News Release

Urge Congress: Pass Permanent Classroom Expense Tax Deduction

In 2002, Congress passed legislation giving teachers and paraprofessionals a $250 federal tax deduction for out-of-pocket expenses for instructional materials and classroom supplies. The legislation represented an acknowledgment — for the first time — that teachers and paraprofessionals are spending their own money to equip their classrooms. The deduction expired at the end of 2005, but educators can claim it on their 2005 taxes. Congress is expected to extend the deduction this year.

Representative Dave Camp (R-MI) has introduced the NEA-supported Teacher Tax Relief Act (H.R. 2989), which would make the deduction permanent, increase it to $400, and expand it to cover professional development expenses. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), John Warner (R-VA) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have introduced the Senate version (S. 1621).

 NEA supports this proposal.

Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative: Support the Teacher Tax Relief Act.  

I'm ready to take action:

March 10, 2006

Not Much To Celebrate on Fourth Anniversary of 'No Child Left Behind'

NEA President Reg Weaver Evaluates Bush Administration's Education Policy
WASHINGTON -- National Education Association (NEA) President Reg Weaver issued the following statement on the fourth anniversary of the so-called No Child Left Behind's adoption:

"Four years of President Bush's signature education policy is sufficient to weigh facts, examine data and understand this so-called 'No Child Left Behind' (NCLB) Act through the experiences of millions of education professionals across America. If we distill these into one observation, it is that the anniversary marks four years of winning rhetoric and failing substance. From its inception, NCLB has been overemphasized, under funded and sugarcoated at the expense of public school children.

"New data illustrates our conclusion. It shows that more schools failed to achieve 'adequate yearly progress' (AYP) under NCLB in 2005-06 than ever before. Schools that earned high ranks, honors and distinctions for achievement and improvement under their own states' models of standards and accountability failed under the Administration's federal mandate, which leaves those schools, their students, their parents and instructors discouraged, not empowered. In remarks earlier this week in Maryland, President Bush finally agreed with NEA in declaring that 'one size doesn't fit all.'

"If Congress previously has accepted none of the blame for this policy of artificial inadequacy, it cannot avoid it now. In the final hours before its December recess, Congress adopted cuts of more than $1 billion to NCLB, sentencing even more of America's schools to failure on the fast track in 2005-06. The choice represented the most blatant disregard for the futures of the nation's children to date by our leaders.

"While many members of Congress have praised the so-called No Child Left Behind Act in their stump speeches, they clearly have little regard for it in this budget. When it came time to match money with rhetoric, Congress voted to cut funding in support of NCLB by $1 billion, which brings funding below the level provided THREE years ago.

"NEA has sought to fix and fund the policy, issuing recommendations to aid the Administration in eliminating statutory flaws and establishing legislative funding priorities, all for the sake of America's children for four years now. Our data-driven recommendations remain on the table while public school children across the nation fall farther behind. NEA has joined with 66 other national organizations in calling for 14 specific improvements to the law. We strongly encourage others to look at the facts and tell Congress that our children need more than rhetoric."


Data illustrating state-by-state federal funding losses due to recent budget cuts, AYP failures under NCLB, and the joint statement from the 67 groups may be found at www.nea.org.

Jan. 11, 2006

 Proposed NEA/NY Merger With NYSUT

            April 2005- Merger information from the NEA/NY Website:

In an historic vote, the 2005 NEA/NY Delegate Assembly overwhelmingly approved a motion to move forward with a merger between NEA/NY and the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT). The new organization will be the largest and most powerful state education union in the United States and will be affiliated with the 2.7 million member NEA and the 1.3 million member AFT.

The merger document, entitled Fundamental Beliefs to Create a Single State Union, sets forth in broad strokes the shape of the new organization which, when accomplished in 2006 will represent 97% of all education employees in New York State. The document is the product of an intensive 10-month negotiation between the leaders of the two organizations.

The margin of victory, 78% to 22%, was even larger than anticipated with near unanimous support for merger outside of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, NEA/NY’s largest local and delegate block. The actual vote count was 398 to 111.

The more than 500 delegates who came to Albany from every region of the state to participate in this historic decision made this year’s Delegate Assembly the largest in NEA/NY’s history.

Several things still must occur before the merger is achieved. In July, the NEA Representative Assembly in Los Angeles must approve a bylaw amendment that will create a narrow exception to one of its standards of affiliation in order to allow the merger to go forward. Following that, NEA/NY and NYSUT must work out many details relating to staffing and other issues in order to effect the transition in a way that will be consistent with the general guidelines set by the merger agreement. Finally, a new constitution and bylaws for the single state union must be written and then approved by the respective conventions of each organization in 2006.
 

   The NEA/NY Executive Board feels that a merger with the NYSUT greatly benefits its'    members.  Among the benefits are:

• NYSUT has 450,000 members and NEA/NY has only 35,000.  Clearly, there will be "power in numbers".

• NEA/NY, due to a small membership and escalating costs has had to continuously increase dues.  The merger will ease this financial burden for NEA/NY members.  Eventually, we would benefit from lower NEA/NY dues.

• NYSUT has various program and benefits.  We will be able to avail ourselves of these and other activities that NYSUT members currently enjoy.

   In addition to the unity vote, NEA/NY became the first major statewide organization to endorse the candidacy of NYS Attorney General Elliot Spitzer for Governor in 2006. The nearly unanimous vote followed a rousing address by Spitzer to the convention and reflected the delegate’s recognition of Spitzer’s numerous achievements as Attorney General in fighting for economic justice and the rights of working people.