW

Cindy Sandoval NE-NC Denise Sheehan SW

Carolyn Serafin-Abeyta Central Delphina Ponce ESP At-Large

Jennifer Trujillo Central Henry Gonzales Retired At-Large

Tammie Yazzie NW Rosalinda Carreon-Altamirano Retired At-Large

NEA-NM Executive Director Dr. Earl Wiman introduced the staff. He shared that several staff have reached a certain

milestone with the organization and that those recognitions were in the delegate handbook.

Danielle Smail, Accounts Receivable and Administrative Program Assistant, 5 years

Danielle Ontiveros, Program Assistant

Yuyu Cheng, Staff Accountant, 15 years

Julie Gonzales, Program Assistant, 30 years

Elizabeth Martinez, Executive Program Assistant and RA Coordinator, 20 years

Robbie Morgan, Program Assistant, 15 years

Roxana Brinkley, Program Assistant, 5 years

Edie Brycelea, Deputy Executive Director of Operations, 30 years

Steve Sianez, Government Relations and Communications

Alice Chavez-Villa, Southwest UniServ

Ignacio Sanchez, Professional Learning Coordinator & Jumpstart Grant Facilitator, who was leaving by the end of

October for a UD position in New Hampshire, 5 years

Brian Huebner, Central UniServ, 10 years

Ewa Krakowska, Northwest UniServ, 5 years

Betty Patterson, Northeast/North Central UniServ

Marco Nunez, Membership Coordinator and Organizer

Greg Maxie, Southeast UniServ, 10 years

NOMINATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MEMBERS AT-LARGE and NEA RA DELEGATES

NEA-NM’s governing documents require that teachers and Educational Support Professionals be represented on the

board of directors in proportion to their membership in the association. If the normal region election process does not

reach this proportionality, at-large elections are held at Delegate Council to create the proper proportionality. One ESP

At-Large member was needed for this year’s Council. President Parr-Sanchez opened nominations, which were

received electronically. She also opened nominations for the NEA RA delegates. A listing of RA delegates was

presented on the Zoom screen and were received by the October 20 deadline. Nominations were time stamped and

would be listed on the ballot in the order they are submitted.

Write-ins are always allowed for RA Delegate positions. She announced that candidate speeches would take place

during the afternoon agenda for ESP, NEA Director, and NEA Alternate Director. She also announced nominations

for both ESP at-large directors, and RA delegates would close shortly after morning break when she announces

nomination closure.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Tax Reform Speakers: James Jimenez, Executive Director, NM Voices for

Children.

Mr. Jimenez stated NM Voices for Children is over a 30-year-old organization formed by pediatricians to advocate

for child wellbeing, doing work on the national, state, and local levels. They have mainly three buckets of work:

healthcare, family economics and education. They don’t claim to be education policy experts but rely on NEA and

AFT leaders to advise them on education policy. They mainly engage in making sure there is adequate funding in

order for educators to earn wages and resources in the classroom. Not only K-12, but the early childhood education

as well. They’ve learned a lot about brain development and has been important of the way they think of their work.

They also do some work with the higher education and working to make sure there are good programs in place to train

teachers and others in the system.

He then reviewed how tax policy is education and education policy is tax policy. He shared slides that included:

• Percentages of lower-income communities in NM have a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infections

• Racial wealth gap – net worth of households in NM shows approximately $100,000 difference in worth

• Government policies & actions have reinforced and further widened racial divides

All budgets are a moral document and a reflection of our values. They advocate for increased funding for K-12

education, higher education funding, childcare assistance, home visiting and pre-K, maximize the ACA benefits, and

affordable housing.

He shared how the NM state tax code is upside down. New Mexicans with the lowest incomes pay the highest rates

in state and local taxes. They believe this is the reverse of what they should be.

The racial and ethnic implications of policy is not race neutral. We are supporting a system that is not that robust or

supporting children of color. We can change this as voters. The best path forward involves fair, reliable revenue, not

cuts to the education and health care our families rely on. The right approach is get money out there and support the

kinds of programs good for children and families. We know among the most stable jobs are those provided for public

employment, like the public schools. Continuing to employ people on an annual basis is really a stability for

communities large and small. Public investments create jobs. Supporting those families that create the demands for

business sectors.

He reviewed a few things to create fairness of our tax code and make it more stable.

• Repeal the capital gains deduction

• Increase corporate income taxes

• Increase property tax on high-dollar properties

• Lower the gross receipts tax by broadening the base

Tax credits are proven to help increase family economic security and improve equity in our tax.

• Increase low-income comprehensive tax rebate

• Expand the working families tax credit

• Enact a child tax credit

Additional policies to promote equity and economic well-being:

• End predatory lending

• Continue to raise the minimum wage

• Paid sick leave and family medical leave

• Protect voting rights

• Require a racial impact analysis of all legislation

He stated that NEA-NM has been a great partner. The call to action is asking candidates what they plan to do in

creating child well-being. New Mexico is on a path to greater opportunity for all, let’s not leave anyone behind.

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Mr. Jimenez for his presentation and his service to NM. She stated he was the chief

of staff for Governor Bill Richardson and knows how government works.

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President Parr-Sanchez introduced Representative Javier Martinez who represents NM in House District 11

(Albuquerque). She stated he is a social justice warrior and an advocate for children and families. He is the executive

director of the Partnership for Community Action.

Representative Martinez thanked James Jimenez for all the work he has done and as a guiding light in the social justice

and policy worlds. He thanked the educators across the state for their tireless work. He is a graduate of UNM law

school and has been doing community organizing work for over 20 years and still doing it. Most of his work has been

focused on immigrant rights, early childhood education, and healthcare. He talked about the political history between

2010 and current. Most recently, the proposal to try to make up for the loss last decade that needed to be made up. He

believes the funding provided during the 2019 session came through with raises for our educators. In 2020, they

continued the trend but unfortunately, the policies passed in the House died in the Senate. He reviewed the numbers

of votes to date alerted to decline of state on absentee voting. He shared concerns of targeted races, eight seats in the

house being targeted. These are all swing seats. He talked about seats that were held by republicans are against

education policy funding. The problem is we have divested from education funding for many years. Policies that

James Jimenez talked about make sense and are a necessity. Increased investments in early childhood education is

important. Every dollar spent on early childhood education will receive a 13% return on investment. We can leverage

our land grant permanent funding to ensure every child from the age 0-5 could participate in a robust early childhood

education. Also, what needs to happen is analyzing policy not only through the financial lens but the racial equity lens

as the majority of NM population are people of color. He believes NM is at the cusp of doing amazing things. As a

father, organizer, lawyer, it’s not a lot of fun to leave your family to work at the legislature. However, it is our

generation’s time to step up and lead. The system has to be updated and changed. He encouraged everyone to vote.

The next couple of sessions we have a chance to transform education in NM.

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Representative Martinez for being a powerful speaker for our students. She stated we

stand with him and will advocate and organize during the legislative session to be a powerful voice for our kids and

our public schools.

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE PRELIMINARY REPORT

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Sue Holland, Credentials Committee Chair, to present the preliminary report of the

Credentials Committee.

Holland reported having duly checked membership rolls, 311 eligible delegates, 113 were elected and duly certified;

94 or 83% registered and are present; 50 are minority and 0 are administrator.

Sue Holland declared a quorum present, and the business of this Council may be transacted.

Sue Holland, NEA-Raton, on behalf of the Credentials Committee, moved that the NEA-NM Council Delegates accept

the preliminary report.

President Parr-Sanchez asked without objection the delegates adopt the preliminary report by consensus by raising

their Zoom hand.

Unanimous Approval

Motion carried

ADOPTION OF ORDER OF BUSINESS

The agenda is on pages 3 and 4 of the 2020 delegate handbooks. It has been NEA-NM’s tradition to adopt the agenda

with flexibility such as adding the NEA Director’s and Alternate NEA Director’s speeches to the agenda, to allow the

presiding officer to change the order of business to facilitate unexpected changes or to keep business moving; the

order of business was adopted by the Board of Directors.

ADOPTION OF TEMPORARY RULES OF ORDER AND MINUTES

The next order of business is the adoption of temporary rules for the conduct of the delegate council and 2019

Council minutes. The rules were printed on page 5 and 6 of the electronic delegate handbook. The 2019 Council

Minutes were on pages 7 – 17 of your electronic handbook. The Board of Directors approved the recommended

temporary rules of order and minutes.

FUND FOR CHILDREN & PUBLIC EDUCATION AND NEA-NM EDPAC

President Parr-Sanchez spoke of the importance of electing friends in education. The national NEA Fund for Children

and Public Education (NEA Fund) provides financial assistance to NEA and NEA-NM endorsed way beyond what is

collected by NEA-NM members.

Page 9

Vice President Bethany Jarrell provided the different ways to donate to the NEA Fund and the NEA-NM EdPAC.

The NEA Fund is to support federal candidates and the NEA-NM EdPAC supports state candidates.

SPONSOR ANNOUNCEMENT – CALIFORNIA CASUALTY

Vice President Jarrell introduced Brandon Watson of California Casualty. Mr. Watson talked about the new convenient

services and customed benefits.

• 24/7 for emergency claims service, plus Snap Appraisal

• Flexible payment plans, including Summer and Holiday Skip-Payments

• $0 deductible for vandalism or collision while parked at a school, administration office or association

building

• Pet injury coverage up to $1,000

• Free ID defense

• Unique member recourse available

• Available to extended family members

He stated California Casualty has a five-star rating on Trustpilot. He also recognized Beverly Whygles, NEA-Las

Cruces, for the Awards for Teaching Excellence.

He reviewed the Community Impact Programs:

• $2,500 Giveaway

• Music & Arts Grant

• $7,500 School Lounge Makeover

• Create Real Impact

• Win a Jeep Compass

He shared information on his virtual world member engagement activities that include incentives to our members.

He announced the Music & Arts Grant winners in NM who each received $250 for their schools: Camellia Termini

of NEA-Belen and Pattie Burnam, NEA-Deming.

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Brandon for his sponsorship, work, and partnership with NEA-NM.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NOMINATIONS AND REPRESENTIVE ASSEMBLY NOMINATONS

President Parr-Sanchez closed nominations at this time of the agenda, 10:50 am, for ESP board member at-large and

NEA RA delegate nominations; candidates for the NEA RA delegates can still be written in on the ballot.

She introduced Elections Committee Chair, Tammie Yazzie with the announcement of our statewide nominations.

Our governing documents require that nominations for office occur in writing; the deadline for receipt of nominations

was October 20th.

Yazzie stated the elections calendar for this year is accessible on the NEA-NM website and a quick link was provided

in the chat.

The ballot positions for RA delegates are in the order received. Statewide and Region Candidate ballot positions were

determined by lot prior to delegate council and are indicated in the projected list. Nominations received by the October

20 deadline are as follows:

Active Member Nominations

NEA-NM Officers

NEA Director for New Mexico and delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, three-year term, beginning

September 1, 2021. (all active nonsupervisory members eligible)

Denise Sheehan, Las Cruces

NEA Alternate Director for New Mexico and delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly, three-year term,

beginning September 1, 2021. (all active nonsupervisory members eligible)

Melanie Hallbeck, Alamogordo

Region Board of Directors

Northeast/North Central Region Member of the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors, three-year term beginning July

15, 2021. (all active members of a local in Northeast/North Central Region are eligible)

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Kate MacDermott, Santa Fe

Cindy Sandoval, West Las Vegas

Southwest Region Member of the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors- Election District representing Las Cruces-

CSEC and NEA-Las Cruces, unexpired term, commencing upon election through July 14, 2023 (all active

nonsupervisory members of a local in the Election District representing Las Cruces-CSEC and NEA- Las Cruces are

eligible)

Mary Daniel-Montoya, Las Cruces

Central Region Member of the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors, three-year term beginning July 15, 2021. (all

active nonsupervisory members of a local in Central Region are eligible)

Jennifer Trujillo, Bernalillo

Region EdPAC

Northeast/North Central Region Member of the Education Political Action Committee, three-year term beginning July

15, 2021. (all active members of a local in Northeast/North Central Region are eligible)


Jonathan Martinez, West Las Vegas

Northeast/North Central Region Member of the Education Political Action Committee, unexpired term commencing

upon election and ending July 14, 2023. (all active members of a local in Northeast/North Central Region are eligible)


Northwest Region Member of the Education Political Action Committee, three-year term beginning July 15, 2021.

(all active members of a local in Northwest Region are eligible)

Shannon Facka, Central Consolidated

Southeast Region Member of the Education Political Action Committee, Election District 1, unexpired term

commencing upon election and ending July 14, 2023. (all active members of a local in Southeast Region-Election

District -1 are eligible) Election District 1—NEA-LOVINGTON, NEA-PORTALES, NEA-CLOVIS, HED-ENMU

PORTALES, NEA-CARLSBAD, NEA-EUNICE, NEA-HOBBS, NEA-JAL, NEA-LOVING, NEA-DORA, NEA-

TATUM, and NEA-TEXICO—are eligible)

Yazmin Izquierdo, Lovington

Central Region Member of the Education Political Action Committee, three-year term commencing beginning July

15, 2021 (all active members of a local in Central Region are eligible)

Rebecca F. Gale, Los Lunas

2021 NEA Representative Assembly Delegates

State Delegate to the 2021 NEA Representative Assembly (all active nonsupervisory members are eligible)

Cindy Sandoval, West Las Vegas

Michael Campbell, West Las Vegas

Lucille Martinez-Holguin, Espanola


Delphina Ponce, Roswell

Shelly Dunaway, Roswell

State Category Two Delegate to the 2021 NEA Representative Assembly (all category two members-NEA members

who are active supervisors, NEA retired Life members, or NEA staff Life members-are eligible)

No Nominations

Cluster Delegate to the 2021 NEA Representative Assembly (all active nonsupervisory members in locals of 75 or

fewer members are eligible)

No Nominations

Retired Member Nominations

NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors (Two positions to be elected):

Member of the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors, representing Retired Members, one-year term beginning July

15, 2021 (only retired members eligible to nominate and be nominated)

Page 11

Eloy Gonzales, Albuquerque

Rosalinda Carreon-Altamirano, Las Cruces

Henry M. Gonzales, Albuquerque

Eduardo Holguin, Rio Rancho

2021 NEA Representative Assembly Delegate:

Retired delegate to the 2021 NEA Representative Assembly (only retired members eligible to nominate and be

nominated)

Eduardo Holguin, Rio Rancho

Carol Teweleit, Alamogordo

Mary Lou Cameron, Deming


Member of the NEA-NM Education Political Action Committee, representing Retired Members, three-year term

beginning July 15, 2021 (only retired members eligible to nominate and be nominated) Two positions to be elected.

Mary Lou Cameron, Deming

Stephen W. Reynolds, Clovis


Student Member Nomination

Student delegate to the 2021 NEA Representative Assembly (only student members eligible to nominate and be

nominated)

No Nominations

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Tammie, and delegates and candidates, for their attention to this very important part

of our association’s life. She reminded the delegates that all region and statewide elections are by an all-member online

ballot in February. Voting instructions for the statewide election will be mailed on January 29, 2021, and the balloting

will close at 5:00 PM on February 19, 2021. Only eligible retired members may vote for the Retired At-Large Board

Members and the Retired Delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly. Only members of locals of 75 or fewer

members may vote in the state cluster NEA Representative Assembly delegate election.

The deadline for declarations of candidacy for write-in candidates is October 30. Unopposed candidates for state and

region offices will be declared elected on that day if there are no write-in nominations for that office.

CALL TO ACTION

President Parr-Sanchez stated the NEA-NM Education Political Action Committee are elected members and she

shared their work/responsibilities to create candidate questionnaires, interview candidates and make recommendations

of those candidates. She reviewed some of the closer races around the state for federal or state positions and recognized

candidates running who are members of NEA-NM.

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Representative Ben Ray Lujan. She stated he is the highest-ranking Hispanic in

Congress today. He is a champion of working families, small business, public education, environment, access to clean

water, lowering prescription drug prices, ensuring protection for immigrants. He has refused to accept corporate PAC

money for his race, now running for US State Senate.

Representative Lujan shared the importance of the responsibilities of educators molding and shaping the young minds,

embracing what NEA is about. You fight for them to make sure they have meals, food and strong classrooms.

Providing behavioral health support; the support staff of the schools. Growing up in Nambe, he attended the head start

program and believes there should be more investment for early childhood education. Under the Suzanna Martinez

administration, there were some bad decisions made that cost NM IDEA money. He’s been working hard to get those

funds back. Working at closing the digital divide and internet access for the good of our communities. The older

schools need modernizing and bringing those buildings up to date. He talked about how Betsy DeVos has ruined

programs in education. He thanked all the educators for the support they bring in our communities. He talked about

his support of Vice President Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. He talked about his mother who was an educator. He

encouraged all educators to vote. He thanked all educators for their hard work and dedication.

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Luis Guerrero and Cheryl Carreon who shared the various locations to find out

more details of candidates. They reviewed the website and Facebook and how to maneuver through different sites to

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get details of candidates. They reviewed various social media sites to share your vote and support of public education

through Outreach Circle.

REPORT OF THE NEA NM EXECUTIVE DIRETOR

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Dr. Earl Wiman. She feels so fortunate of our national search and his national

qualities. He has the persona of larger than life and a very moving person. Prior to NM, he has served on the NEA

Executive Team, bringing leadership with his new position.

Dr. Wiman shared a video clip of “I will Survive” alien rendition. He’d been here about three months in the Land of

Enchantment and THEN: the virus starts to explode, responses to the virus become politicized, the state along with

our schools close down and BAM the ball drops again and again. He began to think what NEA-NM needs to do to

survive. As the pandemic progresses, layered on top our Federal Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, who is from

the 88th riches family in America, with 5.4 billion dollars, the person who started her tenure by recommending cuts

to Special Olympics.

He talked about GOTV efforts and what NEA-NM is doing. He talked about the increased communications and

engagements with the members. He stated we have been maintaining our message around school re-opening and have

been very clear to the PED and the Governor’s office that what’s key for us is that teacher, educators, and students

will be safe for any physical reopening and listening to the science and not the politics of it. We’ve moved quickly

with COVID leaven and surveillance testing.

He stated that our President Mary Parr-Sanchez has stepped up in communications with the PED and has built a

positive relationship with the Secretary and the Governor’s office. She has stepped up with our partner organizations

to represent our members and students. Our Vice President has been with her in this process. Our board has changed

the way they communicate and work with each other and engaging local leaders. Our local leaders are stepping up

across the state to bargain, meet and confer, cajole and support members, students, and parents during this pandemic.

He reported the associate staff have continued to work successfully from home and without missing a beat, moving to

Telephonic Join, moving to entirely digital communications and totally changing the context of their work, they have

stepped up. Our professional staff has retooled for a virtual setting; including member and local advocacy, bargaining,

communications, employee rights and professional development, and membership recruitment and retention,

continuing to move forward under very challenging and in many aspects a completely new environment.

He talked about Community Schools being the closest to doing what we need to do for our students. A Community

School wraps its arms around a family providing services that extend far beyond academics. These kinds of services

can make or break a crisis situation. If we have no way to support students, they have little chance of success. Dave

Greenberg, Las Cruces Public Schools, Community Schools Coordinator will be coming to NEA-NM to lead this

work.

Dr. Wiman talked about membership recruitment and retention; it’s about how do we get members and engage

members to increase power. We tend to focus on new teacher recruitment, we must remember there are thousands of

New Mexico educators who are currently working across the state who are not members and are not Early Career

Educators. We’ve done different things in the last few months including the Telephonic Join and adding on our website

asking if people want to join. We have organizing money from NEA to follow-up with the nonmembers. He shared

that the Join Now button is now online and allows people to join online. He thanked the associate staff for making this

new feature happen.

He shared the decline in membership and the disconcerting trend with the declined. We have to work together to turn

around this trend. If this trend continues, we will have limited resources for our members.

We will survive when we listen to our members. We will build alliances in our communities; build alliances of those

who will support public education, doing what’s right for all of our children. We will survive when we work for

legislative justice for public schools, our education employees and the students we serve. You know, when legislators

get out of the schoolhouse, NEA-NM will get out of the state house. We must be issue driven and party blind.

Our national NEA President, Becky Pringle, paraphrases Socrates when she says if you think you are too good or too

smart to be involved in politics – then you will be governed by bad, stupid people! We must be acutely aware that

those who despise government, govern despicably. We will survive when we organize for economic justice.

Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, tells us: There is nobody in this country that got rich on his own

– nobody! You built a factory out there, good for you. But I want to be clear – you moved your goods to market on

Page 13

the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory

because of police and fire forces that the rest of us paid for; OK, look, you built a factory and it turned into something

terrific or a great idea, God Bless! Keep a big hunk of it, BUT part of the underlying social contract is you take a

hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along. NEA-NM let me say right now when others say to

us do more with less, we should say – you do more with less. You, Mr. Corporation, do away with your tax incentives.

You, Mr. Wealthy Donor to the campaigns of the people, who work to silence the voice of school employees, do away

with your tax loopholes.

We will survive when we demand social and racial justice for our students and our communities. Yazzie-Martinez

must be upheld and funded. Let me tell you fundamental to that responsibility is a commitment to the proposition that

each student, and all students, can excel. There is no room for excuses or rationalization from anybody – student or

adult. Barriers must be dismantled; historical disenfranchisement must be rectified; disadvantages must be mitigated;

disabilities must be accommodated; opportunity must be equalized, and support systems must be universal. It is only

through this unequivocal commitment to both opportunity and outcomes that the vision becomes reality, and that

responsibility becomes a social justice responsibility, not an individual one. NEA President Becky Pringle and I say:

In America, it is a sin and a shame for those students who need most to have the least.

Like a three-legged stool, our union cannot stand on traditional union advocacy alone to survive and thrive, our future

demands traditional union advocacy as well as social justice and professional issues agitation. We, the union, must

take as much responsibility for teaching and learning as we do for our traditional advocacy issues. Our members must

feel at home in their union whether:

• Bargaining a contract

• Lobbying the legislature

• Disrupting the school to prison pipeline

• Providing safe, bully-free schools and workplaces

• Ensuring developmentally appropriate curriculum

• Addressing institutional racism

Our survival requires a strong three-legged stool with the legs of traditional unionism, social and racial justice, and

professional practice, our survival requires NEA-NM to stand-up and show-out for all of our members and each of

our students.

To Survive, we must take to heart the words of Delores Huerta, “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every

person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”

NEA-NM to survive, we must move forward with a clear vision, for me Chief Seattle says it best: When you know

who you are; when your mission is clear, and you burn with the inner fire of unbreakable will; no cold can touch your

heart; no deluge can dampen your purpose. You know that you are alive.” To survive, we must become alive!

Will we survive and thrive? Will we build power through membership recruitment and retention? The answer is in

your hands!

FINAL CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE FINAL REPORT

President Parr-Sanchez introduced the chair of the credentials committee, Sue Holland, to move the committee’s

final report.

Having duly checked the membership rolls, 311 eligible delegates, 113 were elected and duly certified; 94 or 83%

registered and are present; 50 are minority and 0 administrators. Sue Holland declared a quorum present, and the

business of this Council may be transacted.

Sue Holland, NEA-Raton, on behalf of the Credentials Committee, moved for acceptance of the final report.

Unanimous Approval

Motion carried

CANDIDATE SPEECHES: ESP Director, NEA Director, NEA Alternate Director

President Parr-Sanchez stated that the Elections Committee met on October 21st to determine ballot positions and the

names shared on the screen. The candidates for ESP At-Large, NEA Director and NEA Alternate Director will provide

their campaign speeches. Two names were submitted for the ESP At-Large position on the Board of Directors, Tamara

Gabrel, Farmington and Delphina Ponce, Roswell. She called on Tammie Yazzie, Elections Committee Chair, to

preside over this section.

Page 14

Yazzie reported candidate speeches will be in the order in which nominations were received. Tamara Gabrel was

asked to speak.

Tamara Gabrel thanked everyone for their time and listening. She has worked for education for a long time and

currently working with ancillary and custodians through COVID. She would like to represent NEA-NM in this

capacity and asked for support.

Yazzie called on Delphina Ponce.

Delphina Ponce, an EA from Roswell School District. She has served in this capacity for the past year and has passion

for advocating for the ESP members. Recently, she received a call from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham thanking

Delphina for her service in the community.

Yazzie explained the paper ballot process for the ESP At-Large, NEA-NM Budget and Legislative Goals will be

mailed to the delegates present for the Council meeting. She explained the timeline for the ballot mailing and return.

President Parr-Sanchez called on Melanie Hallbeck, candidate for the NEA Alternate Director.

Melanie Hallbeck provided her work experience of 18 years as an educator and 7 years serving on the local and state

levels. She loves public education, its educators, and her union. She knows, every day NEA is supporting educators

in the schools. She believes in the power of NEA for improving public education and securing the best interest of all

educators. Believes in building strong, open, clear, and consistent communication that foster active member

engagement, increase new membership, and strengthen the capacity and reach of our organization. Educators, as

experts, deserve a place at the table to advocate for and to inform effective, equitable, and inspired public education

policy. We need to use our collective voice and our collective action as NEA members to protect health and wellbeing

of educators and students.

President Parr-Sanchez called on Denise Sheehan, candidate for the NEA Director.

Denise Sheehan is in her 10th year in education. She started her journey at 16 years old as a tutor and worked her way

up as an EA and then a teacher. She is now working to support our early career educators. She is committed to our

union, students, and educators in NM. She is a strong advocate for social and racial justice. She has experience at all

levels: local board member, vice president and now the local president. At the state level she serves on the Board of

Directors as well as several state committees. At the national level she has worked with amazing organizers to create

training for organizing around racial and social justice, local elections, and our beloved community schools. She will

work to represent all of your voices and the needs of our state at the national level.

VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

Tammie Yazzie explained that voting for ESP At-Large Board of Directors member, NEA-NM Legislative Goals and

the 2020-2021 NEA-NM Strategic Budget will be conducted by paper ballots sent to all attending delegates of the

2020 Delegate Council to allow for secret ballots. She provided the schedule and process.

NEW MEXICO PUBLIC SCHOOL INSURANCE AUTHORITY REPORT

President Parr-Sanchez reported NEA-New Mexico has, also by state statute, two representatives on the New Mexico

Public School Insurance Authority Board of Directors. Currently serving in those positions on our behalf is Bethany

Jarrell, Alamogordo, NEA-NM VP, and David Martinez, Jr. of NEA-West Las Vegas. A shout-out to our very own

Trish Ruiz, Hobbs who represents the PEC on the NMPSIA Board.

She introduced Richard Valerio, the Executive Director of NMPSIA to provide us with the report on the work of the

Authority. He has a lot of responsibility. He is a very serious and dedicated guardian of our NM Public School

Insurance benefits.

Richard Valerio, joined with Katherine Chavez, NMPSIA Benefits Operations & Wellness Manager, thanked Mary

for having them join the council meeting. He reviewed the history of NMPSIA, the purchasing agency of employee

benefit and risk insurance coverages for public schools’ districts, post-secondary educational entities and charter

schools. It was formed by the NM Legislature in 1986. Currently covering 88 school districts, 96 charter schools, 27

educational entities with an average monthly membership of 47,672 employees and dependents. He shared the listing

of the current board members. He reviewed all the employee benefits & wellness and well-being program. He reviewed

the health & resources benefits and encouraged members to access their website for more detailed information. He

talked about the open and switch enrollment running through November 13, 2020. He reviewed the medical claims

Page 15

summary. In the prior year, NMPSIA paid out over $323 million. He continued to review the other details about the

benefits and risk programs provided through NMPSIA. He provided his contact information for members to contact

him with any further questions, [email protected], 505-988-2736, www.nmpsia.com.

ERB REPORT

President Parr-Sanchez introduced Mary Lou Cameron of the NM ERB. New Mexico Statutes enables NEA-New

Mexico to elect one member to the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board who represents active school

employees. That member is former NEA-New Mexico President Mary Lou Cameron of NEA-Deming. The ERB

report can be found in your electronic handbook on pages 20 and 21.

Mary Lou Cameron reported on the divest of funds into prisons. She stated the ERB joined other organizations in

divesting funds for prisons. These are funds that hurt our children. She reported other details are included in her written

report provided in the handbook.

President Parr-Sanchez thanked Mary Lou for her many years of oversite and support of educators and her advocacy.

Any changes will go through the ERB before investing.

NEW MEXICO RETIREE HEALTH CARE AUHORITY

President Parr-Sanchez reported the retired public employees have their health care needs overseen by the Retiree

Health Care Authority. We share a joint representative on that board with the AFT New Mexico, the classroom

Teachers Association and NEA-New Mexico. That representative is currently AFT NM member, Therese Saunders.

The report can be found in your electronic handbook on page 22.

ADOPTION OF THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE GOALS

Vice President Jarrell reported the proposed 2021 Legislative Goals for the 2021 legislative session are in your

electronic delegate handbook on pages 23 – 29. The EdPAC and Board of Directors present this document to you as

a complete package for approval or rejection in total. No amendments will be taken. The goals, as a whole, will be

on the ballot for a yes or no vote when you receive your paper ballot.

She reviewed the proposed goals to include:

• Support Community Schools

• Ensure Student Equity and Opportunity

• Early Childhood Education

• Extended Learning K-5 Plus

• Providing Adequate High-Quality Health Care

• Health and Wellness Resources that Promote Wellbeing

• Every NM Student Will Learn in Carbon-Neutral School

• Legislation to Increase Student Success Must Address Poverty and Quality of Life for Students, Parents and

the Community

• Prioritize Education Funding to Guarantee Adequate Recurring Revenues

• Safeguarding School Employee Retirement

• Providing Pay Equity and a Living Wage for All School Employees

• Providing Affordable Health Insurance for Education Employees

• Protecting Retiree Health Care

• Preserving Public Funding

• Preventing Vouchers, Tax Credits, Public Scholarships or Other Schemes to Privatize Public Schools and

Resources

• Building Higher Education Funding

• Adequately Funding Fixed Costs

• Public Education Policy during/associated with a National Health Crisis

• Freeze School Enrollment Numbers to Pre-Pandemic Numbers

• School Interruption Policy Must Have Social/Emotional Support Funding

• School Ventilation must be Checked/Upgraded

• Student Assessment and Teacher Evaluation During a Health Crisis

• Sick and Medical Leave During a Health Crisis

• New Teacher Induction and Mentoring

• Class-size Limit

• Student Assessments

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mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nmpsia.com/

• Building an Appropriate School Employee Evaluation System

• Due Process and Just Cause

• Sustaining Collective Bargaining

Jarrell stated the board of directors is recommending the 2021 Legislative Goals. It has been properly moved by the

BOD. She asked for delegates to raise their Zoom hands to be recognized for debate, questions, or discussion.

President Parr-Sanchez reminded delegates the Legislative Goals will be included on the paper ballot for a yes or no

vote which will be mailed to all delegates in attendance.

President Parr-Sanchez stated the NEA-New Mexico President, Vice-President, and Executive Director will

collaborate with AFT New Mexico leadership to produce a mutually agreed upon set of legislative priorities consistent

with those of NEA-NM.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT AND BUDGET PRESENTATION AND REVIEW

According to our governing documents, the Board of Directors prepares and passes our annual budget. That budget

is presented beginning on page 34 of the electronic delegate handbook. This budget is for the program year that began

September 1, 2021. Vice-President and Budget Committee Chair Bethany Jarrell presented the budget.

Vice President Jarrell reminded delegates the budget will be voted on by paper ballot. Delegates should raise their

Zoom hands to be recognized for debate, questions, or discussion. Participants will be called on in order of raised

Zoom hands. The chair will recognize delegates, who receive a screen notification to unmute.

President Parr-Sanchez recognized Rosalinda with the question of the amount of only $500 for the Human and Civil

Rights. President Parr-Sanchez stated NEA-NM received a grant from NEA for racial and social justice in the amount

of $200,000 to be received over a 3-year period. These funds will be used for the Education Fellows programs soon

to be launched.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

President Parr-Sanchez gave tribute to the awardees from the Hall of Fame and Awards Ceremony from the night

before, recognizing all honorees. She talked about the ceremony and how moving it was.

Vice President Bethany Jarrell announced the delegates contributed a total of $700 for the NEA Fund for Children

and Public Education and almost $3,000 for the NEA-NM EdPAC fundraising. Linda Knutson won the gift card for

contributions to the NEA Fund and Julie Gonzales for the NEA-NM Century Club. She thanked everyone for their

contributions.

President Parr-Sanchez shared a final review of the NEA-NM candidates for the upcoming 2021 election for state

offices and RA delegates.

President Parr-Sanchez reminded the delegates of the upcoming NEA-NM Rock the Vote event with Representative

Ben Ray Lujan, Representative Haaland and candidate Teresa Leger Fernandez.

ADJOURNMENT

President Parr-Sanchez, seeing no more business to come before this Council and having completed our agenda, this

135th Delegate Council is adjourned at 3:45 PM!

Page 17

Great Public Schools Begin With Us!

NEA-NM EMPLOYEE MILESTONE RECOGNITION

NEA-New Mexico recognizes Steve Sianez, Government Relations and

Communications Director, for 5 YEARS of service. Steve is excited about

improving the lives of our kids and all the folks who work in the public

schools. He tells us that organizing has been something he has been doing

since he was a little kid. Steve believes union work is a calling. Steve is

responsible for NEA-NM’s government relations and communications work

which includes member-to-member recommendation campaigns and the bi-weekly newsletter.

He is passionate about team building, collaborating, and bringing people together. Thanks, Steve,

for your 5 years of service to NEA-New Mexico.

Page 18

At-Large Elections to the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors

Article V of the NEA-New Mexico Constitution requires proportional representation

of Educational Support Professionals (ESP) and minority members as described

below:

c. Ethnic minority membership shall be represented on the Board in the same proportion as

the number of their NEA-NM members’ bears to the total Active membership of NEA-NM. The

Delegate Council shall nominate and elect ethnic-minority members to the Board of Directors

when necessary to maintain this proportionality.

d. Educational Support Professionals shall be represented on the Board at least in

proportion to their membership in the Association. If the percentage of Educational Support

Professionals elected to the Board of Directors fails to achieve such proportional representation,

the Delegate Council shall nominate and elect at large the number required to assure such

representation.

The election of one (1) at-large member representing ESP members is required to

achieve the correct proportion of ESP membership on the Board. No at-large

minority elections are required. The ESP at-large election will be held online during

the allotted time on the agenda. If it becomes necessary to hold runoff elections,

they will be conducted in the afternoon session of the Council.

The term of office for each position shall begin at the close of the 2021 Delegate

Council, assuming certification of election by the Council and will end at the close

of the 2022 Delegate Council.

Page 19

October 2021

Dear NEA-NM Delegates:

Another year has passed, and the New Mexico Educational Retirement (ERB) Board has

continued to work diligently, along with staff, to make sure that our retirement future is secure.

Our Board Chair, Russell Goff, has led our Board through his first year as chair. He is

dependable, dedicated and a fierce advocate for all members participating in the New Mexico

ERB. I am honored to collaborate with him as vice chair, along with our secretary Larry Magid,

governor appointee. Our Board also welcomes Kurt Steinhaus, Secretary of the Public

Education Department, as its newest member. Secretary Steinhaus has been a vivid supporter of

the ERB during his tenure as superintendent of the Los Alamos Public Schools. Other Board

members include Mario Suazo, designee for Stephanie M. Rodriguez, NM Higher Education

Department Cabinet Secretary; Donald Duszynski, AAUP representative; Matias

Fontenla, AFT-NM Representative; and NM State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg.

Chair Goff also serves as chair of our ERB Investment Committee and has prepared the

following statistics that I will share with you.

The ERB Investment Report for July 30, 2021, showed the following:

• A one-year return of 26.4%, a three-year return of 11.0%, a five-year return of 10.4%, a

ten-year return of 8.8%, and a 9.3% return since inception.

The ERB Investment Report for August 31, 2021, showed the following:

• A one-year return of 26.2%, a three-year return of11.4%, a five-year return of 10.6%, a

ten-year return of 9.3%, and a 9.3% return since inception.

• The total assets of the Fund were reported as $16, 066,342,028 on July 31, 2021.

(A new record!)

• The total assets of the Fund were reported as $16,272,790,161 on August 31, 2021.

(Another new record!)

Bob Jacksha, our Chief Investment Officer, and his impressive investment staff, are to be

commended for his work to protect and improve the investments of the fund for current and

future employees.

Under legislative action for 2022, the Board approved a resolution to support increased employer

contributions to address the solvency of our fund. Our Board feels strongly that continued

increases in member contributions should not always be on the back of the members. Other

legislative action that supports protecting and approving our fund will be addressed at our next

Board meeting.

As previously indicated, our former ERB Executive Director Jan Goodwin resigned in March

2021 to take a position in another state. Currently, Rick Scroggins is serving as the Interim

Executive Director while the Board of Trustees awaits resolution of the salary issues with the

Governor. A search will then begin for a permanent Executive Director. Mr. Scroggins has been

invaluable in making sure that the Board and the members are served at the highest level.

Retirement applications continue coming into the ERB. For the period of August 1 to September

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30, 2021, the Board approved 237 regular retirements. Until this July, the ERB had experienced

a six-year downward trend. A final number will not be available until the end of the year.

Our Board is working diligently to secure the backing of the legislature to improve our solvency,

making retirement benefits at a livable wage, and protecting our fund for current and future

retirees.

Once again, I thank you for your confidence in serving as your representative on the New

Mexico Educational Retirement Board. More importantly, I thank you for your dedication over

these many months of COVID to keep our students learning and moving forward to reach their

goals to be successful in the future.

Mary Lou Cameron NEA-NM Representative to the NM Educational Retirement Board

Page 20b

(Document Placement Page)

NM Public School Insurance Authority (NMPSIA) Report

Pending receipt of report

Page 21

New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority Report

On July 15th and 16th, 2021 the New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority Board of Directors held its annual meeting in Taos. This was the first time we have met in-person since March 2020. However, we have since returned to virtual meetings.

The current financial outlook for the NMRHCA is a positive one. It has extended its solvency period through 2050 (up from 2014 just 13 years ago in 2008). The staff reported the trust fund balances surpassed $1 billion in April, 2021. But good news is always balanced by the knowledge of the ever-rising prices in healthcare and prescription medication. While our solvency is strong, it is expected that the NMRHCA will have to start deficit spending in the next two or three years (meaning it will have to start spending the money in the trust fund- as opposed to added to it) in order to meet expenses and thus effecting our solvency.

With that in mind, the NMRHCA continues to make decisions/ modifications that will continue this program for both current and future participants. The Board adopted plan design and rate increases which take effect on January 1, 2022. The plan rate increases reflect respectively, six (6) percent and four (4) percent increases for the pre-Medicare (under age 65) plan and Medicare supplemental plan. (I personally voted for a plan with lower increasesbut was outvoted.)

The NMRHCA continues to look for ways increase retirees’ wellness in order to decrease medical expenses. Wise and Well is a virtual wellness event to be held September 29. The Board approved a one-year trial for the LIVONGO program that works to improve member’s management of diabetes. This program is voluntary and expects to save $67/month/person.

The Board also approved pursuing an independent lawsuit against generic drug manufacturers to recoup damages for alleged price fixing behavior. NMRHCA was a major purchaser of generic drugs and could potentially recoup monetary damages directly by filing a separate lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies. NMRHCA has already discussed this matter with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and they do not oppose NMRHCA filing an independent suit.

Respectfully submitted,

Therese Saunders September 17, 2021

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NEA-NM 2022 Legislative Platform

Introduction

The National Education Association of New Mexico has for 135 years sought to promote

and advance the education profession, protect the rights and interests of our members,

and secure an adequately funded and equitable public education system for all. Throughout

its long history, enacting legislation that reflects the needs and experiences of New Mexico’s

teachers (educators), students, and communities has been of the utmost importance in achieving

these goals.

In the context of the current crisis in childhood wellbeing, it is critical that the voice of educators

be included in the decision-making and budget processes regarding children’s education and care

in public schools. These decisions will determine health and safety in the workplace and shape

the quality of education New Mexico’s students can expect to receive for years to come. The

COVID-19 crisis has underlined the stark inequity that continues to plague our public education

system, while emphasizing the indispensable role schools and teachers play in our society. The

pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to adopt innovative policies and recommit ourselves

to public education. We ask that state lawmakers carefully consider the following Legislative

Goals, which reflect the collective voice of thousands of educators across the state who are more

invested in public education than ever before.

It is important to note that the categorization of this platform into themes is intended to facilitate

reading but does not reflect the truly interconnected nature of our work: all of these goals work

together synergistically to uplift the education profession and create a more just and equitable

education system for students.

NEA-NM looks forward to collaborating with state legislators and the Governor to see

these goals realized in the next legislative session and beyond.

Sufficient and Equitable Education System

Support Community Schools: Community Schools meet the needs of diverse students and

families by including them as full partners in decision-making and allowing them to shape the

programs and policies they wish to see implemented in their schools. Community schools identify

both the assets and needs in a school community through the hiring of an on-site coordinator who

works within the school to bring about grassroots change. Rather than pursued as a below-the-

line grant program receiving limited recurring State funding, the Community Schools model should

be rolled out Statewide as part of an effective strategy to combat poverty, improve academic

learning, and achieve racial and social equity in New Mexico.

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Ensure Student Equity and Opportunity: Our education system must be rebuilt on core values

of honoring our students’ well-being and ending systems of discrimination and marginalization

that do not allow all students to learn and perform to their full potential. The State must deeply

engage educators, students, families, and tribal leaders to shape education priorities. These

priorities should emphasize increasing and maintaining appropriate support for students with

priority needs, such as special education, gifted, and English Language Learners, and providing

for more fine arts, physical education, music, and vocational programs taught by qualified licensed

instructors. Quality internet access must be guaranteed for all students.

Dual Language Education: Deep investments must be made in dual language educators who

will in turn foster bilingualism, biliteracy, enhanced awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity

and high levels of academic achievement in two languages. Dual Language education provides

a multilingual, multicultural, and rich experience for students. New Mexico’s rich linguistic and

cultural resources must be developed as assets. Many of NM’s students hear a language other

than English spoken at home. Research shows that development of a child’s native language will

help a child learn an additional language at much higher levels of success.

Early Childhood Education: All students should have access to successful programs that

increase educational opportunity, including universal pre-K that is culturally and linguistically

responsive. In addition, students with disabilities must be provided special education and ancillary

services that meet individualized education plans and in the most appropriate and least restrictive

classroom settings. Discipline of young children should be developmentally appropriate, inclusive

and to the extent possible restorative (root-cause) in nature. Home visiting programs and other

early childhood programs are also proven to help our students be fully ready to benefit from their

K-12 schooling and should be expanded Statewide.

Increase Educator Planning Time by Funding additional Staff (social workers, onsite-

coordinators, specials teachers: arts, PE, music)- All educators must have additional planning

time to navigate the challenges of students living in poverty, students with disabilities and students

learning English as a second language. Food insecurity, housing, and transportation insecurity

(poverty) cause specific challenges to students. Educators need time to analyze student needs

and respond with appropriate supports like collaborating with the school’s social worker,

counselor, or nurse (on-site coordinator) to establish contacts with community agencies that can

expand the school’s capacity to provide help for students and families. Educators need time to

make home visits and seek to understand the challenges that families and students face in

accessing educational opportunities. Educators need time to work with families to understand

how their child learns best. Parents are a wealth of information regarding their children, and

educators need time to meet and collaborate with them and other educators.

Legislatively reduce administrative tasks that have little or nothing to do with teaching or

supporting students. Can someone else supervise bus arrivals, rest rooms and the campus, or

the cafeteria? Do teachers really need to submit lesson plans for each class every week, or would

a sample of lessons be just as informative?

K-12 Home Visits: Research has shown for years that families are essential to student and school

success. Cultural and socioeconomic differences, expectations and unconscious assumptions

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may get in the way or well-meaning adults working together effectively. Home visiting can help

educators and families overcome barriers that get in the way of developing deep, trusting

relationships that affect a child’s academics. Educators should be given training, time, and extra

pay to conduct meaningful home visits. Significant barriers to student success can be overcome

with a mutually supportive relationship between home and school. The US Department of

Education recognizes home visiting as a high impact strategy for family engagement when

properly conducted.

Extended Learning K-5 Plus: Educators believe in the power of extended learning for our

students. Local affiliates, districts, parents, and students must participate fully in the design,

authorization, implementation, and evaluation of extended school and year programs. Authentic

teacher-generated assessments should be used to measure student academic growth and

achievement. Laws and policies governing these programs must take into consideration the

impact on the community and be in accordance with professional salaries and class size. These

programs must be staffed by properly certificated/licensed employees. Employment in these

programs must be on a voluntary basis. We believe the most powerful programs provide funding

for classroom supplies, as well as money for experiential learning activities which go beyond

textbook and/or computer seat time. Partnership with local nonprofit organizations also typically

enhances program quality. Flexibility must be provided as to how individual school districts and

individual schools within a district can best meet the needs of their communities, parents, and

students.

Every New Mexico Student Will Learn in a Carbon-Neutral School: Develop and initiate

funding for a plan to make every New Mexico school carbon-neutral. This program will

simultaneously move our State toward increasing the flow of available funds to the classroom (by

reducing the structural energy-related “fixed cost” within District and school budgets).This plan

should be structured so that contractors work with the school staff to provide student opportunities

for Career and Technical Education instruction and hands-on learning experiences for students

(such as understanding the math, science, engineering, and policy behind the initiative). This

program will also be a big step toward helping our State achieve its goals of being carbon-neutral

by 2045 and stimulate economic growth in every New Mexico community.

Funding

Prioritize Education Funding to Guarantee Adequate Recurring Revenues: Over the last ten

years, public school funding has been reduced as a percent of general fund expenditures. Every

dollar spent through the failed strategy of tax breaks for the rich (households of $250,000 +

income) is a dollar taken from our students. Adopt a strategy to provide revenue for sufficient

funding to meet student needs for every New Mexico student.

● Repeal the 2013 Corporate Tax Give-Away

● Restore Personal Income Tax Rates of 2003

● Raise Cigarette, Alcohol, and Gas Taxes (Excise Taxes)

● Repeal the Capital Gains Deduction that allows investments to be taxed at a

lower rate than the hard-earned wages of New Mexico workers.

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Safeguarding School Employee Retirement: Retirement credit is earned compensation—not

a "gift" from taxpayers. Provide all education employees the full benefits of retirement through a

fully funded defined benefit plan, with the original COLA’s restored, without offsets for other

pension plans. The financial security of the New Mexico Educational Retirement Association

(ERB) must be ensured through measures supported by the stakeholder groups comprising ERB

membership.

Return to Work Educators: Reduce or eliminate Return to Work employees wait out period to

4-6 weeks and eliminate cap on compensation limit. This will allow retired educators to return

immediately to address the educator shortage.

Providing Pay Equity and a Living Wage for All School Employees: Student success is

enhanced with a stable, resourced high-quality educational workforce. Provide a $15 minimum

wage for all school employees, including but not limited to school secretaries and other

administrative support staff, food service, transport, and custodial employees. Fully fund the

statutorily required increase to Statewide Teacher Licensure levels to $45,000 for Level One;

$55,000 for Level Two; and, $65,000 for Level Three, and ensure all experienced teachers at

each level are similarly respected by enacting an across-the-board minimal increase of ten

percent (10%). Add another level of teacher pay for a teacher resident at $35,000. Enact and fund

appropriate licensure level minimum salaries for education assistants/paraprofessionals, and

other licensed educational professionals.

Legislation to Increase Student Success Must Address Poverty and Quality of Life for

Parents and the Community: This should include, but not be limited to, raising the minimum

wage to a living wage.

Providing Affordable Health Insurance for Education Employees: As with student learning,

the quality of teaching is impacted by educator health. Escalating health insurance premiums

and benefit decreases impact recruitment and retention of quality educators. Appropriate health

care options must be provided. The statutory limit for employer-paid insurance premium subsidies

must be increased and funded to maintain a healthy workforce of quality educators. Require

Districts to pay 80% or more of the premium cost for health insurance for any employee making

less than $40,000 a year. Use American Rescue Act Plan funds to give a one-time cash infusion

to the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority.

Protecting Retiree Health Care: When the New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority

(NMRHCA) was created, it was not a pre-funded retirement benefits program. Provide sufficient

funds to maintain the commitment made by New Mexico citizens to public employees. Limited

increases in employee and employer withholdings, funded by the State, to improve the solvency

of the system may be required.

Preserving Public Funding: Resist schemes to privatize the education of any public-school

students. Privatization of educational services cannot be tolerated, including those supported by

the PED through below-the-line programs funneling public funds to private enterprises.

Privatization is an abdication of public accountability. We must avoid giving control of students'

Page 26

education to private, for-profit providers and charter “management” corporations—be they

delivered on-site or through virtual technology.

Preventing Vouchers, Tax Credits, Public Scholarships or Other Schemes to Privatize

Public Schools and Resources: Free and uniform public schools are required by the New

Mexico Constitution. Direct all financial support for student education toward fulfillment of this

constitutional obligation, and not toward supporting private schools, home schooling, or for-profit

management of public schools, including charters. The privatization of any public-school

employee positions be they full-time, part-time, or temporary, must be resisted.

Building Higher Education Funding: Higher Education funding must be fully restored, and no

more cuts made. A statutorily defined formula, similar to that in the School Finance Act for Public

Schools, should be enacted to provide sufficient funding for Higher Education, holding harmless

all institutions during the transition. Funding cannot be allowed for any form of “Merit Pay,” but

must allow Higher Education to prioritize equitable faculty and staff increases over capital costs.

Adequately Funding Fixed Costs: We advocate funding to provide for built-in fixed costs and

for district flexibility so employees and elected school boards, through collective bargaining, may

determine local priorities.

Staffing for Student Needs

Student Mental Health Needs: Education Support Professionals (ESP) can have profound effects

on student learning and are vital to properly address everyday student issues such as physical

and mental health problems, homelessness, and all adverse childhood experiences (ACES).

Mental health needs are best served when the school community is supported by a team of trained

professionals and support staff including licensed school social workers, licensed school

counselors, licensed school psychologists, licensed school nurses, and behavioral support

specialists.

Social Emotional Learning: Social emotional learning is not an add on—it must be embedded

into classrooms and school cultures. Honoring the social emotional needs of learners is negated

if we try to teach faster so that students try to learn fast to “catch up.” Students can better obtain

real-life skills, such as critical thinking, when they are supported in the engagement of deep

curricular studies and when schools move away from overly abundant lists of content designed

to prepare students for standardized tests.

Health and Wellness Resources that Promote Wellbeing: School based health centers should

be increased and available in all schools serving a majority of low-income students and families.

Poverty creates conditions that affect cognitive and language development and socioemotional

skills. Young people in low-income, minority communities are at an increased risk of experiencing

or witnessing violence or other traumatic events. Teachers must be prepared with trauma-

informed approaches to mitigate the effects of poverty and trauma on learning and healthy

development.

Page 27

Residency Programs to Enhance the Teacher Ecosystem: Research on the impact of a well-

developed residency model suggests that, on average, residents are more racially diverse than

new teachers; are much more likely to stay in teaching, especially in high-need districts; and are

typically more effective than other novice teachers. Teacher residents should be embedded into

teacher preparation programs. Paid residencies would attract more educators to enroll in formal

preparation programs that better prepare educators to enter their classrooms as the most

experienced and well-versed teachers.

Professionalism

New Teacher Induction, Mentoring and Residency Programs: Statutorily mandated induction

and mentoring programs for public education employees must, finally, be funded. Colleges of

education should be funded to collaborate with and provide support for teacher induction and

mentoring in public schools. Support for research based, well-developed residency programs to

encourage more New Mexicans to enter teaching and the other education professions as the best

route to provide every New Mexico student with a highly qualified educator, rather than expanding

alternative programs or relying excessively on long-term substitute teachers as the route to

address our teacher shortage. New Mexico should develop high-quality alternative routes into

teaching through residency programs, by providing essential oversight of residents by a master

educator, ensuring candidates learn specific educational theories and strategies, while providing

the correct coursework for candidates to address the needs of the students they will be assigned

to teach.

Address the Educator Shortage: Currently, there are close to 600 teacher vacancies across the

state. Well prepared teachers have both content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. New

Mexico students will benefit from well-prepared teachers. They will benefit more if we can retain

them. Fund increased planning time for educators to be available to mentor new teachers and

teacher residents. More support is needed for educators in their first five years.

Class-size Limit: Statutorily prohibit blanket class-size waivers, or class-size averaging that

shortens the students’ time with educators. Large class sizes and the resulting limited one-on-

one time with educators have a disproportionate negative impact on English Language Learners

and other students with priority needs. Restore funding for sufficient staff, including highly

qualified teachers and support service professionals, to adhere to, and meet all students’ needs.

Student Assessments: Varied performance assessments conducted in a formative (on-going)

manner can be used for diagnosis of student needs and improvement of instruction. Student

assessments should never be used for high stakes decisions including school grading or staff

evaluations and compensation. Performance based assessment, like Capstone projects, are

more culturally and linguistically appropriate for New Mexico’s diverse learners. State mandated

assessments should be used as only one measure of student success. Teacher created

assessments, grades based upon day-to-day instruction, dual language acquisition,

civic/community engagement, student attendance and other locally created measures provide a

more complete student assessment picture. Multiple measures must be used.

Page 28

Building an Appropriate School Employee Evaluation System: Our students, and the public,

deserve an educational workforce accountable to them. Student success is enhanced when

evaluation systems emphasize professional growth and development. Fair evaluation systems

that appropriately measure teacher impact on student achievement do not use standardized

student test scores. Evaluations must be fair and impartial and based on objective observations.

Only trained and certified administrators who work together as a team for student success should

evaluate school employees, not outside contractors, or the Public Education Department.

Licensure advancement and evaluation must be fair and transparent and available to all licensed

employees, not as a subterfuge for Merit-Pay schemes.

Employee Rights

Due Process and Just Cause: Unjust adverse job actions against any school employee

destabilizes the provision of high-quality education for our students. Statutory provisions for due

process procedures guarantee “just cause” for all discipline and program decisions of educational

management. Preserve and enhance current rights and extend them to higher education and

supervisory employees.

Sustaining Collective Bargaining: Students gain a lifelong love of learning when their educators

have a significant role in educational and professional decisions and workplace conditions. The

process of elected employee representatives of their choice collectively bargaining with their

elected Boards of Education and the administrators who serve them, as provided for under the

Public Employee Bargaining Act, must be maintained. So-called "Right to Work" legislation and

other efforts to diminish the influence of Unions in the workplace must be opposed.

Page 29

NEA-New Mexico 3-1(g) Plan

2020-2021

A plan for minority representation and involvement in NEA activities

NEA Bylaw 3-1(g)

It is the policy of the Association to achieve ethnic-

minority delegate representation at least equal to the

proportion of identified ethnic-minority populations

within the state. Prior to December 1 of each fiscal

year, each affiliate shall submit to the NEA Executive

Committee for its approval a legally permissible plan

which is designed to achieve a total state and local

delegation to the Representative Assembly held that

fiscal year which reflects these ethnic-minority

proportions. If a state affiliate fails to submit such a

plan, the NEA Executive Committee fails to approve a

plan which is submitted, or a state affiliate fails to

comply with an approved plan, the Representative

Assembly may deny to the delegates from the state

affiliate any right to participate in the NEA

Representative Assembly at the Annual Meeting other

than to (i) participate in elections for Association

officers, and (ii) vote on increases in Association

membership dues. Local affiliates shall comply with

the approved plan of the state affiliate and if a local

affiliate fails to do so, the right of its delegates to

participate in the NEA Representative Assembly at the

Annual Meeting may be limited as indicated above.

The failure of a state or local affiliate to comply with

the provisions of this Bylaw shall, in addition, be

grounds for censure, suspension, or expulsion pursuant

to Bylaw 6-5.

NEA-New Mexico’s

Minority Involvement Program

NEA-New Mexico’s Minority Involvement

Program goal is to enhance the Association’s visibility

as the recognized, active advocate for ethnic-minority

school employees, students, and issues. NEA-NM

recognizes the role that Institutional racism plays in

our schools, and we also want to spotlight systemic

patterns of racism and educational injustice that impact

students, staff, and communities. NEA-NM will take

action to enhance access and opportunity by

demanding changes to policies, programs and practices

that condone or ignore unequal treatment and hinder

student success.

The Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee (EMAC-

Racial and Social Justice Committee) and NEA-New

Mexico Executive Committee are charged with the

responsibility to develop and monitor a plan to achieve

this goal with assistance from the Minority Caucus and

the American Indian/Alaska Native Caucus.

As part of this responsibility, the EMAC-Racial

and Social Justice Committee will monitor the

Leadership Development Program when and if there is

a program. The EMAC-Racial and Social Justice

Committee reviews the entire program with special

emphasis on ethnic-minority attendance, ethnic-

minority recruitment, EMAC-Racial and Social Justice

Committee correspondence to ethnic-minority

participants, develop an ethnic-focused conference and

ethnic-minority active participation in Association

activities. The NEA-NM Board of Directors will be

charged with finding funds to support the Leadership

Development Program. The majority of participants are

ethnic minority.

In addition, NEA-New Mexico’s Resolutions,

Constitution and Bylaws specify the organization’s

commitment to minority members’ participation in all

Association programs and to minority representation in

local affiliate leadership, as Council delegates, on the

Board of Directors and on NEA-New Mexico

committees.

The NEA-New Mexico Membership, Ethnic

Minority Affairs, and ESP Committees all received

committee charges requiring them to collaborate on

strategies to increase ethnic-minority membership and

participation in NEA-New Mexico.

NEA-New Mexico continues to identify, recruit,

and activate ethnic-minority members to involve them

in our Association on a regular basis, including but not

limited to the NEA Representative Assembly.

Purpose

The purpose of NEA-New Mexico’s 3-1(g) Plan is

to make the Association stronger by ensuring that all

members have the opportunity for active participation.

This plan is one component of NEA-New Mexico’s

commitment to involving minority members in all of

the organization’s programs.

The 3-1(g) Plan publicizes the NEA Representative

Assembly, and commits NEA-New Mexico and local

Associations to recruiting members as RA delegate

candidates, especially encouraging ethnic minorities.

The NEA 3-1(g) bylaw establishes the goal that

each state’s delegation to the Representative Assembly

should be at least equal to the proportion of identified

ethnic-minority populations within the state.

Page 30

Bylaw 3-1(g) emphasizes the important process of

including members in NEA and state affiliate

programs.

Publicity and Delegate Recruitment

NEA-New Mexico will publicize the 3-1(g) Plan

with:

a) The 3.1(g) plan will be branded as “Equity in

Action” for communication purposes. (Ongoing)

b) An electronic presentation which could include

a PowerPoint and/or webinar will be developed by the

EMAC-Racial and Social Justice Committee for

presentation. This presentation will include an

explanation of potential fundraising techniques and

how to become an RA delegate. This presentation will

be:

i) Made available on the NEA-New Mexico

website. (Ongoing)

ii) Presented to the Region Councils, Board of

Directors, and other state-wide meetings.

(Ongoing)

iii) Shared via social media. (Ongoing)

c) A feature article in The Advocate’s Voice and/or

on the NEA-New Mexico website describing the

process for becoming an RA delegate and encouraging

ethnic minority members to participate in this process.

This would be included in the first edition of The

Advocate’s Voice in October and again in March.

(October and March)

d) An electronic communication providing an

overview of the NEA RA will be sent, prior to the

annual delegate council, to ethnic minority members

who register for the annual NEA-NM delegate council

encouraging them to run for NEA RA state delegate

positions. (October)

e) An electronic letter, brochure and presentation

will be sent in February from the NEA-New Mexico

president and EMAC-Racial and Social Justice chair to

local Association presidents and the New Mexico

NEA-Retired president detailing the timelines and

requirements of the local delegate election process and

encouraging ethnic minority members to participate in

this process. (February)

f) By mid-February, a postcard and/or electronic

communication is sent to all ethnic minority members

describing the NEA RA local delegate election process

and encouraging them to run. (February)

Increasing Members’ Self-Identification

NEA-New Mexico met its 3-1(g) numerical goal

for 1987, 88, 89, 1991, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 01,

02, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. New

Mexico’s ethnic-minority population is 59%. That

census change raised the bar for NEA-New Mexico to

send a delegation to the NEA Representative Assembly

which meets or exceeds that percentage of minority

population.

Twenty-one (21%) percent of our members do not

choose to self-identify ethnicity. Of those members

who choose to self-identify, 55% identify themselves

as ethnic minorities. However, when compared to the

total membership, only 45% are identified as ethnic

minorities, restricting the pool of potential ethnic-

minority delegates, therefore:

a) NEA-NM will encourage members to self-identify

ethnicity. An electronic communication will be sent to

those members who have chosen “other” for ethnicity

on their NEA membership form. The electronic

communication will include an online form to provide

their ethnicity. NEA-New Mexico will then enter this

data into the membership system using NEA’s eight

ethnic categories: American Indian/Alaskan Native,

Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiple Races, White, Native

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Other.

Local Associations

NEA-New Mexico exceeds its ethnic minority

delegate goals year after year in the election of State

and Cluster Delegates. Some Local Associations may

not elect RA delegates or those who elect delegates are

unable to fund; however, minority participation at RA

is strongly encouraged. The failure of Local Delegates

to come close to meeting our census generated goal has

been the major reason for NEA-New Mexico’s failure

to meet our 3-1(g) goals in the past. Therefore, a major

emphasis of this plan will be to again meet 3-1(g) goals

with locally elected delegates.

Presidents will continue to be strongly urged to

explain the 3-1(g) Plan at a meeting of Association

Representatives before delegate candidates are

nominated. They will be reminded to make use of the

PowerPoint, audio presentations, and other resources

on the NEA-New Mexico website.

Presidents and Association representatives will

be encouraged to recruit ethnic-minority candidates to

attend the NEA Representative Assembly. Those

elected will be provided information regarding the

NEA Conference on Racial and Social Justice.

Page 31

Presidents in locals with more than one

delegate candidate will be encouraged to meet the 3-

1(g) numerical goals.

Self-identified ethnic-minority members in

local Associations entitled to elect RA delegates will

receive a communication from the NEA-New Mexico

president and the NEA-New Mexico EMAC-Racial

and Social Justice chair describing the delegate

election process.

Local Associations must report delegate

election results to the NEA-New Mexico president no

later than April 8. Presidents will also be asked to

submit a report to the NEA-New Mexico president

concerning delegate nominations and elections

pursuant to the 3-1(g) implementation.

The NEA-New Mexico president will

communicate to local Associations the need to plan

and budget funding for locally elected delegates.

Presidents’ Council meetings include discussions about

the fiscal responsibilities of local presidents. During

these discussions, the need for local delegate funding

will be emphasized.

Delegate Categories

All state-wide delegate nominations open in early

September and close at the Annual Delegate Council.

Local Delegates:

Local Associations elect delegates to the NEA

Representative Assembly for each 150 Active

members or major fraction thereof. A local with 76

members or more will elect one delegate for each 150

active members or major fraction thereof.

Active members who want to be a candidate for

delegate should notify the local Association president

in writing.

State Delegates:

NEA-New Mexico Active and Retired members

vote for State Delegates to the NEA Representative

Assembly in their membership category.

Active or Retired members are eligible to run for a

delegate position in their membership category.

Cluster Delegates:

Local Associations with fewer than 76 Active

members will form a cluster to elect delegates. Only

Active members in these clustered locals vote for

Cluster Delegates.

Delegate Statements

All Candidates for State Delegate (State, Cluster,

and Retired) may submit a statement (up to 25 words)

for inclusion on the NEA-New Mexico Representative

Assembly delegate election information on the

electronic ballot. Local Association presidents will be

encouraged to also allow prepared statements to

accompany ballots.

Funding a) NEA-New Mexico will provide a stipend to

assist State and Cluster Delegates to attend the in-person NEA Representative Assembly. NEA-NM will make every effort to increase the stipend.

b) The Minority Caucus, in accordance to their by-laws may provide a stipend to assist ethnic-minority caucus members elected to the NEA Representative Assembly.

c) The American Indian/Alaskan Native Caucus,

in accordance to their by-laws may provide a stipend to assist ethnic-minority caucus members elected to the NEA Representative Assembly.

d) NEA-New Mexico and the EMAC-Racial and Social Justice Committee will encourage regions and locals to provide additional funding for State and Cluster Delegates beyond that provided by NEA-New Mexico.

e) NEA-NM will explore the possibility of

providing funding for EMAC-Racial and Social Justice members to attend the Leadership Development Program.

NEA-New Mexico, 2007 Botulph Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Great Public Schools Begin with Us!

Making Students a Priority ~ Promoting Professional Excellence ~ Improving the Well-Being of School Employees

Revised and approved by vote of the NEA-NM EMAC-Racial and Social Justice Committee on 9-29-2020; by the

NEA-NM Board of Directors on 10-23-2020, and the NEA Executive Committee on 2-9-2021.

Page 32

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION – NEW MEXICO

FISCAL YEAR 2022 STRATEGIC PLAN

AND STRATEGIC BUDGET

PREPARD BY: NEA-NM BUDGET COMMITTEE

Page 33

FY 2022 NEA-New Mexico Strategic Budget Budget Total – 3,209,179

NEA-New Mexico Strategic Objectives:

Strategic Objective #1.0 – EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

# 1.1 – INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

$35,280

Strategic Objective #2.0 – EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

$209,449

Strategic Objective #3.0 – EDUCATION EMPLOYEE’S PUBLIC IMAGE, SELF-ESTEEM

$6,060

Strategic Objective #4.0 – AN INDEPENDENT, UNITED EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

$370,780

Strategic Objective #5.0 - HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS

$500

Strategic Objective #6.0 – BASIC SUPPORT AND SERVICES

$2,507,110

Page 34

NEA-New Mexico

Proposed

Strategic Budget

For Fiscal Year 2022

Membership Number of

FTE’s

Dues

Revenue

Projected Full Dues & Assessments 4,953 $2,001,012

Total Membership Revenue $2,001,012

NEA Grants/Project Funds

UniServ 540,013

Dushane ULSP 100,000

NEA Member Benefits 28,000

Small States Grant 220,139

USEDP Grant 75,214

Total NEA Grants/Project Funds 963,366

Other

Interest 34,100

Events Income 2,000

Rental Income – Main Office Site 72,658

Education Defense Assessment 124,043

Miscellaneous 12,000

Total Other 244,801

Total Revenue $3,209,179

Page 35

NEA-New Mexico FY 2022

Strategic Objective # 1.0

EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

To assure equity and excellence in education, NEA-New Mexico will lead the movement to provide the best possible

learning opportunities for all students.

Strategic Objective # 1.1

INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

$35,280

To provide a Great Public School for every student and to insure excellence and equity, NEA-NM will work to

maintain the required vital investment in public education.

✓ Provide research and data to the public, policymakers, opinion and education leaders, business and

community organizations about the funding issues related to New Mexico’s public schools.

✓ Provide data, research and resources to locals related to salaries and benefits. Use NEA research and other

sources.

✓ Design strategies that are aligned with NEA to promote the increased funding of New Mexico’s public

schools.

✓ Seek NEA resources, human and monetary, for the development of an integrated plan to increase public

school funding.

✓ Support strategies to use “Investment in Public Education” issues to promote membership enrollment and

activities in locals.

✓ Support efforts by local associations to lobby “back home” on quality school issues. These could include

class size, modernization of schools, funding, programs, teacher quality, support personnel issues and

others.

✓ Lobby federal and state policymakers concerning issues related to properly staffed and adequately funded

learning opportunities for all students.

✓ Work with the New Mexico Public Education Department and Public Education Commission to design and

implement regulations that support quality teaching and learning.

✓ Update joint legislative platform and lobby state legislators on items related to that platform including

assistance in sponsoring events for legislators that increase our access and visibility.

✓ Support strategies to use “Equity and Excellence in Education” issues to promote membership enrollment

and activity in locals.

Page 36

✓ Provide opportunities for member lobbying. This should include training, message development, and

support systems for ongoing communication.

✓ Sponsor events for member face-to-face testimony and lobbying with legislators.

✓ Support local association leaders and Association Representatives in local organizing to promote the NEA-

New Mexico political agenda and enhance local organizing efforts.

✓ Provide statewide communications vehicles for members to stay current on legislative events.

✓ Provide support for the NEA-New Mexico lobby team to assist in sponsoring events and opportunities for

interaction and visibility with legislators and other policymakers.

✓ Support political fundraising efforts in locals and at state events.

✓ Support participation in Ed Partners.

✓ Lobby legislators to provide funding to obtain and maintain hardware, software and communications

systems for student and school employee use.

✓ Work with coalition members to influence state legislators to provide a practitioner-controlled standards

board.

Page 37

Strategic Objective #2

EMPLOYEES RIGHTS

$209,449

To protect, improve and expand the right and influence of education employees, NEA-New Mexico will utilize

advocacy processes such as exclusive recognition, collective bargaining, political action and litigation to gain

greater personal and contractual security.

Sub-objectives:

2.1 Strengthen and advance collective bargaining for education employees.

Provide training, resources, and research to local associations working to maintain or gain collective

bargaining rights.

✓ Assist locals organizing for school board elections.

✓ Elect and lobby state legislators favorable toward passing a collective bargaining agreement.

✓ Proved Bargaining Trainings, such as Interest Based Bargaining.

✓ Assist in developing strategies for alternate paths to collective activity in local associations.

✓ Provide support to locals that are working to maintain or gain collective bargaining.

2.2 Advance employment rights for all through progressive training, other advocacy programs and legal

assistance, as appropriate.

✓ Provide training opportunities for local leaders and members in assertive communications, employee

rights, grievance processing and other advocacy systems.

✓ Provide Spring Budget training.

✓ Provide legal services for members through the ULSP.

✓ Provide training related to school districts budgets. Assist with budget analysis.

2.3 Achieve the passage of legislation to strengthen collective bargaining rights, statutory due process

rights, and otherwise advance the Association’s legislative agenda.

✓ Provide lobbying training for local leaders and members.

✓ Identify, recommend, and assist electing pro-education candidates. Provide locals with

information concerning legal issues directly related to campaigning.

Page 38

✓ Offer opportunities for leaders and members to communicate/meet with state policymakers

including opportunities to assist in sponsoring events that provide more access and visibility.

✓ Work with local associations to design strategies to use association volunteers to elect pro-

education candidates.

2.4 Effect the election or appointment of Association-supported local, state and federal office holders.

✓ Provide names of pro-education people to policymakers for consideration for appointments.

2.5 Secure shared decision making in all districts.

✓ Provide models and examples of shared decision making from other NEA affiliates.

✓ Assist locals in designing strategies to acquire useful and fair authority at the site.

✓ Provide training related to school district budgets.

✓ Assist with budget analysis.

Page 39


EDUCATION EMPLOYEES’ PUBLIC IMAGE, SELF-ESTEEM

$6,060

To secure a commitment to the intrinsic value of public education, NEA-New Mexico will promote a

positive public image of, and self-esteem among, education employees.

Sub-objectives:

3.1 Advocate salaries and a work environment commensurate with job responsibilities.

✓ Provide data to locals from NEA and other state affiliates. This could include salary information, job

descriptions, job classifications, etc.

3.2 Develop and implement an internal and external public relations program.

✓ Develop a working relationship with statewide media. Provide assistance to design strategies for

working with the local media.

✓ Provide communications training to local associations including message development and

strategies for handling the local media. Assist in the design of local strategies for impacting the

media.

✓ Provide an all member newsletter.

✓ Provide and maintain an NEA-New Mexico website.

✓ Support Read Across America activities.

✓ Design and deliver a Public Relations program with the NEA-New Mexico message clearly stated.

Use a variety of strategies for delivery of the message.

✓ Provide training to locals for design and promotion of local association message. Encourage the

use of a variety of local vehicles for the delivery of local message.

3.3 Provide strategies and opportunities to promote self-esteem among education employees.

✓ Use media to promote positive issues related to teaching, schools and the Association.

✓ Assist local associations in the design of a local image program.

✓ Provide grants to locals and regions for public relations.

✓ Provide for a Hall of Fame Reception.

✓ Provide for Teaching Excellence Awards.

Page 40

✓ Support strategies to use “Education Employees’ Public Image, and Self Esteem” issues to

promote membership enrollment and activity in locals.

✓ Use NEA resources to support the promotion of teaching, schools and the Association;

including American Education Week and Teacher Appreciation Week activities.

3.4 Build organizational allegiance.

✓ Use NEA-New Mexico communications vehicles for promoting the image and impact of the work

of the Association.

✓ Assist local in designing local strategies for promoting image and impact.

✓ Encourage the design of “local programs” that reflect local issues and concerns.

Page 41


AN INDEPENDENT, UNITED EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

$370,780

To secure for members the benefits of an independent, united education association, NEA-New Mexico

will empower education employees through strong local affiliates; visionary, responsive leadership; and

inclusionary practices which will increase membership, resources and the personal commitment and

involvement of members.

Sub-objectives:

4.1 Secure strong leadership teams in all locals.

✓ Provide for a Summer Leadership Academy/Advocacy Conference.

✓ Provide training to locals in leadership skills, communication skills, and organizational

development. Use a variety of venues when necessary. Provide follow up to local plans.

✓ Support strategies to use “An Independent, United Education Association” issues to promote

membership enrollment and activity in locals.

✓ Continue to seek emerging leaders. Assist locals in designing mechanisms for finding volunteers to

be Association Representatives, committee members, etc.

✓ Identify emerging leaders and support their leadership training. Support the identification of

under-represented groups.

✓ Use alternative strategies in locals to gain recognition for representation with local school boards.

4.2 Design and implement an aggressive, coordinated membership campaign to significantly increase

members in all categories.

✓ Provide training in membership processing to local leaders and staff.

✓ Support efforts of local associations who seek innovative methods of membership recruitment through

local/state grants.

4.3 Establish and maintain projects to support and advance local membership programs.

✓ Provide resources and training for locals to design and implement high profile membership programs

for the purpose of recruiting, maintaining, and activating members.

✓ Assist locals in creating strategies for local programs directly responsive to member needs. Provide

research support for these efforts.

✓ Train locals in basic organizing techniques. Focus on local issues of interest.

Page 42

✓ Offer state/local grants for supporting efforts to increase membership activity.

✓ Provide NEA research and data to assist locals in designing local plans for increasing membership.

✓ Assist locals in designing strategies for recruiting, retaining, and activating their membership. These

strategies should reflect the local membership interest.

✓ Provide follow-up membership support to locals.

4.4 Ensure under-represented groups of members' access to all benefits of the Association.

✓ Provide for a Ethnic-Minority Affairs Committee.

4.5 Promote an active union message and promote membership enrollment.

✓ Assist locals in the design of communications vehicles to promote the activities and

opportunities for members. Provide training in membership recruitment and retention.

✓ Support strategies to use “An Independent, United Education Association” issues to promote

membership enrollment and activity in locals.

✓ Assist in the design of targeted membership strategies.

✓ Assist locals in the design of local issue organizing. Provide training in basic organizing.

✓ Use NEA resources to increase membership in all categories.

4.6 Guarantee open, democratic governance structure.

✓ Provide for a full time release NEA-New Mexico President.

✓ Provide for a NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors.

✓ Provide for a yearly Council meeting.

✓ Provide for Committees as called for in the NEA-New Mexico Constitution/Bylaws or created by the

NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors, such as the following:

o Personnel Committee

o Budget Committee

o Election Committee

o Hall of Fame Committee

o Membership Committee

o ESP Committee

o Constitution, Bylaws & Standing Rules Committee

o Resolution Committee

o Credentials Committee

Page 43

✓ Provide assistance to delegates to the NEA RA.

✓ Provide governance training for state and local leaders/officers. This could include training in

leadership, roles and responsibilities, running effective meetings, local strategic planning, local

elections, maintaining local documents, etc.

✓ Share technology information from NEA to local associations, where appropriate.

Page 44


HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS

$ 500

To promote and defend human and civil rights, NEA-New Mexico will work independently and

collaboratively to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to attain equitable treatment for all people.

Sub-objectives:

5.1 Work individually and collaboratively to eliminate biases and stereotypes aimed at diminishing the

worth of others.

✓ Seek resources from NEA to offer training to members on issues related to Human and Civil

Rights.

✓ Support strategies to use “Human and Civil Rights” issues to promote membership enrollment

and activity in locals.

✓ Work with aligned groups to promote fair and equitable treatment of all.

✓ Use information provided by NEA Health Information Network to assist locals who want to deal with

local health and school safety issues.

5.2 Advance equal access to quality education for all students, with special attention to those considered

educationally at-risk.

✓ Assist locals to design local strategies to raise awareness of the needs of students that are educationally

at-risk.

✓ Work with outside organizations that share our interest in meeting the educational needs of "at-risk"

student populations.

5.3 Achieve performance-based, culturally sensitive assessment of students in New Mexico schools.

✓ Work with coalition partners to influence the design, selection and delivery of student assessment

instruments.

5.4 Work with colleges of education to provide culturally sensitive teacher preparation programs.

✓ Seek resource assistance from NEA to develop state strategies to influence colleges of education to

provide culturally sensitive teacher training programs.

✓ Use NCATE as a model for identifying areas of improvement for teacher preparation programs.

Page 45

5.5 Collaborate with other individuals and organizations to attract and retain minorities and other under-

represented in education.

✓ Seek assistance from NEA to address issues of minority recruitment and retention in education fields.

This should also include strategies for other under-represented groups in education.

5.6 Build effective leaders among minorities and other under-represented groups of members.

✓ Continue the identification of emerging leaders and support the Essential Leadership Cadre programs.

(NEA Project support).

✓ Encourage local associations to design strategies for identifying Association Representatives to include

minority and other under-represented groups.

5.6 Achieve and clarify NEA and NEA-New Mexico objectives and position on equity issues.

✓ Design and distribute the NEA-New Mexico 3.1(g) Plan to all locals.

✓ Use NEA-New Mexico communications vehicles for promoting and clarifying the NEA-New Mexico

position and objective on equity. This could include the issues directly related to legislation, funding,

testing, etc.

✓ Identify the groups impacted by under representation. Provide opportunities for them through

program, events, and activities.

✓ Provide targeted information to those groups identified for the purpose of informing them of

opportunities available through the Association.

✓ Assist locals in the design of strategies for identifying and activating under-represented groups.

Page 46


BASIC SUPPORT AND SERVICES

$2,587,110

To achieve its Strategic Plan, NEA-New Mexico will support the systems and services that provided the

basic framework described in the Strategic budget.

Sub-objectives:

6.1 Coordinate the development, implementation and communication of Association policies.

✓ Provide for professional staff.

✓ Provide for associate staff.

6.2 Maintain sound organizational financial practices and policies to support NEA-New Mexico and

affiliate programs and administration.

✓ Provide for an Executive Director.

✓ Provide for a Business Manager.

✓ Provide for an Office Manager/Events Coordinator.

6.3 Develop and maintain integrated research and information systems to support NEA-New Mexico and

affiliate programs and administration.

6.4 Maintain a safe and productive work environment with efficient office support systems.

✓ Provide for regional and headquarters office space.

✓ Provide for operating expenses to maintain headquarters and regional offices.

✓ Provide for technological support systems for use in offices.

Page 47

Effective October 26, 2019

CONSTITUTION

of the

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF NEW MEXICO

Preamble

We, the members of the National

Education Association of New Mexico, in

order that the Association may serve as the

New Mexico voice for education, advance

the cause of education for all individuals,

promote professional excellence among

educators, gain recognition of the basic

importance of the teacher in the learning

process, protect the rights of educators and

advance their interests and welfare, secure

professional autonomy, unite educators for

effective citizenship, promote and protect

human and civil rights, and obtain for its

members the benefits of an independent,

united teaching profession, do hereby adopt

this Constitution.

ARTICLE I. Name, Goals, Objectives,

Authorities for Governance, and NEA

Affiliation.

Section 1. Name.

The name of this organization shall be

the National Education Association of New

Mexico.

Section 2. Goals and Objectives.

The goals of the Association shall be as

stated in the Preamble. The Association

shall have all power necessary and proper

to take action for the attainment of these

goals. Nothing in this Constitution or in the

Bylaws shall be construed to prevent the

Association from pursuing objectives

which are consistent with the stated goals

of the Association.

Section 3. Governance.

The Association shall be governed by

its Articles of Incorporation, this

Constitution, the Bylaws, the Standing

Rules, and such other actions as the

membership, the Delegate Council, and the

Board of Directors may take consistent

therewith.

Section 4. NEA Affiliation.

The Association shall be affiliated with

the National Education Association of the

United States.

ARTICLE II. Membership.

Section 1. Classes of Membership.

There shall be a class of Active members.

Other classes of membership may be

provided in the Bylaws.

Section 2. Membership Eligibility:

Provisions and Limitations

a. Membership in the Association, as

provided in the Bylaws shall be open to any

person who is actively engaged in, or who

is on leave of absence from the profession

of teaching or other work in education, or

who is serving as an executive officer of the

Association or who is employed by the

Association.

b. Membership is limited to persons

who shall agree to subscribe to the goals

and objectives of the Association and to

abide by the Governing Documents of the

Association.

c. An application for membership shall

be subject to review as provided in the

Bylaws, 2.2-d.

d. The Association shall not deny

membership to individuals on the basis of

race, creed, national origin, sex, or physical

limitation, nor shall any organization which

so denies membership be affiliated with the

Association.

Section 3. Property Interest of

Members.

All right, title, and interest, both legal

and equitable, of a member in and to the

property of the Association shall end upon

the termination of such membership.

ARTICLE III. Delegate Council.

Section 1. Accountability.

The Delegate Council, consisting of

members of the Association, derives its

powers from and shall be responsible to the

membership.

Page 48

Section 2. Allocation of Delegates.

a. Allocation of delegate credentials to

local affiliates and Student NEA shall be

based on membership as provided in the

Bylaws, which also shall provide for other

delegate credentials.

b. The Association shall seek,

through available means, proportional

ethnic minority representation in the

Delegate Council. The Bylaws shall define

the term ethnic minority.

Section 3. Election of Delegates.

a. Members of the Delegate

Council shall be elected in accordance with

the one-person-one-vote principle.

Specific exceptions to the application of

this principle may be set forth in the

Constitution and/or Bylaws.

b. Election to executive office or to

the Board of Directors shall constitute

election to the Delegate Council.

c. Election of delegates to the

Delegate Council shall be by secret ballot

for each individual position. The NEA-NM

members within each membership group

entitled to delegate allocations as set forth

in the Constitution and the Bylaws shall be

eligible to vote.

Section 4. Seating of Delegates.

The Delegate Council shall have

jurisdiction over the seating of its

delegates.

Section 5. Meetings.

The Delegate Council shall meet at

least once each year. In case of emergency,

the Association Board of Directors may call

or postpone a Council meeting as provided

in the Bylaws.

Section 6. Committees.

All appointive bodies of the Association

shall be designated by the term committee.

A Committee on Constitution, Bylaws, and

Rules shall be established by the Delegate

Council. All other committees shall be

established or discontinued as provided in

the Bylaws.

Section 7. Functions.

The Delegate Council shall:

a. establish Association policies and

objectives;

b. amend the Bylaws in accordance

with Article VII, Section 3;

c. adopt the rules governing its

meetings;

d. enact such other measures as may be

necessary to achieve the goals and

objectives of the Association which are not

in conflict with the Articles of

Incorporation, this Constitution, or the

Bylaws.

Section 8. Objectives.

The Delegate Council may periodically

establish specific objectives in the

pursuance of the stated goals of the

Association.

ARTICLE IV. Executive Officers.

Section 1. Executive Officers.

The executive officers of the

Association shall be the President and the

Vice President.

Section 2. Qualifications for Executive

Officers.

All candidates for the office of President

and Vice President shall be Active

members of the Association. All executive

officers shall maintain Active membership

in the Association.

Section 3. Elections, Terms and

Salaries.

a. The candidates for the offices of

President and Vice President shall be

elected in accordance with the Bylaws and

Standing Rules.

b. The terms of the President and of the

Vice President shall be three (3) years

beginning July 15 following their election.

Each executive officer shall remain in

office through July 14 of the year in which

a successor is elected, unless otherwise

provided in this Constitution. An executive

officer shall serve no more than two (2) full

consecutive terms in the office to which

elected.

c. The elected President shall serve full

time. The salary for the President shall be

determined as provided in the Bylaws.

Page 49

Section 4. Vacancies and Succession.

Vacancies occurring by reason of death,

resignation, incapacity, recall, or other

disqualification shall be filled as follows:

a. A vacancy in the office of President

shall be filled by the Vice President.

b. A vacancy in the office of Vice

President shall be filled by the Board of

Directors, which shall elect a successor to

serve until the meeting of the Delegate

Council following the effective date of the

vacancy.

If, at the time of the Delegate Council,

the next general election is six (6) months

or less, the Delegate Council will fill the

vacancy using the procedures for the

election of members-at-large to the Board

of Directors, except that elections to fill

these vacancies may be held at any

Delegate Council. If the next general

election is greater than six (6) months, a

general election will be called; and

nominations will be received on the floor of

the Delegate Council.

c. If the offices of President and Vice

President become vacant, the Board of

Directors shall elect successors to both

offices until the meeting of the Delegate

Council following the effective date of the

vacancy. If, at the time of the Delegate

Council, the next general election is six (6)

months or less, the Delegate Council will

fill the vacancy using the procedures for the

election of members-at-large to the Board

of Directors, except that elections to fill

these vacancies may be held at any

Delegate Council. If the next general

election is greater than six (6) months, a

general election will be called; and

nominations will be received on the floor of


Section 5. Recall.

Executive officers of the Association

may be recalled for violation of the Code of

Ethics of the Education Profession, for

misfeasance, for malfeasance, or for

nonfeasance in office.

a. Recall proceeding against an officer

shall be initiated by written petition

submitted to the Board of Directors by at

least (1) fifty (50) percent of the delegates

certified for attendance at the most recently

held meeting of the NEA-NM Delegate

Council; or (2) twenty-five (25) percent of

the total Active membership of the

Association; or (3) seventy-five (75)

percent of the members of the NEA-NM

Board of Directors.

b. If, after a due process hearing, a two-

thirds (2/3) vote of a review board as

provided in the Bylaws shall sustain the

charge, a recall vote of the entire Active

membership by secret ballot shall be held.

If the recall is sustained by two-thirds (2/3)

of those voting, the office shall be vacant.

ARTICLE V. Board of Directors.

Section 1. Composition.

The Board of Directors shall consist of:

(a) directors selected from units to be

determined in the Bylaws (5.1); (b)

directors from the Student NEA, as

determined in the Bylaws; and (c) the

executive officers, the New Mexico NEA

Director, and the alternate New Mexico

NEA Director.

a. Teachers shall be represented on the

Board at least in proportion to their

membership in the Association. If the

percentage of teachers elected to the Board

of Directors fails to achieve such

proportional representation, the Delegate

Council shall nominate and elect at-large

the number required to assure such

representation.

b. Supervisors shall be represented on

the Board in the same proportion as the

number of their NEA-NM members bears

to the total Active membership of NEA-

NM. The Delegate Council shall nominate

and elect an at-large administrator/

supervisor member(s) to the Board. For the

purposes of this article, Supervisor shall

have the meaning contained in the New

Mexico Public Employee Collective

Bargaining Act.

c. Ethnic minority membership shall be

represented on the Board in the same

proportion as the number of their NEA-NM

Page 50

members bears to the total Active

membership of NEA-NM. The Delegate

Council shall nominate and elect ethnic

minority members to the Board of Directors

when necessary to maintain this

proportionality.

d. Educational Support Professionals

shall be represented on the Board at least in

proportion to their membership in the

Association. If the percentage of

Educational Support Professionals elected

to the Board of Directors fails to achieve

such proportional representation, the

Delegate Council shall nominate and elect

at large the number required to assure such

representation.

e. Non-supervisory teaching faculty/

professional staff in higher education shall

be represented on the Board at least in


Association. If the percentage of non-

supervisory teaching faculty/professional

staff in higher education elected to the

Board of Directors fails to achieve such

proportional representation, the Delegate

Council shall nominate and elect at-large

the number required to assure such

representation.

f. Retired members shall be

represented on the Board at least in


Association. Retired directors shall be

elected by secret ballot for each individual

position by the retired members of NEA-

New Mexico.

g. Student NEA representation on the

Board of Directors shall not be computed in

determining the representation entitlements

of administrators or non-supervisory

teaching faculty/professional staff in higher

education.

h. Alternates for positions on the Board

of Directors shall be as determined in the

Bylaws.

Section 2. Election and Terms of Office.

a. The election of NEA-NM directors

shall be provided for in the Association

Bylaws.

b. NEA-NM directors shall serve a term

of three (3) years and shall serve no more

than two (2) full consecutive terms.

c. At-large directors shall serve one-

year terms and shall serve no more than six

(6) full consecutive terms.

d. Student NEA directors shall serve a

term of one (1) year and shall serve no more

than two (2) full terms. The directors shall

be student members of the Association.

Section 3. Functions.

Consistent with the programs, goals,

objectives and the existing policies of the

Association, the Board of Directors shall

act for the Association between meetings of

the Delegate Council and in addition shall

have the sole responsibility for any matter

expressly delegated to it by the Delegate

Council.

ARTICLE VI. Affiliates and Special

Interest Groups.

Section 1. Affiliation.

Affiliation shall mean a relationship

based on a reciprocal contractual

agreement between the Association and an

organization involved with or interested in

education and shall continue until the

affiliate withdraws or becomes

disaffiliated.

Section 2. Ethnic Minority

Representation.

Affiliates of the Association shall take

all reasonable steps to assure that their

elective and appointive bodies shall have

ethnic-minority representation at least

proportionate to the ethnic-minority

membership of the affiliate.

Section 3. Classes.

The three (3) classes of affiliates shall be

governance, Student NEA, and non-

governance.

a. The governance class shall consist of

local affiliates exclusively.

b. The Student NEA shall consist solely

of the student members of the Association.

c. The non-governance class shall

consist of all other affiliated professional

and nonprofessional organizations.

Page 51

Section 4. Rights of Active Members in

Governance Affiliates.

Each governance affiliate shall

guarantee its members an open nomination

procedure and a secret ballot. No

governance affiliate shall discriminate

against its members in their right to vote,

seek office, or otherwise participate in the

affairs of the affiliate, of other governance

affiliates, or of the Association.

Section 5. Standards and Procedures

for Affiliation.

Affiliates which fail to comply with

standards and procedures set forth by the

Bylaws shall be subject to censure,

suspension, or disaffiliation.

Section 6. Special Interest Groups.

Any organized group of Association

members having a common interest or

purpose may be recognized as a Special

Interest Group provided such a group is not

eligible for any class of affiliation.

ARTICLE VII. Amendment of

Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 1. Proposal of Amendments.

Amendments to the Constitution or the

Bylaws may be proposed by one or more of

the following methods:

a. By petition signed by at least fifty

(50) Active members from two (2) or more

local affiliates and submitted to the

Committee on Constitution, Bylaws and

Rules for presentation to the Delegate

Council;

b. By petition signed by at least twenty-

five (25) delegates to the Delegate Council

and submitted to the Committee on

Constitution, Bylaws and Rules for

presentation to the Delegate Council;

c. By majority vote of the Active

membership of a local affiliate present and

voting at an official meeting of the local;

d. The form of the proposed

amendment will be presented in an official

Association publication and distributed to

all members prior to the Delegate Council

at which it will be considered.

e. By majority vote of the NEA-NM

Board of Directors and submitted to the


Rules for presentation to the Delegate

Council; or

f. by majority vote of the Committee on

Constitution, Bylaws and Rules.

Section 2. Amendment to the

Constitution.

a. A proposed amendment to the

Constitution shall be presented in writing to

the Committee on Constitution, Bylaws and

Rules, postmarked no later than fifty (50)

days prior to the Delegate Council meeting

at which it is to be considered.

b. The text of the proposed amendment

shall be printed in the Delegate Handbook

and sent to all delegates no later than thirty

(30) days prior to the Council meeting at

which it will be considered.

c. Two-thirds (2/3) vote of delegates to

the Council shall remove an amendment

from the ballot.

d. This Constitution may then be

amended by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes

cast by the Active members of NEA-NM at

a regular or special election.

Section 3. Amendment of the Bylaws.

a. A proposed amendment to the

Bylaws shall be presented in writing to the

Committee on Constitution, Bylaws, and

Rules, postmarked no later than fifty (50)

days prior to the Delegate Council meeting

at which it is to be considered.

b. The text of the proposed amendment

shall be printed in the Delegate Handbook

and sent to all delegates no later than thirty

(30) days prior to the Council meeting at

which it will be considered.

c. The text of the proposed

amendments will be printed in an official

Association publication and distributed to

all members.

d. The Bylaws may then be amended by

a majority vote of the delegates present and

voting except that the Bylaw established

dues shall be amended by vote of the NEA-

New Mexico Active membership.

Section 4. Voting on Amendments.

Page 52

a. Voting on proposed amendments to

the Constitution or to the Bylaws shall be

by secret ballot.

b. Unless otherwise provided, all

amendments shall take effect at the

beginning of the fiscal year following their

adoption.

Section 5. Withdrawal of Proposed

Amendments.

Requests for withdrawal of proposed

amendments shall be submitted in writing

to the Committee on Constitution, Bylaws

and Rules. Such withdrawal shall be

effective when approved by the Delegate

Council. Requests for withdrawal of

proposed amendments to the Constitution

or to the Bylaws may be granted by action

of the Delegate Council based on requests

made in the following manner:

a. If originally proposed by petition of

fifty (50) or more Active members from

two or more local affiliates, or twenty-five

(25) or more delegates, the request shall be

signed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of such

Active members or delegates;

b. If originally proposed by a majority

vote of the Active membership of a local

affiliate present and voting at an official

meeting of the local affiliate, the request to

withdraw shall be made by majority vote of

that local affiliate at an official meeting;

c. If originally proposed by the NEA-

NM Board of Directors, the request shall be

made by a majority of the Board;

d. If originally proposed by the


Rules, the request shall be made by a

majority of that committee.

Page 53

BYLAWS

of the


October 26, 2019

1. OBJECTIVES

1.1 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives directed toward

the achievement of the stated goals of the

Association shall be:

a. To improve the structure of the

Association in order to insure the full and

effective participation of all members,

thereby establishing and maintaining an

independent, self-governing organization;

b. to promote continuous improvement

of instruction and of curriculum;

c. to promote and protect the rights and

welfare of its members;

d. to support local affiliates in attaining

a bargaining posture for improvement of

terms and conditions of employment;

e. to advance professional rights and to

enhance professional responsibilities in

order to further the consistent development

and improvement of the profession and its

practitioners;

f. to work among the people of New

Mexico for broad support of education and

for improvement attitudes toward the

profession;

g. to secure adequate financial support

for public education;

h. to promote the rights and welfare of

all students;

i. to assist each student in realizing his

or her maximum potential;

j. to protect and support its members as

employees in disputes with employers or

with those acting on behalf of employers.

2. MEMBERSHIP

2.1 Classes

a. There shall be seven (7) classes of

membership: Active, Staff, Student,

Retired, Reserve, Substitute, and Associate.

b. Active membership shall be open to

any person (i) who is engaged in or on

limited leave of absence from professional

educational work; (ii) who is employed in

or who is on a limited leave of absence from

an educational support position in a school

district, college, university or other

institution devoted primarily to educational

work; or (iii) who is serving as an executive

officer of the Association or of NEA or a

local affiliate.

c. Staff membership shall be open to

any person employed by NEA-NM or any

of its affiliates in a staff position.

d. Student membership shall be open to

students who are receiving basic

preparation at the undergraduate or

graduate level for their initial teaching

responsibility and who are members of duly

chartered chapters of Student NEA in good

standing with the National Education

Association and NEA-NM.

e. Retired membership shall be open to

any retired employee of a school district,

college or university, or other institution

devoted to primarily educational work.

Retired members shall be eligible to vote

and hold elective or appointive positions.

Retired members shall be entitled to receive

such services as may be approved by the

Board of Directors. Retired members must

maintain membership in local associations

where available, or in special regional

associations, and in the NEA.

f. Reserve membership shall be open

to any person 1) who is on a leave of

absence of at least six (6) months from the

employment that qualifies him or her for

Active membership or 2) who has held

Active or Educational Support membership

in the Association but whose employment

status no longer qualifies that individual for

such membership.

g. Unless these Bylaws provide

otherwise, a person who is eligible for more

than one (1) membership category shall

Page 54

join the Association in the membership

category that provides the greatest degree

of participation in Association governance.

h. Associate membership shall be open

to any person who is interested in

advancing the cause of public education but

is not eligible for any other class of

membership in the Association.

i. Substitute membership shall be

open to an educational employee employed

on a day-to-day basis who is eligible for

membership in the Active category and

shall have the option of joining the

Association as a Substitute member unless

said employee is eligible for NEA/NEA-

NM Retired membership. Educational

employees employed on a day-to-day basis

who are included in a bargaining unit with

full-time educational employees shall be

eligible only for Active membership

j. A member may appeal the assigned

class of membership to the Board of

Directors which shall have the authority to

make the final determination in this regard.

2.2 Rights and Limitations

a. Membership in the Association shall

be determined by the local and the

Association. Where membership is denied

on the local level by virtue of educational

position, the Association may provide for

such membership by vote of the Delegate

Council.

b. The right to vote and to hold elective

or appointive position shall be limited to

Active members except as otherwise

provided.

c. Membership shall be continuous

unless terminated for cause. The Board of

Directors shall have the authority to

develop continuous membership policies.

d. Any application for membership shall

be subject to review by the NEA-NM

Board of Directors. A majority vote by the

Board may deny membership to an

individual. The person so denied shall have

the right to appeal to the Board of Directors

and further to the Review Board.

e. The Board of Directors shall have the

authority to censure, suspend, or expel any

member for cause. Every member is

guaranteed due process by the Association.

f. Any member of NEA-New Mexico

who believes he/she has a grievance against

the Association or any of its affiliates shall

be entitled to invoke the following

procedure:

(1) The member bringing the grievance

against the local association shall file the

grievance with the local president and

executive body in writing. The

executive body shall render a decision in

writing within ten (10) calendar days.

(2) The decision, or failure to render a

decision, by the local executive body

may be appealed to the NEA-New

Mexico Board of Directors which shall

render a written decision within sixty

(60) calendar days after receiving the

appeal. If the decision is adverse to the

member bringing the grievance, he/she

shall notify in writing the Executive

Director of NEA-New Mexico of the

intent to appeal to the Review Board.

Such notification must be made within

ten (10) calendar days following the

decision of the Board of Directors.

Decisions involving Legal Services are

made by the NEA-New Mexico Board

of Directors. An appeal of this decision

is made directly to NEA Legal Services.

A dispute involving a legal decision

cannot be considered as a grievance

under Bylaw 2.2.e.

(3) The decision of the NEA-New Mexico

Board of Directors may be appealed to

the Association Review Board which

shall render a written decision within

sixty (60) calendar days following

receipt of the appeal. The Review

Board’s decision shall constitute final

determination of the issue(s) in dispute.

(4) By mutual agreement of the parties to

the dispute(s), binding arbitration may

be selected in lieu of the Board of

Directors and/or Review Board appeals

for final resolution of the dispute(s).

(5) At the request of either party or by

majority vote of the Board of Directors,

Page 55

a hearing will be held in executive

session.

2.3 Membership Year

The membership year shall be

September 1 through August 31.

2.4 Membership Dues

a. Dues of Active members shall be

.007 of the average returning classroom

teachers' salary as computed for the

previous year, rounded off to the nearest

dollar.

b. Dues of Educational Support

members shall be .007 of the average salary

of persons in this category of membership

as computed for the previous year, rounded

off to the nearest dollar. In no case shall the

dues of Educational Support members be

less than one-half (1/2) of the dues for

Active members.

c. Membership dues for persons

eligible for Active membership who are

regularly employed for fifty (50) percent or

less of the normal schedule for a full-time

member (as verified by the local

association) shall be one-half (1/2) of the

Active membership dues of their respective

category. A person eligible for Active

membership shall pay dues commensurate

with the remaining months in the

membership year in which the person joins,

provided (1) the person is joining for the

first time, or (2) the person has not been a

member for the previous two (2)

membership years.

d. Dues of Staff members shall be one-

half (1/2) the dues of Active members.

e. Dues of Associate members shall be

set by the NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors.

f. Dues of Student members shall be as


Directors.

g. Dues of Reserve members shall be as


Directors.

h. Dues of retired members shall be as


Directors.

2.5 Dues Transmittal and Enforcement

Procedures

a. The local affiliate shall enter into

contracts with NEA-NM governing the

transmittal of dues for NEA, NEA-NM,

Regions and caucuses approved by the

Board of Directors and for NEA-PAC and

NEA-NM EdPAC contributions.

b. A local shall transmit to NEA-New

Mexico all dues, fees and other

contributions on the following schedule:

DATE

PERCENTAGE

October 25 10%

November 25 20%

December 25 30%

January 25 40%

February 25 50%

March 25 60%

April 25 70%

May 25 80%

June 25 90%

July 25 100%

These percentages shall be based upon

the membership counts of the first day of

the month containing the scheduled

payment date. NEA-New Mexico and

individual Local Associations may, on a

case-by-case basis, negotiate a different

schedule for dues transmittal if the schedule

set forth in this section will create an undue

hardship because of the manner in which

dues deducted by school districts are

transmitted to a particular Local

Association. Under no circumstances

should any local drop any members for the

full year after October 6 of the membership

year. Should a local become delinquent in

the above transmittal schedule, the local

affiliate agrees to pay a penalty on the

overdue balance, beginning with the first

day of the month following the scheduled

payment date. The penalty shall be the rate

of simple interest charged to NEA-New

Mexico by NEA. No penalty will be

assessed on the first scheduled date of

October 25. Locals may appeal to the

Board of Directors. In case of an appeal,

Page 56

the penalty will be assessed only on any

amount found not to be in error.

c. The delegates representing a local

which has not transmitted their dues, fees

and other contributions according to the

payment schedule set forth in Bylaw 2.5b

shall not be entitled to recognition or

seating at the Delegate Council which

follows the payment date preceding the

Council .

3. DELEGATE COUNCIL

3.1 Qualification

Any Active, Student or Retired member

in good standing may be elected to the

Delegate Council in their respective

membership categories.

3.2 Allocation of Delegates

a. Allocation of delegate credentials to

local affiliates shall be on the basis of the

Active membership figure of January 15 of

the same calendar year in which the

Delegate Council convenes.

b. Allocation of delegate credentials to

local affiliates shall be based on a ratio of

1:25 Active members or major fraction

thereof. An affiliate local association with

fewer than twenty-five (25) members shall

be entitled to one elected delegate.

c. Allocation of delegate credentials to

the Student NEA shall be based on a ratio

of 1:25 Student NEA-NM members or

major fraction thereof.

d. Allocation of delegates for NEA-NM

Retired members shall be based on the ratio

of 1:100 NEA-NM Retired members of

major fraction thereof

3.3 Elections

a. The local affiliate president shall be

responsible for conducting the election of

delegates in a manner that assures adequate

notice to all eligible voters, open

nominations, and secret ballots to represent

the affiliate and for reporting the names of

the official delegates no later than fifteen

(15) days preceding a Council meeting.

b. The local affiliate shall take all

reasonable steps to assure proportional

ethnic minority representation in its

delegation.

c. Delegates shall be elected for a term

not to exceed three (3) years.

3.4 Meetings

a. At least one meeting of the Council

shall be held each calendar year. The place

and dates shall be determined by the Board

of Directors.

b. Additional meetings may be held:

(1) upon the call of the President with the

approval of a majority of the Board of

Directors, (2) by two-thirds (2/3) vote of

the Board of Directors, or (3) upon petition

to the President by twenty-five (25) percent

of the members of the Council.

c. A majority of the elected and

certified delegates of the Council shall

constitute a quorum. Once a quorum has

been established, the business of the

Association may be conducted until the

agenda has been completed.

3.5 Council Deliberations

a. The President shall provide for the

agenda of the Council meeting; the agenda

shall be devoted solely to the business

affairs of the Association.

b. Only regularly certified delegates

shall be seated on the Council floor; a

separate seating section shall be provided

for visitors.

c. Except with the consent of the

Council, the privileges of debate and vote

shall be restricted to Council delegates.

3.6 Powers and Duties

Delegates to the Council meeting

shall:

a. certify amendments to the

Constitution, and amendments to the

Bylaws establishing dues for the

ballot;

b. nominate and elect in a manner that

assures adequate notice to delegates,

open nominations, and secret ballots

such at-large members to the Board

of Directors as are guaranteed by the

Constitution; and

Page 57

c. elect in a manner that assures

adequate notice to delegates, open

nominations, and secret ballots the

NEA-NM representative to the

Educational Retirement Board.

c. adopt legislative goals and

platform; and

d. consider and vote on NEA-NM

resolutions.

e. consider and vote on NEA-NM

committee recommendations;

f. give final approval to the Association

programs and policies;

g. establish and amend the Standing

Rules.

h. consider and vote on amendments to

the Bylaws, except as restricted in the

Constitution.

i. receive nominations for

offices to be elected by the Council;

j. elect at large members of the

board of directors as required by the

constitution and elect the NEA-New

Mexico member of the Educational

Retirement Board.

4. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

4.1 Powers and Duties of the President

The President shall be the executive

officer of the Association and its policy

leader and shall be accountable to the Board

of Directors. The President shall serve full-

time as president of the NEA-New Mexico.

The President will not serve as an officer of

a local association or as an officer of any

other Union. The President may serve as a

legislator, but not in any other political

elected or appointed full-time office. The

President shall:

a. represent the Association as

spokesperson on matters of policy or

assign, at the President's discretion,

responsibility for such representation;

b. provide for the agenda for the

governing bodies of the Association and the

program for the Delegate Council

meetings;

c. appoint, except as provided in these

Bylaws, all chairpersons and members of

committees, with the advice and consent of

the Board of Directors; such chairpersons

and members to serve at the discretion of

the President, except where a term is fixed

by these Bylaws;

d. serve as member ex-officio on all

committees authorized by the governing

bodies;

e. prepare, with management staff and

the Budget Committee, a budget for

submission to the appropriate policy-

making bodies;

f. review Association policies and

recommend priorities to be considered by

the Board of Directors;

g. chair the Board of Directors

meetings and assist and advise the Board of

Directors;

h. meet with the Vice President of the

Association and/or appropriate staff as

necessary to make decisions between

meetings of the Board of Directors;

i. delegate duties to the officers and

through the Executive Director to the staff

of the Association;

j. perform the duties as stipulated in the

Articles of Incorporation, in the

Constitution, and in these Bylaws and such

other duties as are customarily assumed by

the chief executive officer of an

association;

k. serve as a delegate to the NEA

Representative Assembly and act as chair

of the delegation.

4.2 Powers and Duties of the Vice

President

The Vice President shall:

a. act for the President when the

President is unable to perform the duties of

the office;

b. perform such other duties as are

stipulated by the Constitution, by these

Bylaws, and by the President;

c. serve as a delegate to the NEA

Representative Assembly and act as vice

chair of the delegation; and

Page 58

d. serve as chair of the Budget

Committee and member ex-officio of all

other committees authorized by the

governing bodies.

4.3 Salaries of Executive Officers

The salary of the President shall be

determined by the Board of Directors.

4.4 Recall

a. If recall of the President or of both

executive officers of the Association has

been proposed by the Board of Directors,

the Board shall select a temporary

chairperson to preside until the proceedings

are resolved. If the Vice President alone is

named in the proceeding, the President may

continue to preside.

b. The Board of Directors shall certify

the validity of recall petitions from Council

delegates or from the ACTIVE

membership.

c. The Board of Directors shall direct

the Executive Director to convene the

Review Board within fifteen (15) days of

validation.

d. If the Review Board sustains the

charge by two-thirds (2/3) vote, the Board

of Directors shall arrange for a recall vote

by the ACTIVE membership within thirty

(30) days of the decision of the Review

Board.

l. The ballot shall have printed two

choices: "This officer shall be

recalled", and, "This officer shall not

be recalled".

2. Voting shall be in a manner that

assures adequate notice to all eligible

voters and secret ballots and shall

follow regular election procedures as

outlined in Standing Rules.

e. The Board of Directors shall certify

the election results. Upon the certification

that the vote of the membership has

sustained the recall, the office immediately

becomes vacant.

f. The Board of Directors shall report

the results of the election to local presidents

not later than twenty (20) days from the

time the ballots are sent.

5. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

5.1 Composition

The Board of Directors of the

Association shall be constituted on the

basis of one-person-one-vote and shall

consist of:

a. the President who shall be the

chairperson;

b. the Vice President;

c. one member elected by the Active

membership of each Board Election

District within each Region for each seven

hundred (700) Active members or major

fraction thereof’, within the Board Election

District within each Region; such directors

shall, for the purposes of these bylaws be

identified as Region or Regional Directors;

d. one member elected by the Student

NEA for each seven hundred (700)

members or major fraction thereof;

e. such at-large members as may be

guaranteed by the Constitution;

f. the NEA Director for New Mexico;

and

g. the Alternate NEA Director for New

Mexico.

5.2 Election of Region Directors

a. Election of NEA-NM Directors shall

be governed by procedures established in

the NEA-NM Standing Rules.

b. The number of Directors to which

each Board Election District is entitled

shall be determined by final membership

for the previous membership year. In the

event that the number of members

mandates a reduction or increase in the

number of Board of Directors members for

a region, the procedure for such reduction

or increase shall be established by the

Board of Directors in compliance with the

NEA-NM Bylaws. The reduction or

increase will become effective July 15

following the next regularly scheduled

election.

5.3 Alternate NEA-New Mexico

Directors

a. Each Region Council shall appoint

Alternate Region Directors for each Board

Election District who shall represent the

Page 59

Board Election District on the NEA-New

Mexico Board of Directors in the event of a

Region Director’s inability to execute

his/her duties for a temporary period or, in

the case of a vacancy, until the next regular

NEA-New Mexico election. The vacancy

created when the Alternate Region Director

serves as a Director may be filled by

appointment of the Region Council.

b. Alternate(s) for the elected

member(s) of the board of directors

representing retired members shall be

elected through the internal elections

conducted by NEA-NM Retired in the same

cycle as NEA-NM retired positions come

up for election.

c. The NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors shall appoint Alternate Directors

for At-Large Members who shall represent

that membership in the event of an At-

Large Director's inability to execute his/her

duties for a temporary period or, in the case

of a vacancy, until the next Delegate

Council Meeting.

5.4 Vacancies

a. When a vacancy in the office of

Regional Director or Retired Director

occurs through death, resignation, recall,

change in employment, change in region

residency, or through other

disqualification, the replacement for the

unexpired term shall be the Alternate

Director until the next regular NEA-New

Mexico election. The vacancy created

when the Alternate Region Director serves

as a Director may be filled by appointment

of the Region Council.

b. When a vacancy in the office of an

at-large Director occurs through death,

resignation, recall, change in employment

or through other disqualification, the

replacement for the unexpired term shall be

appointed by the Board of Directors until

the next Delegate Council meeting.

5.5 Membership Restriction

a. A Director shall immediately

relinquish the position held on the Board

when such director ceases to be employed

in the category represented.

b. When a Director has been absent

without presentation of valid reason for two

(2) meetings in a year, the Board of

Directors may, by majority vote, declare

the position vacant.


The Board of Directors shall:

a. be the body to whom the executive

officers and the Executive Director shall be

accountable;

b. implement all orders and resolutions

of the Council and may devise and put into

operation other regulations not inconsistent

with the objectives of the Association, or

the orders and resolutions of the Council;

c. employ and annually evaluate the

Executive Director;

d. determine the time and place of the

Council meetings and, in the event of an

emergency, shall have the power to call or

postpone a Council meeting by a two-thirds

(2/3) vote;

e. establish procedures and/or

requirements for affiliation consistent with

the standards as set forth in the Bylaws;

f. receive all reports of the Executive

Director and of committees, and shall

transmit with its recommendations such

reports as may be appropriate to the

Delegate Council;

g. act on committee appointments as

submitted by the President;

h. keep a full record of its proceedings

and make provision for appropriate

publication of records;

i. prepare its common policies in

written form;

j. approve the auditor for the

Association's financial affairs.

k. establish dues for NEA-New Mexico

retired, student, and reserve members.

l. adopt and approve changes in the

Association Budget. However, any

meeting of the Delegate Council may, by a

2/3 vote of the delegates, require the Board

to amend the budget in accordance with the

directives of the Council.

5.7 Recall

Page 60

Directors or Alternate Directors of the

Association may be recalled for violation of

the Code of Ethics of the Education

Profession, for misfeasance, for

malfeasance, or for nonfeasance in office.

a. Recall proceeding against a Director

or Alternate Director shall be initiated by

written petition submitted to the Board of

Directors by at least:

(1) twenty-five (25) percent of the

Active membership in the Region

represented by the Director or

Alternate Director in question, or

(2) fifty (50) percent of the local

presidents of the Region represented

by the Director or Alternate Director

in question.

b. The Board of Directors (excluding

the Director involved) shall certify the

validity of recall petitions from Council

Delegates or from the membership.

c. The Board of Directors shall direct

the Executive Director to convene the

Review Board to hear recall cases within

fifteen (15) days of validation of recall

procedure used.

d. If the Review Board sustains the

charge by two-thirds (2/3) vote, the Board

of Directors shall arrange for a recall vote

by the ACTIVE membership within thirty

(30) days of the decision of the Review

Board. Ballots will be sent to ACTIVE

members in the affected Region.

(1) The ballot shall have printed two

choices: "This Director shall be

recalled", and, "This Director shall

not be recalled".

(2) Voting shall be in a manner that

assures adequate notice to all eligible

voters and secret ballots and shall

follow regular election procedures as

outlined by Standing Rule 6.

e. The Board of Directors shall certify

the election. The Director involved may

not participate in the certification of recall

procedures.

f. The Board of Directors shall report

the results of the election to local presidents

not later than twenty (20) days from the

time the ballots are sent.

g. At-large Directors may be recalled by

the same method(s) set forth in the

Constitution and Bylaws for the recall of

executive officers.

5.8 Change in Region or Board Election

District Composition

If the Region or Board Election District

Configuration of locals changes during the

term of office of an elected board member,

that board member will continue to serve

until the expiration of the term to which

elected if the new Region when taken as a

whole still qualifies for the board position.

The board member will continue to serve

even if from a local within the Region but

not within the Board Election District;

however, upon the expiration of the term or

other relinquishment of the board position

by the incumbent, the vacancy must be

filled from the appropriate region or Board

Election District. If the Region is not

entitled by virtue of membership to the

Board position it will be vacated and

reduced as set forth in Bylaw 5.2

6. REVIEW BOARD

6.1 Composition and Selection

The Review Board shall be composed of

ten (10) local affiliate presidents appointed

by the President from a list drawn by lot

until ten (10) presidents who agree to serve

are selected. Members of the Review

Board shall serve a one (1) year term

beginning September 1. Local presidents

who are also officers or members of the

Board of Directors of NEA-New Mexico

are disqualified.

a. Review Board members excluded

from deliberations in a particular case shall

be:

1. The president of a local involved in

the dispute.

2. An individual involved in the

dispute.

3. Local presidents from the Region

seeking recall of its Board of

Directors member.

Page 61

b. Five (5) alternates shall be selected

by the same procedures as those outlined

above for Review Board members.

c. Review Board members who are

unable to serve for a particular case will be

replaced by alternates when possible.

d. Six (6) members or alternates of the

Review Board, qualified to deliberate a

particular case, will constitute a quorum of

the Board.

e. The Executive Director shall serve as

staff consultant to the Review Board. In the

event the Executive Director is the subject

of the dispute, the President in consultation

with the Executive Director shall assign

another staff consultant to the Board.

6.2 Hearing Procedures

a. From among its members, the

Review Board shall elect a chairperson for

the hearing.

b. Both the member/affiliate/group and

the Association shall have the right to

appear at the hearing, to present witnesses

and other evidence, to cross-examine

witnesses and to make brief opening and

closing arguments.

c. If the member/affiliate/group or the

Association does not appear at the hearing,

the Review Board may proceed with the

hearing and render its decision.

d. A hearing of the Review Board shall

be open except that by request of either

party or by majority vote of its members,

the Review Board may choose to restrict

attendance to persons necessary to the

hearing.

6.3 Deliberations and Decision

a. Immediately following the close of

the hearing, the Review Board will begin its

deliberation and continue until a decision is

reached.

b. The findings and decision of the

Review Board shall be communicated to all

parties concerned in the dispute within

sixty (60) days of the filing of the appeal

with the Executive Director.

c. In lieu of the appeal to the Review

Board, the Association or individual or

affiliate bringing the appeal shall have the

right to request binding arbitration through

the American Arbitration Association or

another mutually acceptable arbitration

procedure. The cost of arbitration shall be

paid equally by both parties to the dispute.

The Review Board or arbitrator’s decision

shall be final.

d. If a recall is sustained by a two-thirds

(2/3) vote of the Review Board, the

appropriate procedure outlined in the

Constitution (Article IV., Section 5.b.) or

the Bylaws 4.4 or 5.7 shall be followed.

7. COMMITTEES

7.1 Standing Committees of the

Association shall be:

a. Committee on Constitution, Bylaws

and Rules

(1) Committee on Constitution, Bylaws

and Rules will have six (6) members,

one from each Region. Additional

members shall be appointed to ensure

ethnic-minority representation.

(2) Members may not serve more than

two (2) consecutive three-year terms.

b. Resolutions

(1) This committee shall consist of at

least one member from each Region

and no more than three (3) from any

single Region.

(2) Members may not serve more than

two (2) consecutive three-year terms.

c. Budget

(1) There shall be a Budget Committee

of at least six (6) members, including

one from each Region.

(2) The Budget Committee shall serve at

the discretion of the President.

d. Elections

An Elections Committee of at least

five (5) members shall be appointed by the

NEA-New Mexico President with the

approval of the Board of Directors for a

term of one (1) year.

7.2 Program Committees

The Board of Directors shall establish

and discontinue such program committees

as it deems necessary. Each program

committee shall consist of at least one

Page 62

member from each Region and no more

than three (3) from any single Region.

7.3 Other Committees and Task Forces

With the approval of the Board of

Directors, the President shall appoint

members to necessary task forces and other

committees as the need arises.

7.4 Membership

a. Nominations and Appointments

(1) The President of the Association

shall make Committee appointments

from lists of at least three nominees

for each position from each Region

Council. Additional minority

nominees shall be proposed by the

recognized Ethnic Minority special

interest groups. Appointments

necessary to insure ethnic minority

representation shall be made from

these lists. The Board of Directors

shall rule on all appointments.

(2) These provisions do not apply to the

Budget Committee.

b. SNEA-New Mexico committee

members must hold membership in SNEA-

New Mexico where applicable.

c. No member shall serve on more than

one Association Program Committee. Ex-

officio members are excluded from this

provision. No member of the Board of

Directors shall serve as a member of an

Association Standing Committee. This

shall not apply to the Budget or Election

Committee.

d. Unexcused absence of a program

committee member from two (2)

consecutive committee meetings and/or

two (2) consecutive Region Council

meetings shall constitute a resignation.

e. Unexcused absence of a standing

committee member from two (2)

consecutive committee meetings and/or

two (2) consecutive Regional Program

Coordinating Council meetings shall

constitute a resignation.

f. At least seventy-five (75) percent of

the membership of each committee must be

nonsupervisory members.

g. There shall be a minimum of twenty

(20) percent ethnic minority representation

on each committee.

7.5 Terms

a. Following the initial necessary

provisions for staggered terms of office,

each Program Committee member shall

serve for a term of three years, unless the

Board of Directors discontinues the

committee.

b. Members of Association Program

Committees are limited to two (2)

consecutive terms.

7.6 Accountability

a. Association Committees shall be

accountable to the President, the Board of

Directors, and the Delegate Council when

in session.

b. Each Committee chairperson shall

submit periodic reports to the President and

to the Board.

7.7 Committee Appointments,

Qualifications and Vacancies

a. Appointments shall be made on the

basis of individual expertise and ability to

make substantial contribution in the

specific area of concern. Candidates for

committees shall be NEA-NM Active or

Retired members and shall be

recommended by the Region Council of

each Region and by ethnic minority special

interest groups. Appointments to all

committees shall be as provided in these

Bylaws.

b. Vacancies shall be filled from the lists

of nominees from each Region.

c. Additional appointments may be

made on the basis of individual expertise

and/or ability to make substantial

contribution to a committee’s work. Such

additional appointments shall be for a term

of one year beginning July 15 of the year of

the appointment as approved by the Board

of Directors.

d. Emergency appointments may be

made that begin immediately upon action

by the Board of Directors and end on the

next July 14.

7.8 Rules

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a. The President of the Association

shall appoint the chairperson for each of the

committees except the Budget Committee.

b. Each Committee shall establish its

own rules and upon their approval by the

Board of Directors of the Association, they

have the effect of being rules of the

Association; provided there is no conflict

with the Constitution, Bylaws or Articles of

Incorporation of the Association.

8. EDUCATION POLITICAL

ACTION COMMITTEE (EdPAC)

8.1 Composition

The EdPAC Committee is composed of:

a. The President who shall be the Chair;

b. The Vice President; and

c. One member for each seven hundred

(700) ACTIVE members or major fraction

thereof, within each Board Election District

within each Region. Each member shall be

elected in a manner that assures adequate

notice to all eligible voters and secret

ballots by the ACTIVE members of the

Region for a term of three years. Such

member having served two consecutive

terms would be ineligible to hold that office

until one full term has intervened.

d. Two members representing NEA-

New Mexico retired members. These

members shall be nominated and elected in

a manner that assures adequate notice to all

eligible voters and secret ballots by the

unified retired membership of NEA-New

Mexico for a term of three years. Such

members having served two consecutive

terms would be ineligible to hold that office

until one full term has intervened.


The EdPAC shall coordinate the

political activities of the Association under

the direction of the Board of Directors and

the Delegate Council and shall receive

funds as described in Section 8.4. The

EdPAC shall authorize a member of the

NEA-New Mexico staff to act as treasurer

of EdPAC funds.

8.3 Appointment of Alternate EdPAC

member

a. Each Region Council shall appoint an

Alternate EdPAC member from each Board

Election District within each region who

shall represent the Region on the NEA-

New Mexico EdPAC Committee in the

event of that Board Election District’s

EdPAC member’s inability to execute

his/her duties for a temporary period or, in

the case of a vacancy, until the next regular

NEA-New Mexico election.

b. Alternate(s) for the elected EdPAC

member(s) representing retired members

shall be elected through the internal

elections conducted by NEA-NM Retired

in the same cycle as NEA-NM retired

positions come up for election.

8.4 EdPAC Funds

a. EdPAC funds shall consist of

voluntary contributions from members or

other interested parties. No dues collected

by any affiliate may be used for these

purposes. However, EdPAC funds may be

collected by affiliates through the

procedures used to collect dues in manners

authorized by NEA-New Mexico or local

governing documents.

b. All funds used to address partisan

political issues, including contributions to

candidates for public office, contributions

to political parties and other partisan

organizations, and funds expended on

behalf of candidates for public office shall

be from funds collected as described in

Section a.

c. Contributions to EdPAC shall be

segregated in an interest-bearing checking

account separate from the general funds of

NEA-New Mexico. Such account shall be

deposited in a bank that does not hold other

association accounts.

d. Expenditures from EdPAC funds,

consistent with the actions of the EdPAC,

shall be authorized by the chair upon

consultation with appropriate staff.

e. In addition to any other voluntary

contributions authorized, the amount of

fifteen dollars (15) per membership year

shall be annually collected from each active

licensed professional member and ten

Page 64

dollars (10) per year from each active

Educational Support Professional member

in the same manner as dues are collected.

This amount shall be considered a

voluntary contribution unless the member

specifically requests its refund on a form

approved by the Association. Such form

shall be made available to the membership

at least twice annually in an all member

publication. Additionally, information

informing the member that this is a

voluntary contribution shall be printed on

annual membership forms. Should a

member request a refund of the amount, the

entire amount shall be refunded to the

member by check within thirty (30) days

from the date the Association receives the

request.

8.5 Vacancies

When a vacancy in the office of an

EdPAC member occurs through death,

resignation, recall, change in employment,

change in region residency, or through

other disqualification, the replacement for

the unexpired term shall be the Region’s

Alternate EdPAC member from the Region

Board Election District until the next

regular NEA-New Mexico election.

9. REGIONS

9.1 Organizations

The Board of Directors of NEA-NM is

hereby authorized to create Regions of the

Association and Board Election Districts

within each Region. The Board of Directors

of NEA-NM may revise the boundaries of

said Regions and Board Election Districts.

a. A Region shall be defined as the

organizational structure within a given

geographical region.

b. A Board Election District shall be

defined as locals within a region having

enough active members for one or more

Region Directors as determined by the

Board of Directors. Active members

residing with the geographical boundaries

of such districts who have no available

local association shall also be members of

the Board Election District and the Region.

c. The membership of said Region shall

consist of the Active members of the

affiliated local association where

applicable within the boundaries of the

respective Regions, retired members of

NEA-New Mexico who belong to affiliated

local associations within the region or who

reside within the geographical boundaries

of said region, and other NEA-New Mexico

members who have no local association

available for membership

9.2 Region Council Composition

Each Region Council shall consist of:

a. one representative of each local

within the Region;

b. the Region Representatives on the

NEA-New Mexico Standing and Program

Committees;

c. the NEA-NM Directors for the

Region; and

d. such other members as provided in

the Region guidelines.

9.3 Region Council Functions

Each Region Council shall:

a. meet and confer on items of mutual

concern to local associations within

Regions;

b. select educators to receive Hall of

Fame awards from the Region and, at the

option of the Region, nominate recipients

for the NEA-New Mexico Hall of Fame

and Special Recognition Awards;

c. have the authority to levy a regional

assessment to defray expenses within the

Region; the resultant budget shall require

approval of the NEA-New Mexico Board

of Directors;

d. establish the guidelines under which

it will operate; such guidelines shall be

subject to the approval of the NEA-New

Mexico Board of Directors and shall

include the procedures for the selection of

its chairperson and a requirement that

region meetings not be held on the same

date as NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors’ meetings.

Page 65

e. transmit to NEA-New Mexico lists

of at least three (3) Region nominees for

NEA-New Mexico committee

appointments by July 15th of each year.

Failure to submit at least three (3) nominees

for a committee position will result in a

presidential appointment from the Region

membership.

10. STANDARDS FOR AFFILIATES

a. The Association shall not affiliate a

local association unless it meets the

following minimum standards.

1. Each affiliate shall apply the

one-person-one-vote principle for

representation on its governing bodies

except that the affiliate, to the extent

permitted by law, shall guarantee ethnic-

minority representation at least

proportionate to its ethnic-minority

membership. Where an all-inclusive

affiliate exists, it shall provide

proportionate representation between its

non-supervisor members and its

supervisor members.

2. Each affiliate shall conduct all

elections in a manner that assures

adequate notice to all eligible voters,

open nominations, and secret ballots.

The president of the local affiliate shall

make available information concerning

issues and candidates. Each affiliate

president shall be responsible for

following election procedures and

timelines.

3. Each affiliate shall have the

same membership year as that of the

Association.

4. Each affiliate has the right to

determine whether its Active class

includes both persons engaged in

professional educational work and

educational support positions. All

members so enrolled shall be granted

full rights of participation and shall be

required to be members of the

Association and NEA where eligible.

5. Each affiliate shall guarantee

that no member of said affiliate may be

censured, suspended, or expelled

without a due process hearing, which

shall include an appropriate appellate

procedure.

6. Each affiliate shall participate

in Association programs and shall be

responsible for the implementation of

such programs at the appropriate level.

7. Each affiliate shall establish

and maintain a local dues level to ensure

adequate local funding to carry out its

representation, member services and

other local responsibilities. (The

recommended level of local dues is at

least $25.00 per Active member.) The

affiliate shall file such reports as may be

required by the Association or by state

and federal regulations. Local affiliates

with 50 or fewer active members with

payroll deduction for dues shall require

that such dues be dispersed to NEA-

New Mexico from the school district.

NEA-New Mexico will remit local dues

to the local treasurer or designee and

will disperse dues to NEA, Region

Councils, and NEA-New Mexico.

8. Each affiliate shall file such

reports as may be required by the

Association or by state and federal

regulations.

b. If the Board of Directors of the

Association determines that a local affiliate

is not in compliance with the standards for

affiliation set forth in Section (a) above or

otherwise is acting in a manner that is

contrary to the goals and objectives of the

Association, it may, by a two-thirds (2/3)

vote, adopt an Intervention Program in

order to deal with the situation. If the local

affiliate fails to cooperate with the

Association in implementing the

Intervention Program, the Association may

implement said Program without the

approval of the local affiliate. The Board

of Directors of the Association, by a two-

thirds (2/3) vote, may take appropriate

action against the local affiliate, including,

without limitation, censure, suspension, or

disaffiliation.

11. STAFF

Page 66

11.1 Staff Employees

The Board of Directors shall employ a

staff who shall be responsible for

implementing the policies and goals of the

Association. The employed staff shall

include a management staff that will be

responsible for the supervision and

direction of all other employees.

11.2 Staff: Principles

The following principles shall govern

employment and functions of staff as

agents of the Association:

a. local, state, national, and Student

NEA staff shall be eligible only for Staff

membership and shall not hold elective or

appointive positions at any level;

b. the Association shall be an equal

opportunity employer;

c. the Association shall recognize the

right of its employees to organize for the

purpose of collective bargaining.

12. GENERAL FINANCE

12.1 Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Association shall

be September 1 through August 31.

12.2 Budget

a. A line-item budget shall be designed

a. A line-item budget shall be designed

to achieve the goals and objectives of the

Association.

b. The President, with the Executive

Director, and the Committee on Budget,

shall prepare the proposed budget for

presentation to the Board of Directors at

least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at

which it is to be adopted. After reviewing

and approving the budget, the Board shall

direct its printing. The budget, including a

reconciliation of the previous year’s budget

with actual expenditures, shall then be

transmitted to the presidents of local

affiliates. The Board of Directors shall

present the adopted budget to the Delegate

Council at its meeting following adoption

of the budget. Any changes adopted

pursuant to Bylaw 5.6 shall be prospective

in nature and change the unencumbered

portions of the budget remaining in the

fiscal year.

13. OPEN MEETINGS

13.1 Open Meetings

All meetings of all governance bodies

of the Association shall be open to

members of NEA-New Mexico, within the

limitations of the space provided by the

facilities in which the meetings are held.

13.2 Exceptions

Closed executive sessions may be called

for the specific exceptions listed in this

section when voted upon by a majority vote

of the members of a governing body.

Closed executive sessions of governing

bodies of NEA-New Mexico may be called

to discuss:

a. the evaluation of the job performance

of a specific staff member, provided that

the staff member does not request an open

meeting;

b. collective bargaining negotiations

with staff;

c. specific legal actions in which the

governing body or NEA-New Mexico is

a participant;

d. appeals at the request of either party

or the governing body.

13.3 Executive Sessions shall be for the

purpose of discussion only. Votes taken in

executive session may be of a procedural

nature only. All decisions made by

governing bodies must be affirmed by vote

in open session.

13.4 Closed to Non-Members

Any meeting of NEA-New Mexico

governing bodies may be closed to the

general public or the press for any reason.

14. DEFINITIONS

14.1 Definitions of Terms

As used in the Articles of Incorporation,

the Constitution, these Bylaws, and the

Standing Rules, the Association adopts and

adheres to the following definitions of

terms:

a. Active members: Active shall mean

membership with governance rights in the

local affiliate, where eligible, National

Education Association of New Mexico and

Page 67

National Education Association of the

United States.

b. Local Affiliate: local affiliate shall

mean the associations within the state

which meet at least the minimum standards

of affiliation and have been affiliated by

action of the Board of Directors.

c. Region: region shall mean Regional

Program Delivery Unit.

d. Classroom Teacher: classroom

teacher shall mean any person who is

certified, where required, and a major part

of whose time is spent in direct contact with

students or who performs allied work

which results in placement of the person on

a local salary schedule for teachers.

e. Education Position: education

position shall mean the following two

categories:

(1) non-supervisors, which shall include

NEA-New Mexico Active and

Educational Support members who

are not supervisors;

(2) other, which shall include NEA-New

Mexico Active and Educational

Support members who are

supervisors, and NEA-New Mexico

Retired Annual and Life members.

f. Supervisor and Administrator:

supervisor and administrator shall mean

any person who has continuing authority to

hire, transfer, discipline, dismiss, or

otherwise direct employees or to

effectively recommend any of the aforesaid

actions.

g. Ex-Officio: ex-officio shall mean by

virtue of office. This designation shall

carry with it the right to vote except as

otherwise provided.

h. Ethnic Minority: ethnic minority

shall mean those persons designated as

ethnic minority by statistics published by

the United States Bureau of the Census.

This designation shall specifically include

Black, Hispanic;, Asian American, and

American Indian/Alaska Native.

i. In Proportion to Their Membership:

For election of at-large Board of Directors

members "in proportion to their

membership in the Association" shall mean

the same proportion as required for election

of Region Board of Directors members.

j. Limited to: When applied to terms of

office, shall mean limited to consecutive

terms of the specified length and number.

k. Consecutive: When applied to

terms of office, shall define the election

eligibility of a member who has been

elected to the limit of consecutive terms as

eligible for election or appointment to that

office after a length of time equal to the

term of office to which the member’s

successor was elected or appointed.

15. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

15.1 Robert's Rules of Order Newly

Revised

The most recent edition of ROBERT'S

RULES OF ORDER NEWLY REVISED

shall be the authority in all matters of

procedure at the NEA-New Mexico

Delegate Council and in the election of

NEA Directors and delegates to the NEA

Representative Assembly, except as

otherwise specified in the Articles of

Incorporation, the Constitution, these

Bylaws, or the Standing Rules.

16. DISSOLUTION

Upon dissolution of NEA-New Mexico,

all assets of the corporation shall be

transferred to the National Education

Association having as its principle place of

business the City of Washington, DC,

provided that said National Education

Association also agrees and in fact does

assume the outstanding liabilities and

obligations of NEA-New Mexico at the

time of its dissolution.

Page 68

STANDING RULES

of the


RULE 1. CREDENTIALS

COMMITTEE

A. Composition

The President shall appoint a

chairperson and five (5) members of the

Credentials Committee to serve at the

pleasure of the President. The

appointments shall be with the advice and

consent of the Board of Directors.

B. Duties

The Committee shall be responsible for

the supervision of the accreditation and

registration of delegates to the Delegate

Council.

The chairperson of the Credentials

Committee shall give a report at the

meeting of the Delegate Council. The

report shall include information concerning

compliance with all requirements required

of delegations. Non-compliance by

delegations will be specifically noted and

reported.

The seating of a delegate, or delegates,

may be challenged by means of a motion to

amend such report. The action of the

Delegate Council, which has jurisdiction

over the seating of its delegates, shall be

final.

RULE 2. CERTIFICATION OF

DELEGATES

A. Delegate Allocations

The Executive Director shall notify local

affiliates and other qualified organizations,

of the number of delegates to which they

are entitled no later than February 1.

B. Verification of Eligibility

The president of each local affiliate shall

forward to the Association by a certificate

of eligibility for each local delegate and

alternate and the term for which the

delegates were elected on a form provided

by the NEA-NM as provided for in the

Bylaws.

Upon verification of eligibility, the

Executive Director shall forward such

material as to allow the delegates

participation at the Delegate Council

meeting.

RULE 3. REGISTRATION

A. Registration materials shall be sent to

local affiliates prior to the time of the

Delegate Council.

B. Delegates, alternate delegates, non-

delegate members, and guests shall be

registered at the Delegate Council meeting.

C. Alternate delegates filling vacancies

shall present at registration the permanent

credential originally sent to the delegate the

alternate is replacing and a signed

statement from the president of the affiliate.

D. Registration for the Delegate Council

shall be under the supervision of the

Credentials Committee. Appeals shall be

made to the same committee.

RULE 4. LOCAL AFFILIATES

DELEGATION

A. Each affiliate delegation shall have a

chairperson.

B. No local affiliate delegation shall vote

by unit rule in the Delegate Council. Each

individual delegate shall have one (1) vote.

C. If a roll call of local delegations is made

in the Delegate Council, the chairperson of

each local delegation shall be responsible

for taking an accurate poll of delegates

present at the time of the vote and for

transmitting a report to the chair.

D. The chairperson and members of each

delegation shall assume responsibility for

permitting only certified delegates and

designated staff to sit in the delegate

section.

RULE 5. ORDER OF BUSINESS AND

DEBATE

A. The adoption of the order of business of

the Delegate Council shall be the first item

Page 69

of business at the first business meeting of

the Council.

B. The Council sessions of the Delegate

Council shall be conducted in accordance

with provisions of the NEA-NM

Constitution, Bylaws, and the Standing

Rules. Matters not specifically governed in

these documents shall be governed by

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised.

C. There shall be an official

parliamentarian, to whom questions may be

directed only through the presiding officer.

If deemed advisable by the presiding

officer, a question may be referred to the

Committee on Constitution, Bylaws, and

Rules for an advisory interpretation. The

presiding officer rules; the parliamentarian

and Committee on Constitution, Bylaws,

and Rules may advise.

D. Any delegate who is recognized by the

chair shall give her/his name and local

affiliate, and shall indicate whether

speaking as an individual or as a

spokesperson for the local delegation

before speaking to a point under discussion.

No member shall speak and/or be

recognized in debate more than twice to the

same question during the same meeting,

nor longer than three (3) minutes at one

time, unless permission is granted by

majority vote of the Delegate Council.

E. A member may yield the microphone or

speaking time to another delegate only for

the unused portion of her/his allotted time.

F. No member speaking on a question may

move the previous question.

G. A motion to move the previous question

shall apply to no more than the single

question immediately before the Delegate

Council.

H. The motion to amend by substitution

shall be treated as the motion to amend.

I. A roll call vote (the counting of delegates

by local delegations) shall be taken only

after approval, by a standing vote, of one-

third (1/3) of the delegates present. The

doors shall be closed while a count is being

taken. Supervision and counting of roll call

votes shall be in charge of the Committee

on Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules.

J. New business relating to substantive

policies or programs for the Association

shall be specific in nature and terminal in

application. New business items must be

submitted in writing by noon of the

Delegate Council meeting.

K. A copy of the motion or amendment

shall be given in writing to the chair on the

form provided.

L. Any person, chairperson, or member

who is presenting a committee report shall

not speak more than five (5) minutes unless

permission is granted by majority vote of


RULE 6. PROCEDURES FOR

SUBMITTING BUDGET

AMENDMENTS

A. The adoption of the budget shall be by

vote of the Delegate Council after

consideration of all new business items.

B. The Budget Committee shall hold at

least one (1) open hearing on the proposed

budget at a time and place to be announced

in the printed program.

C. Amendments to the budget shall be

submitted in writing with an economic

impact statement and reconciliation

changes in all areas of the budget. A form

for amendments shall be available from the

platform at the open hearing. Such forms

shall be completed and returned to the chair

of the Budget Committee before the close

of the open hearing.

RULE 7. RESOLUTIONS

COMMITTEE AND PROCEDURE

A. Duties

The Resolutions Committee shall

prepare and present to the Delegate Council

proposed resolutions for adoption. They

shall be printed and made available to

delegates before action is scheduled

thereon by the Delegate Council. The form

and text of each resolution shall be

approved by the majority vote of the

Resolutions Committee, before

presentation to the Delegate Council;

provided, however, that a minority report

Page 70

may be presented to the Delegate Council

upon a one-third (1/3) favorable vote of the

total Resolutions Committee's eligible

voters.

Such minority report shall be printed

with the majority report and shall be

presented by the chairperson of the

Resolutions Committee concurrently with

the majority report. The chairperson of the

Resolutions Committee shall present the

report of the committee, together with any

minority report, to the Delegate Council for

consideration at the time and place

designated in the agenda.

B. Open Hearing

The committee shall hold at least one (1)

open hearing on proposed resolutions at a

time and place to be announced in the

printed program.

C. Procedure for Submitting

Resolutions

Resolutions from delegates or members

designated for consideration by the

Resolutions Committee shall be submitted

to the Executive Director or the chairperson

or members of the Resolutions Committee

not later than ninety (90) days prior to the


After the deadline, all new Resolutions

to be submitted from the floor for

consideration must have been presented at

the open hearings with sufficient copies to

be presented to all delegates at the Delegate

Council meeting.

All Resolutions adopted by the NEA-

NM Delegate Council shall be accepted and

publicized as official NEA-NM

resolutions.

Resolutions adopted by the Delegate

Council shall continue in force without

further action in succeeding years. At any

council session, at the time of the

Resolutions Committee report, a resolution

may be designated for action by the

Delegate Council or the Resolutions

Committee.

Such Resolutions shall be submitted to

the Delegate Council by number. If there is

no objection, they will be considered for

adoption en masse together with all other

Resolutions to which there are no specific

objections. Resolutions objected to when

introduced by number will be set aside to

be considered individually.

RULE 8. AMENDMENTS

A. Constitution and Bylaws

1. Constitution: Proposed

amendments to the Constitution shall

be submitted to the Committee on

Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules in

writing and in accordance with

Article VII of the Constitution.

2. Editing: Amendments to the

Constitution and Bylaws shall be

revised and, if necessary, edited by

the Committee on Constitution,

Bylaws, and Rules.

The editing responsibilities of this

committee shall include (a)

combining two or more amendments

of a similar intent into a single

amendment, if the final amendment is

agreed to by the contact person for

each group making the original

amendments involved; (b) printing

identical amendments as a single

amendment with the contact persons

of each listed with the amendments;

and (c) dividing an amendment at the

discretion of the Committee and with

the consent of the contact person to

enable the component parts of an

amendment to be voted upon

independently of each other.

3. Titles on Ballot: Titles of

amendments to both the Constitution

and Bylaws appearing on the printed

ballot shall summarize the intent of

the amendment, including the

significance of the deletions as well

as the changes and/or additions. This

material shall be composed by the

Committee on Constitution, Bylaws,

and Rules.

B. Standing Rules

1. Submission. Amendments to the

Standing Rules may be proposed to

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the Delegate Council by one or more

of the following methods:

(a) By petition signed by at least

twenty-five (25) certified

delegates and submitted to the

Committee on Constitution,

Bylaws, and Rules for

presentation to the Delegate

Council.

(b) By vote of a representative body

of a local affiliate. Proposals shall

then be submitted to the


Bylaws, and Rules for

presentation to the Delegate

Council.

(c) By majority vote of the NEA-New

Mexico Board of Directors and

submitted to the Committee on

Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules

for presentation to the Delegate

Council.

(d) By a majority vote of the


Bylaws, and Rules.

2. Time for Submission and Notice

(a) A proposed amendment to the

Standing Rules shall be presented

in writing to the Committee on

Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules,

postmarked no later than fifty (50)

days preceding the Delegate

Council.

(b) The text of the proposed

amendment shall be printed in a

delegate handbook.

(c) The Standing Rules may then be

amended by the Delegate Council

by a majority vote of the delegates

present and voting, by voice vote.

3. Suspension of a Standing Rule

By a motion from the floor, a

Standing Rule may be suspended or

amended without notice by a two-

thirds (2/3) vote of those present and

voting.

RULE 9. ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

AND PROCEDURES

A. Composition of Committee

An Elections Committee of at least five

(5) members shall be appointed by the

NEA-New Mexico President with the

approval of the Board of Directors for a

term of one (1) year.

B. Duties

The Committee shall be responsible for

conducting elections. The Elections

Committee shall develop procedures for

the conduct of all elections in a manner

that assures adequate notice to all

eligible voters, open nominations, and

secret ballots.

C. Candidates

1. Declaration of candidacies. The

declaration of candidacy for the offices

of NEA-New Mexico President, Vice

President, Region Members of the NEA-

New Mexico Board of Directors, Region

EdPAC Members, EdPAC member

representing NEA-NM retired members,

Retired Member(s) of the NEA-New

Mexico Board of Directors, Student

Member of the NEA-New Mexico

Board of Directors, NEA Director,

Alternate NEA Director, and EdPAC

must be received in the NEA-New

Mexico office no later than the close of

business on October 20 of the calendar

year preceding the calendar year of the

election; and for the NEA-New Mexico

Educational Retirement Board member

no later than the close of such

nominations at the Delegate Council.

Nominations for State NEA

Representative Delegates, Cluster NEA

Representative Delegates, Student NEA

Representative Delegates, and Retired

NEA Representative Delegates must be

received no later than the close of such

nominations at the Annual Delegate

Council of the calendar year preceding

the calendar year of the election.

A member may declare candidacy for at-

large Board of Directors members as

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necessary before the close of

nominations at the Delegate Council.

2. NEA-New Mexico will provide each

candidate with a directory of local

presidents, NEA-New Mexico

committee members, and Board of

Director members from the area to be

represented by that position. Individual

member information is proprietary and

will not be provided to candidates

except as provided in #3 below.

Candidates, other than those described

in paragraph 3 below, are prohibited

from obtaining or using official NEA or

NEA-NM member lists containing

proprietary information, including

physical and electronic contact

information. Local Presidents and their

local officers with access to such

information through their local

membership lists are responsible for

exercising due diligence to protect this

proprietary information.

3. Candidates for retired positions may

receive a contact list of all NEA-New

Mexico retired members. Such

candidates shall sign an affidavit

indicating that the lists will be used only

for campaign purposes and no other

purpose.

4. Candidates for NEA Director and

Alternate NEA Director will be

provided NEA election rules and

regulations by NEA-New Mexico.

5. Within fifteen days after nomination,

NEA-New Mexico will provide each

candidate with a copy of this rule and the

elections calendar and procedures.

D. Elections at Delegate Council

1. The delegates to the Council shall

elect, through secret ballot, at-large

Board of Directors members as

necessary to comply with the provisions

of Article V of the NEA-New Mexico

Constitution, the member to the

Educational Retirement Board and vote

on amendments to the Bylaws of the

Association, except as provided by the

Constitution. Each certified delegate to

the Council shall be eligible to vote.

If the number of candidates

nominated equals the number of

positions to be filled, the chair shall

declare such candidates elected.

2. Candidate speeches at Delegate

Council. Candidates’ speeches are

limited to two minutes each for

candidates for office to be elected at

Delegate Council.

E. Statewide Elections

The ballot to be sent to the membership

of NEA-New Mexico shall be prepared

by the Board of Directors. As necessary,

the ballot shall provide for the election

of Executive Officers, NEA Director

and Alternate, Amendments to the

NEA-New Mexico Constitution, and the

Bylaws Amendments specified in the

governing documents.

The Ballot for the Retired Member of

the NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors and for the EdPAC member

representing NEA-NM retired members

shall be prepared by the Board of

Directors. Only retired members of the

NEA-New Mexico shall be eligible to

vote for these positions.

The Ballot for the Student Member of

the NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors shall be prepared by the Board

of Directors. Only student members of

the NEA-New Mexico shall be eligible

to vote for this position.

An announcement of the time and place

of the lottery for placement on the ballot

will be made by the Elections

Committee Chair immediately

following the close of deadlines. All

ballots for office shall include a space

for declared write-in candidates.

The timelines and procedures shall be

developed by the Elections Committee

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to ensure open nominations and a secret

ballot.

F. Board of Directors/EdPAC Regional

Elections

Immediately after the approval of the

elections calendar, NEA-New Mexico

will inform each Region Chair of the

positions of NEA-New Mexico Director

and/or EdPAC that are open; it is

expected that regions will inform

members of these openings. A

declaration of candidacy shall be

submitted to the NEA-New Mexico

President. All ballots for office shall

include a space for declared write-in

candidates, provided that declarations

are in accordance with the deadline set

in elections procedures. However, write-

in candidates are always allowed for all

NEA delegate elections.

The timelines and procedures shall be

developed by the Elections Committee,

including the deadline for declaration of

write-in candidacy.

If the number of candidates nominated,

including write-in candidates who have

declared their write-in candidacy in

accordance with timelines and

procedures established by the Elections

Committee, equals the number of

positions to be filled, the Board of

Directors shall declare such candidates

elected.

G. Campaigns

l. No dues money from any NEA affiliates

or other civic, labor, or religious

organizations, including in-kind

contributions shall be used to promote

the candidacy, directly or indirectly, of

any individual for an NEA-NM office.

2. All candidates will retain receipts and

other records of expenditures for their

campaign, as well as records of

contributions, in accordance with NEA

guidelines. All candidates will file a

campaign contributions/expenditure

report with NEA-NM within 30 days of

the board ratifying the election results.

Such report will list individual

contributions, amounts raised through

fundraising, in-kind contributions by

individuals, and a list of expenditures

incurred in the campaign.

3. Campaign materials may include, but

are not limited to, flyers, posters, blogs,

websites, or any other electronic/social

media.

4. Campaign materials, as described above,

may not feature pictures, names, images,

likenesses, or any other media of any

NEA-NM staff member, including

NEA-NM attorneys and office/regional

staff.

5. Campaign materials, as described above,

may not feature pictures, names, images,

likenesses, or other media of present or

past Association logos, the NEA logo,

the symbol of the united education

profession, or other symbols connected

to the NEA-NM, the NEA, or the local

affiliates of NEA-NM or NEA.

6. Should a candidate wish to use an

individual’s photo, image, likeness, or

name in his/her campaign materials,

he/she must obtain the prior express

written consent of that individual.

7. Endorsements and Promoting of

Candidates.

(a)In its regular course of business, the

membership or leadership of a

governing body may endorse a

candidate for office. The NEA-NM

Board of Directors will not, as a body

or a group therein, endorse any

candidates for internal NEA-NM

elections.

(b)A governing body may invite all

candidates to a meeting under the

guidelines. Adequate advance time

will be made for all candidates to

prepare a written presentation or

designate a representative to speak on

their behalf if they cannot attend in

person.

(c)If an endorsement has been made, no

NEA-NM region or local dues will be

used to encourage members to vote

for a particular candidate.

Page 74

(d)NEA-NM membership/leadership

publications will not be used to

announce an endorsement. A

publication may encourage the

membership to exercise their right to

vote.

(e)NEA-NM staff will have no

involvement in promoting the

candidacy of any individuals for

NEA-NM or NEA office, including

but not limited to direct

contributions, purchase of raffle

tickets, contributions of items for

raffles or drawing, in-kind services,

or any other economic or financial

incentives to candidates.

8. While NEA-NM region, local or

outside organization dues may not be

used to publicize or encourage

support, the following is permissible:

(a)The candidate may use the endorse-

ment in his/her own campaign

materials.

(b)An officer of the Association or any

other member, or combination of

members, may use his/her own

money, or that of the candidate, to

encourage support from members. In

a personal letter, or any other type of

personal communication, an officer

may mention his/her prior or current

title(s). Such letters may not be

written on official stationary of the

organization. Candidates may use

these endorsements in their campaign

materials accordingly. Including

candidates and their supporters, as

well as NEA-NM Leadership and

members of governing bodies, may

conduct raffles, lotteries, or

drawings, to encourage the


vote. However, they may not offer

any direct economic or financial

incentives in exchange for voting.

(c) NEA-New Mexico Affiliates may

use dues funds to encourage the


vote.

9. Regularly published newsletters,

electronic media, or any publication

at all levels of governance will refrain

from negatively reporting and/or

sensationalizing candidates, or

actively reporting and/or promoting

candidates, or themselves, through

news articles, announcements, and/or

personal columns. This rule applies

to social media outlets as well as any

other media purporting to represent

the views of the affiliate or members

in their role as officers of the affiliate.

Postings on social media outside the

direct control and authority of the

affiliate or its officers will not be

considered intentional violations of

the rule, unless affiliate

representative refuse to remove the

posts when requested. Failure to

comply with requests to correct and

cease intentional violations of this

rule may be considered by the NEA-

New Mexico Board of Directors as a

violation of the Standards of

Affiliation as set forth in Article VI,

section 5 of the Constitution and

Bylaw 10 (a) 2.

10. Normal publication practices may

continue during the election period.

11. Association Meetings.

(a)A single candidate or combination

of candidates shall not sponsor,

nor have sponsored, a social or

fundraising event that promotes

the candidacy of one or more

candidates while any official

region, and/or local

governance/business meeting of

the organization is in session.

(b)Individual campaigning/events by

candidates may take place before

or after a scheduled Association

meeting at any level of

governance. Campaign

materials/literature may be

distributed at candidate tables

outside of the actual meeting

rooms during NEA-NM Delegate

Page 75

Council and other statewide NEA-

NM sponsored meetings similar to

the practice at NEA RA and other

NEA seminars/trainings. When

feasible, NEA-New Mexico may

provide or coordinate the

provision of candidate tables.

(c)All staff members shall absent

themselves from any part of a

session when governance is

considering endorsements. They

shall not be present at, or share in,

the planning of any social and/or

fundraising activity, or individual

campaigning, as described in the

Guidelines, or any such activities

as may reasonably be construed as

participating.

12. Role of Elected Leaders in

Election Campaigns.

(a)Elected school level, Local,

District, and State officers retain

their rights as members to

participate in the affairs of the

organization, including

individually and personally

supporting and working on behalf

of candidates for office. However,

such campaign activities may not

occur during official Association

functions, while actually

performing in the capacity of their

office, and may not involve the

expenditure of Association funds.

13. Candidate Statements

(a)Except for candidates’ statements

on the website and in the

Advocate’s Voice, NEA-New

Mexico shall not print campaign

materials for any candidate for

NEA-New Mexico office. All

candidates will be afforded the

opportunity of placing statements

on the NEA-NM website in

accordance with election

procedures developed by the

Elections Committee. NEA-NM

will also accept one electronic

flyer from each candidate for

statewide or regional office that

NEA-NM will send electronically

as a package to those members for

whom it has a home email on file,

similar to the practice by NEA

prior to the RA. If all candidates

for a particular office are willing

to share the costs, NEA-New

Mexico may provide through

election procedures one bulk

mailing for each office containing

one piece of standard sized

literature per candidate.

(b)Candidates for President, Vice-

president, NEA Director, and

Alternate NEA Director may

submit Candidate Statements of

not more than 200 words in length

will be published in the

Advocate’s Voice. The order of

statements in the Advocate’s

Voice will appear in the same

order as the ballot. Candidates are

responsible for their own

“portrait” photo. The deadline for

the above will be included in the

Elections Committee timelines

and procedures.

(c)Candidates for President, Vice-

president, NEA Director, and

Alternate NEA Director may

address the Delegate Council

immediately preceding the

election (provided that Delegate

Council occurs between the close

of nominations and the election)

for no more than five minutes for

candidates for President and Vice-

president and three minutes for

candidates for NEA Director and

Alternate Director.

H. Ranked Choice Elections

Voters rank candidates in order of

preference. They may rank as many or

as few candidates as they choose.

Every voter has one vote. That vote is

counted initially for a voter’s first

choice. If there are more than two

candidates who receive votes, the last-

Page 76

place candidate with the fewest votes is

eliminated. More than one candidate can

be eliminated simultaneously if their

combined vote is less than the total of

any other remaining candidate. Ballots

counted for the eliminated candidate are

added to the totals of the candidate

ranked next on each ballot.

This process of eliminating last-place

candidates and adding ballots cast for

those candidates to the totals of the next-

ranked choice on that ballot continues

until two candidates remain. The

candidate with the majority of votes in

this final round is declared the winner.

I. Complaints

During the course of the election,

candidates may report alleged violations

of this standing rule supported with

concrete evidence in writing to the

executive director. If after investigation,

it is determined that a violation has

occurred, the executive director shall

notify all candidates and the board of

directors of the violation and request

that the behavior cease, with a

notification that continued violations

may result in an ultimate challenge as to

the validity of the election. If the charge

is not substantiated, all candidates and

the board of directors will be notified of

that outcome.

J. Challenge Process (effective 9/1/2020)

l. Candidates and members may bring

forth a challenge as to the integrity of the

outcome of the elections. This challenge

is not whether there has been a violation

of the election policy or procedure, but a

challenge to the validity of the results.

For any office election that is the subject

of a challenge, all candidates for that

office will be immediately informed of

the challenge in writing. In considering

a challenge, it is critical that the Board

of Directors consider the election results

reported to it and whether the challenge,

if substantiated, would have produced a

contrary result.

2. Any challenge must be filed at least thirty

(30) calendar days before the date set by

the Board for certification of the election

in its annual elections calendar as part of

the election procedures for individual

elections. Candidates will be informed

within a reasonable amount of time the

date of the Board meeting and may be

present at the Board meeting when the

challenge is considered.

3. All challenges should be reviewed by the

NEA-NM Executive Director and NEA-

NM General Counsel to determine the

validity of the challenge.

(a)The determination of when the Board

of Directors should consider a

challenge will be determined by the

NEA-NM Executive Director and

NEA-NM General Counsel on the

basis of the content of the challenge

and the complexity of the issues

contained therein. Their review will

also include what, if any, additional

individuals and or information

should be requested to appear before

the Board of Directors to provide

testimony related to the contents of

the challenge. Requests for additional

individuals and information will be

made in a timely manner as to have

adequate information for the Board

of Directors to consider the

challenge.

(b)A summary of all challenges

presented and their recommended

disposition will be shared with the

Board of Directors.

(c)If after review, the NEA-NM

Executive Director and NEA-NM

General Counsel determine the

challenge to be valid, the challenge

shall be considered by the Board of

Directors.

(d)The Board shall receive and

adjudicate any challenges they are to

consider at least 15 calendar days

before the date set to certify the

results of the election.

Page 77

RULE 10. DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms from the Constitution

and Bylaws, when used in the Standing

Rules, shall have these definitions:

A. Open Nomination Procedure shall

mean a procedure by which every

eligible NEA-New Mexico member

shall have the opportunity to nominate

any NEA-New Mexico member who

meets the qualifications for the elective

position; subject, however, to any

limitations required in the NEA-New

Mexico Constitution and Bylaws and

also to any other reasonable restrictions

uniformly imposed.

B. Secret Ballot shall mean a procedure for

voting, whether on a paper ballot or

electronically, in which the voter is

given the time and space to cast their

ballot personally and in secrecy.

C. One-Person-One-Vote Principle shall

mean a voting procedure by which the

vote of each member of the constituency

has equal weight, so that in the elected

governing body, each delegate

represents approximately the same

number of constituents as each and

every other delegate.

D. Election by Secret Ballot for Each

Individual Position shall mean that

slate voting shall not be permitted.

E. Runoff Elections shall mean a voting

procedure as follows: In an election

conducted at Delegate Council, if a

sufficient number of candidates has not

achieved a majority of the valid ballots

cast, another election shall be held and

the runoff ballot shall list those

unsuccessful candidates who, arranged

in decreasing order of votes received,

obtained a majority of the votes cast in

the previous election. In the event that

this procedure would not provide at least

one more candidate than the number of

remaining positions to be filled, then the

runoff ballot shall list those candidates

who, in descending order, received the

highest number of votes on the previous

ballot (though not elected), listing one

more candidate than the number of

positions to be filled.

F. Valid Ballot.. In the case of elections, a

valid ballot shall be a ballot (a) cast by a

member for a person nominated for the

office; (b) cast for no more than the

maximum number of positions to be

filled; (c) cast in a manner that clearly

indicates the voter's choice. In the case

of a vote on any issue placed on a ballot,

a valid ballot shall be a ballot clearly cast

for or against the issue; (d) cast in a

manner consistent with the elections

procedures and calendar for the

particular election.

G. Feature shall mean have as a

prominent part or characteristic or

attribute or aspect in a photo or

graphic.

RULE 11. SMOKING PROHIBITION

There shall be no smoking in the

Delegate Council.

Page 78

2021 PROPOSED BYLAW AMENDMENT

Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Delegate Council and voting except that the

Bylaw established dues shall be amended by vote of the NEA-New Mexico Active membership.

Bylaw Amendment 2.4: h. Membership Dues

BYLAW AMENDMENT 1.

This amendment changes the dues structure for retiring ESP members considering they make

less in salary than other active members. This language aligns with NEA’s new ESP Retired

dues assessment.

Strikethrough = Delete Underline = Insert

TEXT OF AMENDMENT TO BYLAW 2.4, h. MEMBERSHIP DUES:

Bylaw 2.4 Membership Dues

h. Dues of retired members shall be as set by the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors. The

annual and membership-for-life dues of any retired member who joins after the 2021-2022

membership year and who was an Active ESP member at the time of retirement, shall be sixty

percent (60%) of the dues of Retired members as established by the NEA-New Mexico Board of

Directors.

RATIONALE: The RA this summer passed the exact same language for its national ESP Retired

dues assessment, and this will align us with national. It will provide us with an avenue to seek

retired membership from our state ESPs who have or will retire as ESPs. As active members, our

dues structure at the national and state levels take into account that most ESPs make less in salary

than other active members and, for that reason, pay a lower dues assessment. For the first time,

there will be an acknowledgement that the majority of our ESPs also make less in retirement

benefits than other Active members who retire. It is anticipated that this will have a positive

effect in recruiting ESPs into NEA-NM Retired and provide it with an even greater diversity of

retired school employees in its ranks.

SUBMITTED BY: Unanimous vote of the NEA-NM Retired Board of Directors with a ‘DO

PASS” recommendation. Majority vote of the Committee on Constitution, Bylaws & Rules, with

a “DO PASS” recommendation. Majority vote by the NEA-NM Board of Directors with a “DO

PASS” recommendation.

Page 79

2021 PROPOSED STANDING RULE AMENDMENT Standing rules are amended by voice vote of the Delegate Council and take effect immediately after

adoption.

Standing Rule Amendment 9: G.2 Elections Committee and Procedures

STANDING RULES AMENDMENT 1.

This amendment changes the candidate contribution reporting requirement for those nominated and

running for election as state or cluster Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly.

Strikethrough = Delete Underline = Insert

TEXT OF AMENDMENT TO RULE 9. ELECTIONS COMMITTEE AND PROCEDURES:

G. Campaigns

1. No dues money from any NEA affiliates or other civic, labor, or religious organizations, including in-

kind contributions shall be used to promote the candidacy, directly or indirectly, of any individual for

an NEA-NM office.

2. All candidates except those running for state or cluster RA delegates will retain receipts and other

records of expenditures for their campaign, as well as records of contributions, in accordance with NEA

guidelines. All candidates will file a campaign contributions/expenditure report with NEA-NM within

30 days of the board ratifying the election results. Such report will list individual contributions, amounts

raised through fundraising, in-kind contributions by individuals, and a list of expenditures incurred in

the campaign.

RATIONALE: This amendment increases the opportunity for members to be nominated as candidates to

run as state or cluster RA delegates without the need to maintain receipts or records, and not be required

to file an expenditure report as a state or cluster delegate running for NEA Representative Assembly

Delegate.

SUBMITTED BY: Majority vote of the Committee on Constitution, Bylaws & Rules, with a “DO

PASS” recommendation. Majority vote by the Board of Directors with a “DO PASS” recommendation.

Page 80

NEA-NEW MEXICO RESOLUTIONS

As Adopted by the NEA-New Mexico Delegate Council on October 26, 2019

Table of Contents

FINANCE ............................................................. 3

A. ECONOMIC CONCERNS OF MEMBERS ................ 3 A-1. Federal Support of Education ........................ 3 A-2. Professional Salaries ..................................... 3 A-3. Salary Goals .................................................. 4 A-4. Fringe Benefits .............................................. 4 A-5. Educational Retirement Legislation .............. 4 A-6. Retiree Health Care ....................................... 5 A-7. Social Security .............................................. 5 A-8. Instructional Supplies .................................... 5 A-9. Funding for New State Programs .................. 5 A-10. Reimbursement for Mandated Courses ....... 5 A-11. Reimbursement ........................................... 5 A-12. Compensation.............................................. 5 A-13. Funding for Off-Campus Courses ............... 6 A-14. Private School Funding ............................... 6 A-15. Driver Education ......................................... 6

PROTECTION .................................................... 6

B. JOB SECURITY OF MEMBERS .............................. 6 B-1. Fair Employment Practices............................ 6 B-2. Employer-Employee Relationships ............... 6 B-3. Access to Personnel File ................................ 6 B-4. Collective Bargaining .................................... 6 B-5. Non-Privatization of the Jobs and Fair

Salaries for Educational Support Professionals ..... 6 B-6. Reduction in Force (RIF)............................... 7 B-7. Right of Due Process ..................................... 7 B-8. Revocation and Suspension of Licenses ........ 7

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES ......................................... 7

C-PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS ....................... 7 DETERMINING STANDARDS OF THE

EDUCATION PROFESSION ............................ 7 C-1. Excellence in Education ................................ 7 C-2. Mandated Paperwork ..................................... 7 C-3. Federal Program Standards and Teacher

Preparation ............................................................ 7 C-4. Professional Autonomy ................................. 7 C-5. Accountability ............................................... 7 C-6. Class Size ...................................................... 7 C-7. Professional Competence .............................. 8 C-8. National Certification .................................... 8 C-9. Licensure Standards ...................................... 8 C-10. Substitute Teachers...................................... 8 C-11. Substitute Educational Support Professionals

.............................................................................. 9 C-12. Academic Freedom...................................... 9 C-13. Employee Stress .......................................... 9 C-14. Instructional Materials Adoption ................. 9 C-15. Teacher Testing ........................................... 9

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS ................................9 C-16. Methods of Evaluation ................................. 9 C-17. Teacher Assignment .................................. 10 C-18. Conditions of Work ................................... 10 C-19. Time to Teach ............................................ 10 C-20. Competency Based Licensure .................... 10 C-21. Educational Employee-Coach Contracts ... 10 C-22. Discipline Policies and Procedures ............ 11 C-23. Education Employees and Active Duty

Service ................................................................. 11 C-24. Protection of Education Employees

from Workplace Bullying .................................... 11

PREPARATION ................................................ 11

C-25. Accreditation of Teacher Preparation

Institutions ........................................................... 11 C-26. Curriculum Committees for Teacher

Education ............................................................. 11 C-27. Professional Development ......................... 12 C-28. Standardization of College Transcripts ...... 12 C-29. Teacher Preparation Institutes ................... 12 C-30. High Standards for Non-public and Home

Schools ................................................................ 12 C-31. Library Media Program ............................. 12 C-32. Educators for the Hearing/Visually Impaired

............................................................................. 12 C-33. Awareness of Students with Head/ Brain

Injuries ................................................................. 12 C-34. Inclusion of Special Needs Students .......... 13 C-35. Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural Training.

............................................................................. 13 C-36. Public School Food Service Program ....... 13

STUDENT EDUCATION ................................. 14

D-STUDENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES,

RIGHTS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES ........................... 14 D-1. Educational Opportunities ........................... 14 D-2. Independent Reading Skills(2009) .............. 14 D-3. Educational Program for English Language

Learners ............................................................... 14 D-4. Standards for Student Learning .................. 14 D-5. Assessment of Public School Students ........ 15 D-6. Student Success ........................................... 15 D-7. Art and Music in the Schools ..................... 15 D-8. Geography and New Mexico History in the

Schools ................................................................ 16 D-9. Communication Skills ................................. 16 D-10. PreK-12Educational Programs .................. 16 D-11. Day Care.................................................... 16 D-12. Students with Head/Brain Injuries ............. 16

D-13. Visually and Hearing Impaired………..…16

D-14. Health Education ....................................... 16 D-15. Suicide Prevention Programs .................... 16

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D-16. Vocational, Career, and Technical Education

............................................................................ 16

D-17. Inclusion of Students with Special Needs.17

D-18. Student Discipline .................................... 17

D-19. Digital Learning……………………...….17

D-20. Student Right and Responsibilities……...17

POLITICAL POWER ...................................... 18

E. EFFECTIVE USE OF POLITICAL POWER ............. 18 E-1. Tuition Tax Credits and Vouchers ............... 18 E-2. NEA-New Mexico EdPAC .......................... 18 E-3. Funding Formula Training and Experience

Index ................................................................... 18 E-4. Legislative Record ....................................... 18 E-5. Salaries for Legislators ................................ 18 E-6. Children’s Code ........................................... 18 E-7. Standard of Living ....................................... 18

EFFECTIVE LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS ........ 19

F. BUILDING EFFECTIVE LOCAL AFFILIATES........ 19 F-1. Leadership Training ..................................... 19 F-2. The Local Association and Instruction ....... 19 F-3. Continuing Membership .............................. 19 F-4. Student Organizations .................................. 19 F-5. Professional Development Resource Centers

............................................................................ 19 F-6. Retired Members ......................................... 19 F-8. Public Relations ........................................... 19

HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS ....................... 19

G. PROMOTING HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS IN

EDUCATION .......................................................... 19 G-1. Family and Medical Leave .......................... 19 G-2. Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural Training ... 19 G-3. Equal Employment Opportunities ............... 19 G-4. Protection of Children ................................ 20 G-5. Community Environmental Awareness…...20

G-6. Nuclear or Radioactive Facilities………….20

G-7. Violence in the Schools .............................. 20 G-8. Agency and Institutional Settings ................ 21 G-9. Adults with Disabilities ............................... 21

G-10. Equal Rights for All… ………………… 20

GOVERNANCE ................................................ 21

H. EFFECTIVE OPERATIONAL SERVICES ............... 21 H-1. Members ..................................................... 21 H-2. Minority Representation .............................. 21 H-3 Educational Support Professionals ............... 21

COMMUNITY .................................................. 21

I. FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY

RELATIONSHIPS .................................................... 21 I-1 Understanding and Support of Public

Education. ........................................................... 21 I-2. Partnerships with Parents .............................. 21 I-3. Parent and Family Training .......................... 21 I-4. Business Support for Public Education ........ 21

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FINANCE

A. Economic Concerns of Members

A-1. Federal Support of Education

NEA-New Mexico believes that the funding

of public elementary and secondary education

is a major responsibility of the federal

government. It seeks federal support in

accordance with the following principles:

a. An increasing portion of public funds

should be for direct instruction of students;

b. Local governing boards must be fiscally

independent, and restrictive limits must not be

imposed on their budgets or long-term

borrowing;

c. State and federal mandates affecting

public education programs must be

accompanied by adequate and equitable

funding;

d. The amount of aid must be generally

predictable for long-range planning and

specifically predictable for year-to-year

planning;

e. Present programs of specific aid must be

expanded and improved by consolidation and

simplification of administration;

f. Public funded services for nonpublic

school students must be strictly limited to

medical and dental care, public welfare

programs, school lunch and milk programs,

and public safety services such as fire and

police protection, which are budgeted and

administered through the appropriate public

agencies; and

g. Federal legislation must comply with

civil rights statutes, be consistent with the

constitutional provision respecting an

establishment of religion, and provide for

judicial review as to its constitutionality.

The Association opposes providing any public

revenues to sectarian pre-K through 12

schools. The Association also opposes

providing such revenues to nonsectarian pre-

K through 12 private schools or to nonpublic

school students in pre-K through 12

education, unless such revenues are used for

educational services that are not available in

public schools to which students have

reasonable access. (2010)

A-2. Professional Salaries

NEA-New Mexico believes the salary

policy of any school system should be based on

clearly defined factors, applicable to salaries

for all professional services including summer

school, after-school activities, federally

supported programs, and research and writing

assignments. Educators should not be required

to perform extra duties without extra pay and

their consent. No professional group should be

overlooked in the establishment of such

policies.

The Association believes salary scales for

principals, other building supervisors, and

central office administrators should be related

to the salary schedule for teachers by ratios

which reflect differences in assigned

responsibilities and length of contract year and

should grant equal salary differentials for

equal amount of advanced preparation.

The Association believes a professional

salary schedule for licensed personnel should:

a. Be based upon preparation, academic

degrees, endorsements, education experience,

professional growth, responsibilities and full

length of service; (2012)

b. Have structural continuity through the

use of an index or percentage guide for

experience increments and levels of academic

preparation;

c. Be revised by methods preventing

deterioration in the ratios of maximum salaries,

experience increments, and preparational

differentials;

d. Provide scheduled minimum salaries

competitive with beginning salaries paid to

college graduates entering the private sector;

e. Provide a differential of 15 percent or

more between the scheduled minimum salaries

for the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree

scales;

f. Have automatic annual increments for

experience, in no case less than 7 percent of the

bachelor’s degree minimum;

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g. Provide for advancing the master’s

degree class to reflect twice the bachelor’s

degree minimum and for advancing at least to

a ratio of 2.5 times the bachelor’s degree

minimum with advanced preparation beyond

the master’s degree class; (2012)

h. Establish salary credit for intermediate

preparation levels between full-year classes to

encourage academic advancement beyond the

bachelor’s degree;

i. Assure that employees be compensated at

standard contract rates for required days

exceeding state minimum standards;

j. Permit no discrimination as to grade or

subject taught, residence, creed, race, sex,

marital status, or number of dependents;

k. Place newly-appointed teachers on step

according to their teaching experience,

allowing full credit for all previous service

outside the district;

l. Be applied in actual practice in an

equitable manner so teachers are not penalized

in changing assignments;

m. Be developed through the process of

professional negotiations;

n. Be developed without pay provisions that

rely solely on student achievement or that rely

on subjective criteria; and

o. Assure that salary paid for summer

employment, continuing education programs,

extended contracts, conducting in-service

training or workshops, and extra duty is not

less than the rate for regular pay (2010)

A-3. Salary Goals

NEA-New Mexico believes that teacher

salaries that meet or exceed regional and

national averages are necessary to retain

competent teachers and other school

employees and attract persons of outstanding

ability to the profession.

NEA-New Mexico also believes that all

school employees should have a salary

schedule that rewards training and experience.

(2010)

A-4. Fringe Benefits

NEA-New Mexico believes comprehensive

programs for employee's benefits should be

provided, including, but not limited to:

a. An adequate, continuously updated,

retirement program

b. Employer-financed group health

insurance to 75%

c. Employer-financed group life insurance

d. Employer-financed group disability

income insurance

e. Sick leave benefits, with unlimited

accumulation

f. Reimbursement for unused sick leave

g. Paid personal leave

h. Paid professional leave

i. Maternity leave/paternity leave, including

adoption

j. Family medical leave

k. Paid sabbatical leave

l. Payroll deductions

m. Tuition reimbursement

n. Severance benefits

o. Tax-sheltered benefits

p. Personal assault/battery protection

q. Workers’ Compensation

r. Unemployment Compensation.

NEA-New Mexico believes comprehensive

programs for employee benefits are a vital part

of school employee compensation. School

employee benefit packages should compare

favorably with income in other professions and

occupations requiring comparable preparation.

(2013)

A-5. Educational Retirement Legislation

NEA-New Mexico believes educators

throughout New Mexico must be provided

with a sound, well financed retirement system.

The Association further believes that the

Legislature must continue: (1) complete

control of the fund by the Educational

Retirement Board, (2) joint employer-

employee basis of funding, (3) the provision

for representation of the Board of NEA-New

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Mexico since it comprises the largest group of

employees covered by the fund, (4) support of

the principle that educational retirement

benefits should in no way be reduced because

of the receipt of social security benefits, and (5)

the system as a defined benefit plan

The Association further believes the

Legislature must provide: (1) improved cost-

of-living increases in retirement benefits, (2)

retirement benefit computation based on the

best three year average, (3) full service credit

for all unused sick leave, (4) 3.0 percent

computation formula for all years service

(earned and allowed). (2012)

A-6. Retiree Health Care

NEA-New Mexico urges the legislature to

support and insure proper funding of the

Retiree Health Care Authority. The

beneficiaries of the system should be the

employees who along with employers have

contributed to the Authority. The members of

the Retiree Health Care Authority should

democratically represent the participants of the

RHCA. (2013)

A-7. Social Security

NEA-New Mexico believes that Social

Security should be available to eligible school

employees where desired, but should not be

mandated. Contracts with Social Security

should provide for supplementary plans rather

than integrated or coordinated plans.

NEA-New Mexico believes that the reform

of Social Security laws is necessary to

eliminate offset provisions that are

discriminatory. In addition, NEA-New

Mexico believes that the reform is necessary to

maintain or reduce the current retirement age.

NEA-New Mexico furthers believes that no

benefit for which money has been collected

should be withdrawn without equal

replacement.

NEA-New Mexico believes that

supplementary health programs should be

removed from the Social Security program and

financed from some other source. (2010)

A-8. Instructional Supplies

NEA-New Mexico believes that full

funding should be provided for the needs

of public education. It is the responsibility

of the New Mexico Legislature to

adequately fund the New Mexico Public

School Funding Formula in order that local

boards of education can meet their

responsibility to provide instructional

supplies and resources so that each school

in a District meets standards for

educational excellence.

The Association believes the practice of

spending personal funds on instructional

supplies relieves the local board of

education of its responsibilities. It also

effectively reduces all efforts of the

Association to gain public and legislative

support for financial needs of schools.

(2019)

A-9. Funding for New State Programs

NEA-New Mexico believes public

education is not currently funded at a level to

provide quality education for each student in

the public schools. The Association further

believes any additional programs mandated by

the Public Education Department must be fully

funded.. (2013)

A-10. Reimbursement for Mandated

Courses

NEA-New Mexico believes that the New

Mexico Secretary of Public Education must be

required to reimburse previously licensed

teachers for the cost of transportation,

registration, tuition, and books incurred while

completing any college course work deemed

necessary for relicensure or continuing

licensure by the Professional Licensure Unit.

(2013)

A-11. Reimbursement

NEA-New Mexico believes that it is the

responsibility of the legislature to fund CEU

(Continuing Education Units) required for

licensure or continued employment of public

school employees. (2013)

A-12. Compensation

Page 85

NEA-New Mexico believes school

employees must be compensated for the time

needed to prepare documentation required by

the Public Education Department or any other

educational agencies. (2013)

A-13. Funding for Off-Campus Courses

NEA-New Mexico believes funding for the

community colleges and off-campus college

courses must be provided through the state

funding formula for the universities of New

Mexico. (2013)

A-14. Private School Funding

NEA-New Mexico opposes all efforts to

expand the use of public funds to support

private K-12 schools. (2013)

A-15. Driver Education

NEA-New Mexico believes that driver

education should be fully funded, taught by

licensed personnel, and available as part of the

basic education to all qualified students in New

Mexico. (2013)

PROTECTION

B. Job Security of Members

B-1. Fair Employment Practices

NEA-New Mexico believes state law and

Board policies should ensure the job security

of all education employees through fair

employment practices, including fair dismissal

provisions, reasons for non-renewal of

contracts and due process rights for all

educational employees. (2013)

B-2. Employer-Employee Relationships

NEA-New Mexico believes good

employee-employer relationships comprise a

foundation on which to build a strong

education profession. (2010)

B-3. Access to Personnel File

NEA-New Mexico believes all school

personnel must have access to all items in their

personnel files. The Association further

believes all school personnel must receive a

copy of all items entered into the file and must

have the right to attach a written response to

any such item. The Association also believes a

procedure must be established for removing

any inappropriate or unsubstantiated material.

The Association further believes each

employee has the right to be accompanied by

any individual of his/her choice when

examining his/her file. (2010)

B-4. Collective Bargaining

NEA-New Mexico believes in the legal

right of school employees to seek binding and

contractual rights with their employers through

the process described in the Public Employee

Bargaining Act.

The Association believes all local affiliates

(1) should seek exclusive representation rights

for employees in their districts, (2) should enter

into good faith negotiations with the employer,

and (3) should negotiate a contract addressing

salary, benefits and working condition

concerns, including, but not limited to, seeking

the widest scope of bargaining possible

relating to curriculum, preparation time,

retraining and other matters of mutual concern

needed to best affect the duties of school

employees and the mission of New Mexico’s

public schools.

The Association believes the collective

bargaining process will, through good faith

negotiations on the part of both parties,

increase the efficiency, effectiveness and

accountability of the public schools of New

Mexico.

The Association believes that collective

bargaining rights must not be weakened by any

legislative changes. (2010)

B-5. Non-Privatization of the Jobs and

Fair Salaries for Educational Support

Professionals


educational employers must secure and

maintain a highly qualified and capable

educational support staff. The Association

further believes that such support staff should

not be displaced by temporary, part-time, or

private workers. The Association believes that

salaries and benefits for educational support

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staff should be competitive with those for

similar positions in private industry. (2010)

B-6. Reduction in Force (RIF)

NEA-New Mexico believes its affiliates

must negotiate criteria to be utilized should

reduction in force (RIF) occur.

The Association further believes these

criteria must include seniority, objectivity,

nondiscrimination, and uniformity of

application; contracts must establish recall

procedures providing priority job opportunities

on a seniority basis to educational personnel

unemployed because of reductions in force.

(2010)

B-7. Right of Due Process

NEA-New Mexico believes the current

statutory right of due process for teachers and

Educational Support Professionals must be

protected and should be extended to all

education employees, except for top

educational management who serve at the

pleasure of governing boards. (2012)

B-8. Revocation and Suspension of

Licenses

NEA-New Mexico believes that since

teaching licenses are issued at the state level,

revocation and suspension of said licenses

shall remain the responsibility of the issuing

agency. (2012)

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES

C-PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS

DETERMINING STANDARDS OF

THE EDUCATION PROFESSION

C-1. Excellence in Education

NEA-New Mexico believes in a shared

national, state, community and individual

commitment to excellence in education. The

Association reaffirms its support for the

establishment and maintenance of high

standards for teaching and learning. These

standards must be established, maintained and

governed by the member of the profession and

must apply to recruitment, teacher preparation,

induction, professional development,

evaluation practice and accountability (2012)

C-2. Mandated Paperwork

The Association believes there must be a

reduction in the amount of paperwork required

of school personnel to allow adequate and

quality time for the instruction of students.

(2010)

C-3. Federal Program Standards and

Teacher Preparation

NEA-New Mexico believes that federal

programs for education must meet the same

standards of preparation, licensure, salary

principles, and salary schedules as other

programs in the public schools.

The Association further believes that

teachers must be involved from inception to

evaluation of these programs. (2010)

C-4. Professional Autonomy

NEA-New Mexico believes the profession

must govern itself. The Association further

believes that an independent professional

practices and standards board must set and

enforce standards of entrance to the education

profession and education training programs,

license, practice, ethics, and competence.

(2010)

C-5. Accountability

NEA-New Mexico believes educational

excellence for each child is the objective of the

education system. The Association further

believes educators can be accountable only to

the degree they share responsibility in

educational decision-making and to the degree

other parties who share this responsibility -

legislators, other government officials, school

boards, parents, students and taxpayers - are

also held accountable. (2010)

C-6. Class Size

NEA-New Mexico believes that excellence

in the classroom can best be attained by small

class size, particularly in grades pre-K through

12, which allows for the optimum development

of a student's potential. Class size and daily

student-teacher contacts must allow for

individual attention to each pupil. Class size

Page 87

must include all students’ i.e. Special

education students. The Association further

believes that excessive class size hinders the

teaching and learning process and is disruptive

to a positive educational environment.

The Association believes the State

Department of Education should, on a yearly

basis, collect and report class size data that

reflects the experience of students and

educators. This data should be utilized to

assure state statute is adhered to. (2019)

C-7. Professional Competence

NEA-New Mexico believes each educator

must have the knowledge and skills necessary

to perform duties based upon a broad general

education with depth of preparation in special

areas and a commitment to continued learning.

The Association believes that each

professional position should be filled by a

qualified and licensed educator. The

Association further believes attempts to

diminish the quality of learning or services

through the elimination of teaching positions,

through the arbitrary increase in size of classes,

number of students served, or through the

employment of non-licensed personnel and/or

student teachers in teaching or service roles

must be resisted. (2012)

C-8. National Certification

NEA-New Mexico believes the profession

must grant recognition to an individual who

has, voluntarily, met qualifications specified

by the National Board for Professional

Teaching Standards (NBPTS). NEA-New

Mexico further believes that the NBPTS must

be composed of a majority of practicing public

school teachers.

The Association also believes the periodic

evaluation of such certification procedures is

necessary to ascertain whether cultural,

economic, gender, racial, or age bias is

perpetuated by the requirements for

certification. (2010)

C-9. Licensure Standards

NEA-New Mexico believes New Mexico’s

children deserve a fully qualified and

competent teacher in every classroom as well

as a fully qualified and competent professional

in every educational position. Further, the

Association supports legislation that requires

school districts to employ such qualified and

competent professionals. This legislation

should require that school district

superintendents certify that they have

attempted and failed to fill positions with such

professionals before they seek waivers from

licensure requirements. Further, the

Association believes school districts should be

required to notify parents and the community

in any instance in which less than qualified

educational professionals are employed.

Further, the Association opposes any

changes in licensure requirements during the

life of a license.

Additionally, the Association opposes any

additional licensure requirements without clear

professional value. (2012)

C-10. Substitute Teachers

NEA-NM believes that substitute teachers

perform a vital function in the maintenance and

continuity of daily education and should

therefore be compensated accordingly. The

Association condemns the practice of

assigning substitute teachers to regular

positions for an extended duration of time.

Positions created by extended absence should

be filled by available licensed teachers who are

eligible to be placed on contractual status by

the school district. The Association believes

substitutes must be provided for all

instructional positions. The Association

opposes the practices of replacing absent

teachers by dispersing students to other

classrooms. In the absence of available

licensed teachers, the Association believes

educational assistants licensed to substitute can

substitute within their assigned duties,

provided they receive additional compensation

above their regular daily pay. The Association

opposes the use of Educational Support

Professionals not assigned to a classroom

setting. The Association also opposes the use

of individuals such as Educational Support

Professionals, part-time employees, or

employees hired through private agencies to

Page 88

cover classes. The Association further opposes

requiring teachers to substitute during their

preparation time. The Association supports the

right of substitute employees to organize for

collective bargaining purposes. (2012)

C-11. Substitute Educational Support

Professionals

NEA-NM believes in the importance of

substitute educational support professionals in

the maintenance and continuity of daily

operations. The Association believes that an

educational support substitute must meet the

same standards as the employees for whom

he/she substitutes. The Association supports

the right of substitute employees to organize

for collective bargaining purposes. The

Association also supports the practice of

providing schedule pay plus basic and fringe

benefits for educational support professionals

substituting for permanent education support

professionals on extended leave. The

Association believes substitutes must be

provided for all Educational Support

Professionals. (2012)

C-12. Academic Freedom

NEA-New Mexico believes academic

freedom for all teachers is essential if the

educational system is to serve, teach, guide and

help maintain a sense of a free society.

Academic freedom for educators must include

respect from members of the community they

serve before they can teach rights and

responsibilities of individuals. They must be

free to search for truth, be taken seriously in

considering new educational plans, and be able

to express their ideas objectively. They, as

organized groups, as well as individuals, must

be permitted to evaluate and review

controversial issues involving educational

trends. (2010)

C-13. Employee Stress

NEA-New Mexico believes its local

affiliates, in cooperation with local school

authorities, should develop stress management

programs to facilitate the recognition,

prevention, and treatment of stress-related

problems.


harmful effects of stress on teachers and other

school personnel must be recognized. The

Association believes these procedures must

ensure confidentiality and treatment without

personal jeopardy. (2010)

C-14. Instructional Materials Adoption

NEA-New Mexico believes decisions on

school learning experiences and teaching

techniques to develop a student’s talents are

best made by educators. The Association

believes educators have the primary

responsibility for instructional excellence and

must have primary authority in the adoption of

instructional materials. The Association

further recommends that educators collaborate

in the research, development, and field testing

of new instructional methods and materials.

Adequate PD shall occur prior to

implementation.

The Association believes in the right of

students and parents to individually object to

curriculum materials used in sensitive subject

areas. Such challenges to the choice of

instructional materials must be made in an

orderly and objective way, under procedures

adopted mutually by educators and school

boards. (2019)

C-15. Teacher Testing

NEA-New Mexico believes neither pencil

and paper type tests of teacher skills nor any

other single criterion should be used for

determining who should study for or be

licensed in the teaching profession. A broad

range of factors should be used to evaluate a

candidate for professional licensure.

The Association supports rigorous and

relevant evaluation in the selection and

preparation of teachers and believes licensed

teachers and student teachers must be fully

involved in determining these criteria. (2013)

PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS

C-16. Methods of Evaluation

NEA-New Mexico believes systems of

employee assessment should be rigorously

carried out by trained and qualified personnel

Page 89

to ensure the quality of the education work

force. Further, the Association believes these

systems should be employed primarily for the

improvement of performance. They should be

fair and impartial, and should be based on

multiple objective evaluations of employee

competency. The assessment tools used in

such systems should be collaboratively

developed between employees and

management.

Additionally, the Association believes

decisions not to re-employ educational

personnel must be based on documented

uncorrected unsatisfactory work performance

and should be directly linked to the results of

the assessment system for both permanent and

probationary employees. (2013)

C-17. Teacher Assignment

NEA-New Mexico believes in making

proper teaching assignments based on

professional qualifications and in the

development of and adherence to sound

personnel policies and procedures by every

school district. Policies and procedures must be

in writing and accessible to all personnel.


administrator has the responsibility to make

proper assignments based on professional

qualifications. (2012)

C-18. Conditions of Work

NEA-New Mexico believes that good

working conditions for employees are

necessary for a proper learning environment

for the school children of New Mexico. The

Association encourages local education

associations, administrators and governing

boards to exercise innovation in the

improvement of working conditions through

the collective bargaining process.

The Association believes conditions will

improve when: (1) school personnel become

involved in the decision-making process, (2)

school administrators support increased

employee responsibility, and (3) school

employees, as members of their local

professional association, accept both employee

rights and their responsibilities for establishing

conditions that increase their effectiveness in

the classroom. (2010)

C-19. Time to Teach

NEA-NM believes that “time to teach”

refers not only to those hours during which an

educator is actually teaching but also applies to

those conditions that contribute to the student-

teacher relationship. These include a

reasonable, carefully-defined work load, a

duty-free lunch period (at least equal to that

required for students and not less than 30

minutes), an office in which to work, access to

telephones, adequate and appropriate office

equipment, access to technology, freedom

from interruptions during instructional time,

unencumbered planning time, time to evaluate

student progress, time for implementation of

federal and state legislative requirements, and

elimination of the non-instructional tasks

required of a teacher.

The Association also believes that at all

levels and in all disciplines, additional

common planning time should be provided

during the contract day for employees to meet

for such purposes as, but not limited to,

planning interdisciplinary activities/units, team

planning time, and coordinating with special

education and with support professionals.

(2015)

C-20. Competency Based Licensure

NEA-New Mexico believes competent

teachers employ the most appropriate

processes known for the promotion of learning.

The Association also believes competency-

based programs for licensure, relicensure,

employment and teacher evaluation must be

based on many factors. The Association further

believes the appropriate use of student progress

in teacher evaluation must be the assessment of

teacher effect on student learning through

multiple measures of student growth, not on

standardized measures of student status. (2015)

C-21. Educational Employee-Coach

Contracts

NEA-New Mexico believes extracurricular

coaching assignments are strictly voluntary

and are not meant to be linked to employee

Page 90

assignments as a contractual obligation on the

part of the educational employee-coach. (2015)

C-22. Discipline Policies and Procedures

NEA-New Mexico believes boards of

education in conjunction with local affiliates

should develop proactive policies, procedures

and standards that would provide the necessary

administrative support to school employees for

the maintenance of a positive school

environment. This includes effective

disciplinary procedures that enhance high

expectations for quality instruction and

learning in a safe and nurturing environment.

The Association believes in the right of

teachers or designated employees in charge of

instruction to cause the removal from the

classroom of disruptive and/or dangerous

students whose actions and/or behavior

deprive other students of a productive learning

experience.

The Association further believes any

disciplinary action that uses removal must be

based upon the rights of employees and

students to work and learn in a safe and orderly

environment. The Association opposes the use

of discipline as a means of excluding students

from the school setting until all other methods

of behavioral intervention have been

exhausted.

The Association encourages school

employees to use the judicial system to press

charges against students who commit crimes

such as assault and battery. Further, the

Association believes that school districts

should provide assistance including legal

counsel in such instances. (2016)

C-23. Education Employees and Active

Duty Service

The National Education Association

believes that an education employee whose

career is interrupted by a call to active duty

service by the National Guard or the reserves

should be guaranteed reemployment and all

benefits that would accrue if the employee had

continued in a position with the school system.

The Association also believes that the federal

government, upon calling an educator to active

duty, should supplement the service person’s

compensation so his/her family does not

experience a loss of revenue or benefits. (2010)

C-24. Protection of Education

Employees from Workplace Bullying

NEA-New Mexico believes that education

employees should be protected from workplace

bullying. Bullying creates an unhealthy and

unprofessional power imbalance between bully

and target. The Association encourages school

boards to establish written policies designed to

ensure the elimination of bullying, harassment,

and intimidation of students and staff by other

students and staff. Workplace bullying can

include, but is not limited to:

a. Systematic aggressive communication

b. Manipulation of work assignments

c. Repeated, health-harming mistreatment

d. Verbal and/or mental abuse

e. Conduct which is threatening,

harassing, humiliating, degrading,

intimidating, or sabotaging. (2018)

PREPARATION

C-25. Accreditation of Teacher

Preparation Institutions

NEA-New Mexico believes in the

importance of national accreditation for all

educator preparation institutions and supports

the concept that a single national non-

governmental agency performs this function.


National Council for the Accreditation of

Teacher Education (NCATE) or its successor

organization, The Council for the

Accreditation of Educator Preparation

(CAEP), is the appropriate national accrediting

body. NEA-New Mexico also believes all

New Mexico institutions for educator

preparation must adopt NCATE/CAEP

standards as their minimum requirements.

(2012)

C-26. Curriculum Committees for

Teacher Education


professional educators and education students

should serve on all curriculum committees at

all institutions having professional educator

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preparation programs. The Association

believes the Secretary of Public Education

should make this mandatory for an approved

program. (2015)

C-27. Professional Development

NEA-New Mexico believes educational

personnel who attend in-service and training

workshops in their schools and within their

systems, as well as out of system, do contribute

to the general improvement of instruction of

children.

The Association believes educational

personnel should receive credit for

participating in such training sessions as

instituted by their employer. Full credit should

be applied for purposes of relicensure by the

Public Education Department, or salary

increments and for training and experience

credit in the state funding formula.

The Association supports cooperation,

coordination, and communication with other

education groups and agencies for the purpose

of identifying and defining quality programs

and promoting measures for the support of

these programs. (2010)

C-28. Standardization of College

Transcripts

NEA-New Mexico believes transferred

credits should be counted in a uniform manner

toward meeting degree requirements at all of

the in-state colleges and universities.

(2013)

C-29. Teacher Preparation Institutes

NEA-New Mexico believes teacher

preparation institutes must provide prospective

teachers, in their first year of training with

hands-on experience in connection with actual

instruction. The Association believes early

actual experience in the classroom, along with

instruction, will produce more effective

educators. (2010)

C-30. High Standards for Non-public and

Home Schools

NEA-New Mexico believes non-public and

home schools must be held to the same

standards of accreditation required of public

schools. The Association also believes that

local public school systems must have the

authority to determine grade placement and/or

credits earned toward graduation for students

entering or re-entering the public school setting

from a non-public or home school setting.

The Association further believes non-public

and home-schooled students participation in

any extra-curricular activities in the public

schools must be fully funded. (2010)

C-31. Library Media Program

NEA-NM believes every student must have

a comprehensive school library media program

within his or her educational setting. The

program should include a certified/licensed

school library media specialist and/ or

qualified educational support professionals: a

variety of print, non-print, and electronic

resources to supplement and complement

curricular, to address the diverse needs of

students and staff, personal, and leisure needs;

relevant technology; and instruction in library

research and information skills. The

Association further believes that school library

media programs are negatively impacted if a

media specialist does not have a substitute

during his or her absence.

The Association encourages increased

funding for school library media programs

from federal, state, and local governments as

well as other sources such public and/ or

private partnerships.(2017)

C-32. Educators for the Hearing/Visually

Impaired

NEA-New Mexico believes the New

Mexico Professional Licensure Unit should

adapt its requirements to recognize the unique

professional preparation required for educators

of the hearing and visually impaired in our

state. (2015)

C-33. Awareness of Students with Head/

Brain Injuries

NEA-New Mexico believes appropriate

teacher training programs should be provided

through workshops, conferences, and college

and university courses for head/brain injury

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identification and awareness for all students

with head/brain injuries. (2013)

C-34. Inclusion of Special Needs Students

NEA-New Mexico believes there must be

increased development and maintenance of

programs to meet students' special needs.

Teachers in these programs must have a major

role in designing the objectives and evaluations

and working with appropriate school and

community personnel to execute these

objectives and evaluations. In order to

implement special education legislation, the

Association believes:

a. The educational environment, using

appropriate instructional materials, support

services, and pupil personnel services, must

match the learning needs of both students with

and students without special needs.

b. Student placement must be based on

individual needs rather than on space

availability or funding, must be examined on a

regular basis to ensure appropriateness, and

should not be made disproportionately by

ethnicity or gender. Necessary building/staff

modifications must be provided to facilitate

such placement.

c. Regular and special education classroom

teachers must have a major role in determining

an individual education program (IEP) and the

appropriateness of educational methods,

materials, professional development, and

supportive services and must receive a copy of

the IEP.

d. Regular and special education teachers,

pupil personnel staff, administrators,

Educational Support Professionals, and parents

must share in planning and implementing the

IEP. Prior to implementation, all necessary

educational materials, professional

development and supportive services must be

provided.

e. All impacted staff members must have an

appeal procedure regarding the

implementation of the IEP, especially in terms

of student placement. The procedure must

include the right to have the dissenting opinion

recorded and attached to the IEP.

f. A plan recognizing individual differences

must be used in a systematic evaluation and

reporting of program development.

g. Limitations must be made in class size,

using methods such as weighted formulas,

modified scheduling, and/or curriculum design

to accommodate the demands of each IEP.

h. Classroom teachers who serve students

with special needs must have scheduled access

to resource personnel.

i. The student's IEP should not be used as

criteria for the evaluation of education

employees.

j. Staff must not be reduced.

k. All staff must be adequately prepared for

their roles through appropriate licensing and

ongoing professional development programs.

l. Adequate released time or funded

additional time must be made available so that

teachers can carry out the increased demands

placed upon them by special education

legislation.

m. Full funding must be provided by local,

state, and federal government. (2012)

C-35. Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural

Training.

NEA-New Mexico believes teachers must

be adequately trained to teach children of

various cultural backgrounds. The Association

believes teacher-training institutions must

provide quality cross-cultural training in their

professional education preparatory programs.

The Association also believes these institutions

should offer courses to increase their

awareness of and sensitivity to New Mexico's

multi-cultural heritage.

The Association believes quality in-

service training in multi-lingual, multi-cultural

education should be provided to all school

personnel. (2012)

C-36. Public School Food Service

Program

NEA-New Mexico, aware that school

boards presently have the responsibility to

establish and implement school breakfast and

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lunch programs, believes in the efficient

management and use of available funds.

The Association believes the

implementation of such food service programs

to be the responsibility of food service

personnel and not be an additional duty

imposed on teachers. (2010)

STUDENT EDUCATION

D-Student Educational Opportunities,

Rights, and Responsibilities

D-1. Educational Opportunities

NEA-New Mexico believes programs in

the public schools must be established to

provide the opportunities for all students to

develop those abilities, attitudes, and habits of

thought and action leading to responsible

citizenship, vocational, career, and technical

effectiveness, and maximum personal

development and fulfillment. All such

programs should provide a comprehensive

program of lifelong learning for the

advancement and promotion of all students

(2015)

D-2. Independent Reading Skills

The Association believes that the

acquisition of the primary language spoken

within the home is the foundation for reading

skills development. The Association also

believes that schools and communities should

work together in raising awareness of the link

between language development and reading

acquisition skills. Emerging literacy skills

begin with the interaction and communication

between children and adults. An increased

number of words spoken to a child during

language development increases future reading

proficiency.

NEA-New Mexico further believes that it is

critical that students become independent

readers to succeed in life and school. Reading

instruction, with appropriate interventions,

especially in the early grades, is essential for

learning in all content areas and for achieving

high standards. (2019)

D-3. Educational Program for English

Language Learners

NEA-New Mexico believes that English

Language Learners (ELL) must have available

to them programs that address their unique

needs and that are committed to providing

equal opportunity to all students, regardless of

their primary language. Programs for ELLs

should emphasize English proficiency while

concurrently providing meaningful instruction

in all other curriculum areas. Age, academic

needs, individual differences in language

acquisition abilities, and environmental factors

must be considered in the planning of a

comprehensive ELL program.

The Association believes ELL students

shall be placed in bilingual/and/or ELL

education programs. Students will receive

instruction in their native language from

qualified educators with appropriate

endorsements until such time as English

proficiency is achieved.

The Association supports the principals of

the “Dream Act” which encourages access for

undocumented students to higher education,

financial aid, in state tuition and to legal

pathway to residency status. (2019)

D-4. Standards for Student Learning

The National Education Association of New

Mexico believes in high standards that describe

clear expectations for what students should

know and be able to do. Throughout the

implementation of content and performance

standards, all students must be provided the

instructional opportunities and learning

conditions necessary to attain the standards,

including but not limited to technology.

The Association supports the development

and use of assessments appropriate to the

standards.

The Association believes that education

employers must include its local affiliates in

the planning, development, implementation,

and refinement of standards, conditions, and

assessments to ensure that-

a. Students, parents/guardians/caregivers,

education employees, community members,

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and governmental officials are involved and

share the accountability

b. Education employees are afforded release

time and/or compensation in order to have

opportunities to work with colleagues on a

regular basis throughout the school year on

how to teach and assess student proficiency in

the standards

c. Full funding and resources are provided

d. Curriculum includes, but is not limited to,

required standards. Standards are introduced

into the curriculum at a rate that allows

education employees opportunities to adapt

their practice, work with each other, and pilot

the work in a concerted fashion

e. Assessments will be used to evaluate each

student's progress toward attaining standards

f. Appropriate attention is given to the needs

and developmental levels of each student

g. Professional development is provided for

all education employees to help align their

practices to the standards

h. Education employees participate in the

review and refinement of standards and

assessments. (2015)

D-5. Assessment of Public School

Students

NEA-New Mexico strongly supports

authentic assessment of students. The

Association believes authentic assessment is

appropriate for the purposes of identifying

learning needs, recommending instructional

activities and describing the progress of

individual students for the sole use of student,

parents and teachers.

The Association opposes the use of

standardized test and/ or assessment when

students with special needs or limited English

proficiency are required to take the same tests

as regular education students without

modifications and/ or accommodations.

The Association believes assessments

should be performance-based and measure

what students should know and be able to do.

The Association believes that these evaluation

instruments should utilize developmentally

appropriate techniques that are bias-free,

reliable, and valid.

The Association opposes the use of

standardized tests that, in any way, deny

students full access to equal educational

opportunities or are used to evaluate teacher

performance. The Association believes

standardized tests should not be administered

when they are:

a. not cognizant of current research on how

children learn (such as learning styles,

multiple intelligences, physical growth,

child development, and maturation);

b. biased on the basis of gender, race,

culture, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level;

c. used as the only criterion for student

placement;

d. invalid, unreliable, out-of-date, or

developmentally inappropriate;

e. used as the sole basis for the allocation of

federal, state, or local funds;

f. used in an exploitative manner by anyone

in commercial enterprise;

g. used to compare classes or schools;

h. used as the sole criterion for graduation or

promotion;

i. used as a criterion for the development of

a state system of classification of schools,

school systems, students or teachers; or

j. used to dictate curriculum in the schools

so teachers are, in fact, “teaching to the test”

rather than testing the students over material in

the designed curriculum. (2019)

D-6. Student Success

NEA-New Mexico believes that sufficient

resources, interventions and program

alternatives should be provided to allow for the

proper placement of each student. (2012)

D-7. Art and Music in the Schools

NEA-New Mexico believes it is extremely

important to educate children in all forms of art

and music. These programs should be taught

by persons properly trained and licensed in

their respective fields.

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The Association believes school districts

should implement such programs where

adequate programs do not exist and should

continue to support existing programs. (2015)

D-8. Geography and New Mexico History

in the Schools

NEA-New Mexico believes it is important

to educate children in geography and New

Mexico History.

The Association believes school districts

should implement such programs where

adequate programs do not exist and continue to

support existing programs. (2017)

D-9. Communication Skills

NEA-New Mexico believes that relating all

forms of communication proficiency is a basic

educational need for expression. Full-time

teachers should be included in every secondary

school to specifically teach various forms of

communication. (2017)

D-10. PreK-12Educational Programs

NEA-New Mexico believes in the creation

of curriculum, guidance and counseling

programs, and health services to meet the

needs of all students in our changing society.

The Association further believes all publicly

funded/public schools educational programs

must be staffed by well trained, fully qualified,

licensed personnel.(2017)

D-11. Day Care

NEA-New Mexico believes that there is

need for quality day care for the children of

working parents. The Association supports the

concept of providing quality day care for the

children of working parents at an affordable

price. (2017)

D-12. Students with Head/Brain Injuries

NEA-New Mexico believes students with

head/brain injuries have the right to

educational programs that best meet their

individual needs, as mandated by state and

federal law. (2017)

D-13. Visually and Hearing Impaired

NEA-New Mexico believes students that

are hearing and visually impaired have the

right to educational programs that best meet

their individual needs, as mandated by state

and federal law. (2015)

D-14. Health Education

NEA-New Mexico believes in

development and implementation of a

comprehensive health education program for

all students in New Mexico. This curriculum

should include mental, emotional, physical

development, substance use and abuse, STD

awareness and prevention and parenting.

(2015)

D-15. Suicide Prevention Programs

NEA-New Mexico supports the

establishment of evidence-based suicide

prevention and intervention programs. The

Association further believes these programs

must be available to the family and classmates

of suicide victims and attempted suicide

victims. (2015)

D-16. Vocational, Career, and Technical

Education

NEA-New Mexico believes preparation of

K-12 children for careers, vocations, and

productive jobs should be a basic policy of

education. The Association also believes K-12

educational programs should be developed for

all children assuring equal opportunity for

career and occupational development. A

continuing program for training, retraining,

advancement, and promotion should be

provided for out-of-school youth and adults.

(2015)

D-17. Inclusion of Students with Special

Needs

NEA-New Mexico believes a free,

appropriate public education should be

provided for all students with special needs in

a least restrictive environment, which is

determined by maximum teacher and parent

involvement. The Association believes there

should be a full continuum of placement

options and services/delivery models available

to students with special needs. Programs

should emphasize a broad range of activities

for responding to students' differing behavioral

patterns, interests, needs, and learning styles.

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The Association believes students with

special needs must have appropriate testing

options matching the processing disorders,

motor skills, and/ or academic developmental

levels or language proficiency of those

students to measure individual progress and

proficiencies. (2015)

D-18. Student Discipline

NEA-New Mexico believes positive

discipline is essential in promoting optimum

learning. High expectations and effective

instruction promote self-control and

responsible behavior in students.

The Association believes its local affiliates

should develop guidelines for effective

disciplinary techniques and believes that

corporal punishment has no place in public

education. Local affiliates should negotiate a

process whereby school employees, parents,

students, and courts will be involved in

identifying disruptive behavior and

prescribing, implementing and evaluating

procedures that will reduce and correct

disruptive behavior.

The Association believes all students should

have the right to due process and an orderly

learning environment.

The Association believes it is the right of

every student to be treated with dignity in a

safe and nurturing environment.

The Association recognizes that policies

promoting educational processes which

emphasize prevention, effective interventions,

and rehabilitation will decrease the use of out-

of-school suspensions, expulsions, and in-

school arrests. (2016)

D-19. Digital Learning

NEA-New Mexico believes that quality

digital learning can create or extend learning

opportunities but cannot replace traditional

education which allows for regular face-to-face

interaction among students, peers, and

instructors.

The Association also believes that students

who participate in digital learning should

receive the preparation and support necessary

to enable them to function effectively in an

online environment, which at a minimum

should include:

a. Supervision and instruction provided by

fully qualified, certified, and/or licensed

educators

b. Appropriate services, equipment,

technical support, libraries, and

laboratories

c. Accurate course descriptions and clear

expectations prior to enrollment

d. Reasonable student to instructor ratios

that allow for individualized interaction

with instructors

e. Opportunities for appropriate student-

to-student interaction

f. Curriculum approved courses

comparable to similar courses delivered

by traditional means and approved by

the state education agency

g. Courses that are transferable from

school to school or for graduation

requirements (2017)

D-20. Student Rights and

Responsibilities

NEA-New Mexico believes that basic

student rights include the right to safe and

stable school environments; free inquiry and

expression; freedom of the press; due

process; gender equity; freedom of

association; freedom of peaceful assembly

and petition; participation in the governance

of the school, college, and university;

freedom from discrimination; freedom from

commercial exploitation, including the

payment of subminimum wages; and equal

educational opportunity.

The Association also believes that each

of these rights carries with it a comparable

responsibility. Student responsibilities

include regular school attendance,

conscientious effort in classroom work and

assessments, and conformance to school

rules and regulations that do not abrogate

these rights. Students share with the

administration and faculty a responsibility

to develop a climate within the school that

is conducive to wholesome learning and

living. No student has the right to interfere

with the education of other students. It is the

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responsibility of each student to respect the

rights of each person involved in the

educational process.

The Association further believes that in

order to protect the safety of students it is

necessary to protect the confidentiality of

student information and data. The

Association opposes the collection and

dissemination of student data by any

external organization, company, or

institution without the express written

consent of the student and/or

parent/guardian.

The Association believes that student

rights must be safeguarded when students

are involved in commercial premium

campaigns and fundraising activities.

(2017)

POLITICAL POWER

E. Effective Use of Political Power

E-1. Tuition Tax Credits and Vouchers

NEA-New Mexico believes tuition tax

credits and voucher plans, and/or other

funding/financial arrangements—under which

K-12 private school education is subsidized by

federal or state tax moneys—could lead to

racial, economic, and social isolation of

children and undermine our commitment to the

public school system.

The Association opposes all federal and

state legislation designed to establish or

implement such plans. (2015)

E-2. NEA-New Mexico EdPAC


employees must constitute a strong political

force to secure legislation for the betterment of

education and the election of candidates who

view education’s needs as a priority.

The Association supports NEA-New

Mexico EdPAC (Educational Political Action

Committee) and believes that school

employees and friends of education should

support it through individual involvement and

contributions.

The Association believes each of its

affiliates should work to promote the election

of Friends of Education to all governmental

bodies including state and local boards of

education. (2015)

E-3. Funding Formula Training and

Experience Index

NEA-New Mexico believes that the New

Mexico Public Funding Formula Training and

Experience (T&E) Index must provide the

financial undergirding for the salary structure

created in the education reform act of 2003.

NEA-New Mexico further believes that the T

& E Index should flexibly support salary

structures consistent with the three-tiered

licensure structure and must not be used to

institute state policy intended to force specific

salary structures on local districts and

employees. (2015)

E-4. Legislative Record


employees of New Mexico have a right to be

informed of the voting records of their

legislators in order to make an intelligent

decision at the polls. (2015)

E-5. Salaries for Legislators

NEA-New Mexico believes New Mexico

legislators should be paid a salary or fair and

equitable per diem. (2015)

E-6. Children’s Code

NEA-New Mexico believes a continuing

study of the state children’s code is imperative

because of the increased number of offenses

committed by juveniles and increased violence

in the schools.

The Association believes stringent

enforcement of the State Children’s Code as

well as adequate funding for its

implementation is necessary. (2015)

E-7. Standard of Living

NEA-New Mexico opposes all legislation

threatening to lower the standard of living of

school employees and working people in the

State of New Mexico, such as the proposed

“Right to Work” legislation and Section 14b of

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the Taft Hartley Act or repeal of New Mexico's

prevailing wage act. (2015)

EFFECTIVE LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS

F. Building Effective Local Affiliates

F-1. Leadership Training

NEA-New Mexico believes in the

development of individual talents and

continuous training of future leaders as

essential to maintaining a progressive and

dynamic Association. (2015)

F-2. The Local Association and

Instruction


employees have a right to speak unequivocally

on all matters related to curriculum and

instruction. The Association further believes

that Local affiliates are the vehicle through

which the voice of school employees is heard

at all levels where instructional policies,

including those on the selection and use of

instructional materials, are made. (2015)

F-3. Continuing Membership

NEA-New Mexico believes in the concept

of unified professional membership and

payroll deduction on a continuing basis. The

Association believes educators should promote

acceptance of these concepts by their local

associations and employers. (2015)

F-4. Student Organizations

NEA-New Mexico believes the Student

National Education Association of New

Mexico (SNEA-NM) is an appropriate

organization within the Association to develop

early interest in, and commitment to, the

profession of education. The Association

believes its local affiliates should work with

Student NEA organizations. (2015)

F-5. Professional Development Resource

Centers

NEA-New Mexico believes regional

professional development resource centers

provide an opportunity for school employees to

share resources, experiences, and ideas for

professional growth. The Association believes

that these centers should be established in

sufficient numbers to be accessible to all

school employees. (2015)

F-6. Retired Members

NEA-New Mexico believes its local

affiliates should organize campaigns to solicit

membership from retired school employees as

they are a valuable asset whose expertise

should be utilized in all areas of the

association. (2015)

F-8. Public Relations


employees should place a maximum emphasis

upon efforts to inform policy makers and the

general public of accomplishments, situations,

and conditions within their local school

district. (2015)

HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS

G. Promoting Human and Civil Rights in

Education

G-1. Family and Medical Leave


employees should be granted leaves to fulfill

maternal, paternal, and family medical

responsibilities. Absences related to child

bearing or adoption should be treated as

temporary disabilities for job-related purposes.

Policies should recognize the rights of the

school employee to determine initial and

terminal dates of the leave. The Association

further believes extended leaves of absence,

without pay, but without loss of up to two years

rights or benefits, should be available to school

employees. (2017)

G-2. Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural

Training

NEA-New Mexico supports the concept of

providing the opportunity for multi-lingual,

multi-cultural education to meet the needs of

students in the State of New Mexico. (2018)

G-3. Equal Employment Opportunities

NEA-New Mexico believes all public

education employers in New Mexico must

provide equal employment opportunities to all.

The employment guidelines must be the

product of a working committee, which

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includes representatives of all affected

categories of employees and community

representatives.


employment practices of all public education

employers must permit no discrimination as

defined in the United States or New Mexico

Constitutions; federal statute or regulation; and

state statute (including 28-1-7 NMSA 1978) or

regulation. (2017)

G-4. Protection of Children

A. NEA-New Mexico believes all children

should be protected from child abuse and

neglect. Education employees are in a position

to recognize abuse or neglect inflicted on

children.

The Association supports the current state

statute requiring educators to report instances

of suspected child abuse or neglect directly to

the appropriate authorities.

The Association believes its local affiliates

should:

1. Cooperate with community organizations

to increase public awareness and

understanding of child abuse and neglect; and

2. Encourage development of in-service

programs and university workshops stressing

identification of neglected or abused children,

reporting procedures, and available

appropriate learning activities.

The Association supports the strong

enforcement of current laws dealing with child

pornography. We oppose the exploitation of

children.

The Association supports statutory and

regulatory provisions that preclude the

licensure or initial employment of persons who

have been convicted of committing crimes

against children.

B. NEA-New Mexico believes that

regardless of the immigration status of students

or their parents, every student has the right to a

free public education in an environment free

from harassment. Schools are safe havens, and

NEA-New Mexico opposes all Immigrant

Control & Enforcement (ICE) raids on or near

school property. (2017)

G-5. Community Environmental

Awareness

NEA-NM believes that strict monitoring

should be required of nuclear facilities,

radioactive/chemical pollutants and waste

incineration. The Association believes the

development and implementation of new

technologies for the safe transport and

recycling of nuclear and chemical wastes is

necessary. The Association supports

programs that would educate the public to the

dangers and benefits of nuclear waste disposal,

and health risks associated with waste

incineration.

The Association believes that the people of

a state should make the final determination as

to whether or not toxic and/or nuclear waste

processing sites or the transportation of toxic

and/or nuclear waste shall be within their state

boundaries. Contiguous states directly affected

environmentally by processing sites should be

included in the final determination. (2017)

G-6. Nuclear or Radioactive Facilities

NEA-New Mexico believes that strict

monitoring should be required of nuclear

facilities, radioactive/chemical pollutants and

waste incineration. The Association believes

the development and implementation of new

technologies for the safe transport and

recycling of nuclear and chemical wastes is

necessary. The Association supports programs

that would educate the public to the dangers

and benefits of nuclear power, recycling of

nuclear wastes, and the problems of nuclear

waste disposal, and health risks associated with

waste incineration.

The Association believes that the people of

a state should make the final determination as

to whether or not toxic and/or nuclear waste

processing sites or the transportation of toxic

and/or nuclear waste shall be within their state

boundaries. Contiguous states directly affected

environmentally by processing sites should be

included in the final determination. (2017)

G-7. Violence in the Schools

NEA-New Mexico believes all members of

the school community who are the victims of

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school-related physical attack, verbal abuse,

hate crimes, vandalism, or theft should receive

the full support of their local school district.

The Association believes that the school

environment must be free from all forms of

bullying, including physical, psychological,

and cyber bullying. (2018)

G-8. Agency and Institutional Settings

NEA-New Mexico recognizes educational

employees in agency and institutional settings

encounter unique challenges. The Association

supports their efforts to achieve and maintain

human and civil rights for themselves and their

students. (2018)

G-9. Adults with Disabilities

NEA-New Mexico supports education for

adults with disabilities. (2019)

G-10. Equal Rights for All

NEA-New Mexico supports the NEA

Policy Statement on Discipline and the School

to Prison Pipeline that was passed at the 2016

NEA Representative Assembly. (2018)

GOVERNANCE

H. Effective Operational Services

H-1. Members

NEA-New Mexico believes in maintaining

and recruiting members on a continuing basis.

Locals facing or attempting a representational

challenge will be given the Association's

sanction and support unless a conflicting

agreement exists which precludes raiding

and/or take back organizing efforts. (2013)

H-2. Minority Representation

NEA-New Mexico believes it must include

members of ethnic minorities in all its

activities.

The Association believes ethnic minority

participation on its boards and committees

must be at least in proportion to the ethnic

minority membership in the Association.

(2010)

H-3 Educational Support Professionals

NEA-New Mexico believes Educational

Support Professionals (ESP) are essential to

building and maintaining a strong state

association. The Association believes that its

Local affiliates should encourage full and

effective participation of Educational Support

Professionals members. Furthermore, the

Association believes that local affiliates should

encourage ESP members to serve in leadership

roles at all levels of the association. (2010)

COMMUNITY

I. Family, School, and Community

Relationships

I-1 Understanding and Support of Public

Education.

NEA-New Mexico believes the Association

and its affiliates have a responsibility to

promote understanding and support of public

education and educators and to encourage wide

community and parental participation in

achieving and maintaining educational

excellence. (2010)

I-2. Partnerships with Parents

NEA-New Mexico believes parental and

family involvement in a child’s education is

vital to academic success and individual

development. The Association supports

actions that will improve the capability of local

schools and local school districts to establish

programs for increasing partnerships that

respond to the varying needs of parents and the

home. (2010)

I-3. Parent and Family Training

NEA-New Mexico supports the provision

and funding of training programs that prepare

parents or guardians to take an active role in

their child’s education. The Association

believes these programs should meet the needs

of parents or guardians by using a variety of

methods that will provide support for parents

or guardians to become more active in both

their child’s classroom and the education

process. (2019)

I-4. Business Support for Public

Education

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NEA-New Mexico believes that the

business community and the Association

should work cooperatively in promoting,

planning, implementing, and evaluating

school-community-business partnerships in

the support of public education. The

Association welcomes from the business

community supplementary activities such as

release of employees for parent-teacher

conferences and other school-related activities,

funding for scholarships, and the donation of

specialized equipment.

The Association believes that both private

and public New Mexico employers should

provide paid leave to allow parents to

participate in school activities that occur

during the parent’s normal working hours.

(2013)

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General Information about Resolutions

NEA-New Mexico resolutions are formal expressions of opinion, intent, belief, or position of the

Association. They are intended to set forth general concepts in clear, concise language, to be broad

in nature, and to state the positions of the Association positively and without ambiguity. NEA-New

Mexico resolutions shall be consistent with the goals of the Association as stated in the Preamble of

the Constitution.

The Resolutions Committee is responsible for the preparation and presentation of proposed new

resolutions and proposed amendments to existing resolutions. May 31 is the deadline for submission

of proposed resolutions or amendments to be processed by the Committee. New resolutions to be

submitted from the floor of the Delegate Council must have been presented at the open hearing. Final

adoption of resolutions is accomplished by majority vote at the Annual Delegate Council.

Outlined below are specific provisions of NEA-New Mexico's governance documents regarding

resolutions and related matters.

Bylaws of the National Education Association of New Mexico

3. DELEGATE COUNCIL


Delegates to the Council meeting shall:

d. consider and vote on NEA-NM resolutions.

7. COMMITTEES

7.1 Standing Committees of the Association shall be:

b. Resolutions

(1) This committee shall consist of at least one member from each Region and no more than three

(3) from any single Region.

(2) Members may not serve more than two (2) consecutive three-year terms.

7.8 Rules

a. The President of the Association shall appoint the chairperson for each of the committees except

the Budget Committee.

b. Each Committee shall establish its own rules and upon their approval by the Board of Directors

of the Association, they have the effect of being rules of the Association; provided there is no conflict

with the Constitution, Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation of the Association.

Standing Rules of the National Education Association of New Mexico

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RULE 7. RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE AND PROCEDURE

A. Duties

The Resolutions Committee shall prepare and present to the Delegate Council proposed resolutions

for adoption. They shall be printed and made available to delegates before action is scheduled thereon

by the Delegate Council. The form and text of each resolution shall be approved by the majority vote

of the Resolutions Committee, before presentation to the Delegate Council; provided, however, that

a minority report may be presented to the Delegate Council upon a one-third (1/3) favorable vote of

the total Resolutions Committee's eligible voters.

Such minority report shall be printed with the majority report and shall be presented by the

chairperson of the Resolutions Committee concurrently with the majority report. The chairperson of

the Resolutions Committee shall present the report of the committee, together with any minority

report, to the Delegate Council for consideration at the time and place designated in the agenda.

B. Open Hearing

The committee shall hold at least one (1) open hearing on proposed resolutions at a time and place

to be announced in the printed program.

C. Procedure for Submitting Resolutions

Resolutions from delegates or members designated for consideration by the Resolutions

Committee shall be submitted to the Executive Director or the chairperson or members of the

Resolutions Committee not later than ninety (90) days prior to the Delegate Council meeting.

After the deadline, all new Resolutions to be submitted from the floor for consideration must have

been presented at the open hearings with sufficient copies to be presented to all delegates at the


All Resolutions adopted by the NEA-NM Delegate Council shall be accepted and publicized as

official NEA-NM resolutions.

Resolutions adopted by the Delegate Council shall continue in force without further action in

succeeding years. At any council session, at the time of the Resolutions Committee report, a

resolution may be designated for action by the Delegate Council or the Resolutions Committee.

Such Resolutions shall be submitted to the Delegate Council by number. If there is no objection,

they will be considered for adoption en masse together with all other Resolutions to which there are

no specific objections. Resolutions objected to when introduced by number will be set aside to be

considered individually.

The Resolutions Committee met on Saturday, August 21, 2021. No proposed amendments

were received by the committee prior to the May 31 deadline.

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New Resolutions

None

Amendments to resolutions

Recommendation: The Resolutions Committee recommends a do-pass for all the amendments.

The following proposed amendments to resolution was adopted by majority vote of the committee.

Strikethroughs represent deletions. Bold underlined text represents proposed additions.

A-1. Federal and State Support of Education

NEA-New Mexico believes that the funding of public elementary and secondary education is a

major responsibility of the federal and state government. It seeks federal support in accordance

with the following principles:

a. An increasing portion of public funds should be for direct instruction of students;

b. Local governing boards must be fiscally independent, and restrictive limits must not be imposed

on their budgets or long-term borrowing;

c. State and federal mandates affecting public education programs must be accompanied by

adequate and equitable funding;

d. The amount of aid must be generally predictable for long-range planning and specifically

predictable for year-to-year planning;

e. Present programs of specific aid must be expanded and improved by consolidation and

simplification of administration;

f. Public funded services for nonpublic school students must be strictly limited to medical and

dental care, public welfare programs, school lunch and milk programs, and public safety services such

as fire and police protection, which are budgeted and administered through the appropriate public

agencies; and

g. Federal legislation must comply with civil rights statutes, be consistent with the constitutional

provision respecting an establishment of religion, and provide for judicial review as to its

constitutionality.

The Association opposes providing any public revenues to sectarian pre-K through 12 schools. The

Association also opposes providing such revenues to nonsectarian pre-K through 12 private schools

or to nonpublic school students in pre-K through 12 education, unless such revenues are used for

educational services that are not available in public schools to which students have reasonable

access. (2010)

It seeks state support in accordance with the following principles:

a. Adequate funding of bilingual programs that develop biliterate students that is

inclusive of all languages including Spanish and Native Americans;

b. Community Schools;

c. Adequate funding of Special Education to meet the specific needs of individual

student’s Individual Education Plan. (2021)

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A-4. Fringe Benefits

NEA-New Mexico believes comprehensive programs for employee's benefits should be provided,

including, but not limited to:

a. An adequate, continuously updated, retirement program

b. Employer-financed group health insurance to 7580%

c. Employer-financed group life insurance

d. Employer-financed group disability income insurance

e. Sick leave benefits, with unlimited accumulation

f. Reimbursement for unused sick leave

g. Paid personal leave

h. Paid professional leave

i. Paid Maternity leave/paternity leave, including adoption

j. Paid Family medical leave

k. Paid sabbatical leave

l. Payroll deductions

m. Tuition reimbursement

n. Severance benefits

o. Tax-sheltered benefits

p. Personal assault/battery protection

q. Workers’ Compensation

r. Unemployment Compensation.

s. Dependent College / Vocational Savings Plan

t. Teacherage housing for educational employees

u. Increase Educational tax rebates

v. Free or substantially reduced child care for education employees.

NEA-New Mexico believes comprehensive programs for employee benefits are a vital part of

school employee compensation. School employee benefit packages should compare favorably with

income in other professions and occupations requiring comparable preparation. (2013) (2021)

A-8. Instructional Supplies

NEA-New Mexico believes that full funding should be provided for the needs of public education.

It is the responsibility of the New Mexico Legislature to adequately fund the New Mexico Public

School Funding Formula in order that local boards of education can meet their responsibility to

provide instructional supplies and resources so that each school in a District meets standards for

educational excellence.

The Association believes the practice of spending personal funds on instructional supplies relieves

the local board of education of its responsibilities. It also effectively reduces all efforts of the

Association to gain public and legislative support for financial needs of schools.

Individualized technology requirements should be funded and/or reimbursed to the

employee. This includes the technology support necessary to meet the diverse expectations of

all remote work regardless of current educational setting. (2019) (2021)

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C-6. Class Size

NEA-New Mexico believes that excellence in the classroom can best be attained by small class

size, particularly in grades pre-K through 12, which allows for the optimum development of a

student's potential. Class size, secondary class loads, case loads and daily student-teacher contacts

must allow for individual attention to each pupil. Class size must include all students’ i.e. Special

education students. The Association further believes that excessive class size hinders the teaching

and learning process and is disruptive to a positive educational environment.

The State Department of Education and all Districts must adhere to minimum class size

limits, secondary class loads and case loads as defined in statute. In addition, all waiver

procedures and protocols must be followed.

The Association also believes the State Department of Education should, on a 40-day, 80-day and

120-day count yearly basis, collect and report accurate class size data, not based on averages, that

reflects the experience of students and educators. This data should be utilized to assure state statute

is adhered to. (2019) (2021)

C-8. National Certification

NEA-New Mexico believes the profession must grant recognition to an individual who has,

voluntarily, met qualifications specified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

(NBPTS). NEA-New Mexico further believes that the NBPTS must be composed of a majority of

practicing public school teachers.

The Association also believes the periodic evaluation of such certification procedures is necessary

to ascertain whether cultural, economic, gender, sexual orientation / gender identification, racial,

or age bias is perpetuated by the requirements for certification. (2010) (2021)

C-10. Substitute Teachers

NEA-NM believes that substitute teachers perform a vital function in the maintenance and

continuity of daily education and should therefore be compensated accordingly. The Association

condemns the practice of assigning substitute teachers to regular positions for an extended duration

of time. Positions created by extended absence should be filled by available licensed teachers who

are eligible to be placed on contractual status by the school district. The Association believes

substitutes must be provided for all instructional positions. The Association opposes the practices of

replacing absent teachers by dispersing students to other classrooms. In the absence of available

licensed teachers, the Association believes educational assistants licensed to substitute can substitute

within their assigned duties, provided they receive additional compensation above their regular daily

pay. The Association opposes the use of Educational Support Professionals not assigned to a

classroom setting as substitutes. The Association also opposes the use of individuals such as

Educational Support Professionals, part-time employees, or employees hired through private agencies

to cover classes. The Association further opposes requiring teachers to substitute during their

preparation time. The Association supports the right of substitute employees to organize for collective

bargaining purposes. (2012) (2021)

C-12. Academic Freedom

NEA-New Mexico believes academic freedom and professional autonomy for all teachers

educators is essential if the educational system is to serve, teach, guide and help maintain a sense of

a free society. Academic freedom for educators must include respect from members of the community

they serve before they can teach rights and responsibilities of individuals. They must be free to search

for truth, be taken seriously in considering new educational plans, and be able to express their ideas

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objectively without fear of penalty, degradation or reprimand. They, as organized groups, as well

as individuals, must be permitted to evaluate and review controversial issues involving educational

trends. (2010) (2021)

C-13. Employee Stress

NEA-New Mexico believes its local affiliates, in cooperation with local school authorities, should

develop stress management programs to facilitate the recognition, prevention, and treatment of stress-

related problems or mental health concerns.

The Association further believes the harmful effects of stress on teachers and other school

personnel must be recognized. The Association believes these procedures must ensure confidentiality

and treatment without personal jeopardy.

The Association further supports the use of Sick Leave days to address mental health

concerns when needed. (2010) (2021)

C-18. Conditions of Work

NEA-New Mexico believes that good working conditions for employees are necessary for a proper

learning environment for the school children of New Mexico. The Association encourages local

education associations, administrators and governing boards to exercise innovation in the

improvement of working conditions through the collective bargaining process.

The Association believes conditions will improve when: (1) school personnel become involved in

the decision-making and evaluation process, (2) school administrators support increased employee

responsibility, and (3) school employees, as members of their local professional association, accept

both employee rights and their responsibilities for establishing conditions that increase their

effectiveness in the classroom. (2010) (2021)

C-24. Protection of Education Employees from Workplace Bullying

NEA-New Mexico believes that education employees should be protected from workplace

bullying. Bullying creates an unhealthy and unprofessional power imbalance between bully and

target. The Association encourages school boards to establish written policies designed to ensure the

elimination of bullying, harassment, and intimidation of students and staff by other students and staff

(including certified, non-certified and administration), parents or guardians, and contractors.

Workplace bullying can include, but is not limited to:

a. Systematic aggressive communication

b. Manipulation of work assignments

c. Repeated, health-harming mistreatment

d. Verbal and/or mental abuse

e. Conduct which is threatening, harassing, humiliating, degrading, intimidating, or sabotaging,

and/or displaying intention to target specific individual(s). (2018) (2021)

C-27. Professional Development

NEA-New Mexico believes educational personnel who attend in-service and training workshops

in their schools and within their systems, as well as out of system, do contribute to the general

improvement of instruction of children.

The Association believes educational personnel should receive compensation and/or credit for

participating in such training sessions as instituted by their employer. Such training sessions should

be held during contract hours. If scheduled outside of contract hours, it shall be both optional

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and compensated at the employee’s daily rate of pay. Full credit should be applied for purposes

of relicensure by the Public Education Department, or salary increments and for training and

experience credit in the state funding formula.

The Association supports cooperation, coordination, and communication with other education

groups and agencies for the purpose of identifying and defining quality programs and promoting

measures for the support of these programs. (2010) (2021)

D-11. Day Care

NEA-New Mexico believes that there is need for quality day care for the children of working parents. The

Association supports the concept of providing quality day care for the children of working parents at an

affordable price, including free or reduced child care for educational employees. (2017) (2021)

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This 136th NEA-NM Delegate Council is dedicated to

WILHELMINA YAZZIE

2021 NEA Human & Civil Rights Award Winner: Wilma Mankiller

Memorial Award Nominated by NEA-New Mexico on December 4, 2020

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