PSEA works best when all members are active in the Association. With that goal in mind, PSEA’s Board of Directors approved a plan at its December meeting that outlines ideas for how to encourage more minority members to actively participate.
The plan has four main objectives:
- Seek to engage minority members by encouraging involvement in local, PSEA, and NEA activities;
- Show statewide commitment to racial and social justice in education;
- Use communications materials to show commitment to diversity; and
- Encourage members to self-identify minority designation.
This plan is required by NEA Bylaw 3.1g, which was adopted by the NEA Representative Assembly shortly after NEA’s merger with the American Teacher Association in 1966. A major goal is to encourage states to send delegates to the RA who reflect the percentage of minorities in the general population of each state.
Other important components of the programs are PSEA’s Minority Leadership Conference and Summer Leadership Conference.
Minority members are eligible for scholarships to attend the Summer Leadership Conference and the NEA- RA.
The 3.1g plan is updated every year. PSEA Treasurer Jeff Ney worked with a task force of members to draft the plan, and the Minority Affairs Committee worked all year to help implement it. For information on NEA’s and PSEA’s diversity outreach efforts and conferences, and to update your minority status, visit www.psea.org/minorityinvolvement.
