March 13, 1997
Dear Terry,
Thank you for your letter of March 5 regarding your concerns, and
thoseof the WEAC Board of Directors. ... They are greatly appreciated.
...
I had several reasons for giving the Press Club speech. One reason,
ofcourse was to serve notice to the country and our members, in a
dramaticway, that NEA is heading in a new, more assertive, direction
regarding thenational debate on professional issues and education
reform. Judging fromthe reaction so far from around the country, that
goal is being accomplished.
I believe, as do most friends of NEA, that NEA simply cannot afford
tocontinue standing along the sidelines of the education reform debate,
becausethe forces arrayed against NEA are most often the same forces
that are arrayedagainst the very idea of public education in America.
NEA has a strong,credible, and well-deserved reputation as a union
and a political force.We worked hard to achieve our union and political
reputation, and it hasserved us well to now.
However, according to polls, critics, friends, the media, as well
asour own members, NEA does not possess anything approaching a strong
andcredible voice in the education reform debate. That reality for
NEA is notonly alarming, but also dangerous for public education.
Without a strong,credible voice in this arena, NEA cannot continue
to protect public education;if we cannot protect public education,
we cannot protect our members andtheir jobs. Of equal significance
for this country: without a strong, vibrant,improved public education
system, millions of children will be shortchangedin their effort to
be productive citizens. ...
It is very important for you and your Board to note, Terry, that
in allthose speeches and discussions [that I gave when running for
NEA President],I always, without exception, pointed out that NEA must
never abandon itsprinciples of unionism, collective bargaining, due
process, and advocacyfor our members. Since being elected NEA President,
I have continued tospeak clearly about the belief. ... My commitment
to new unionism in noway abandons my commitment to unionism. ...
As far as your admonition that I am moving the current balance between"member
advocacy" and "professional" issues dramaticallytoward
professionalism, you are absolutely correct. I believe that NEA mustfocus
much more attention to the professional side of our organizationalequation,
while maintaining our strong commitment to the advocacy side.I believe
that is necessary because for the last twenty-five years or so,we
have allowed our union role to dominate at the expense of our professional,educational
role. This professional atrophy has created many problems forour members
who struggle every day with non-traditional union issues, andare desperately
looking to NEA for new directions, new leadership and guidance....
... I know these are difficult issues, but it will do none of us
anygood to avoid the harsh reality of the current educational climate.
Thepublic is rapidly losing confidence in America's public schools,
and asconfidence fades, privatization, in one form or another, appears
more andmore viable to the public. ...
Of tremendous consequence is the equally sobering fact that NEA is
notviewed by virtually anyone in the education, political, social
environmentas a creative, positive, and influential leader in making
America's publicschools better. Quite the contrary, NEA is increasingly
viewed as an obdurateand powerful protector of the status quo, which
translates to the averagecitizen as the protector of bad public education.
Even worse than beingseen as irrelevant, we are seen as part of the
problem. All the wishingin the world and all the organizational chest
pounding we can muster willnot change that fact.
If we are to protect our members' jobs, I believe it is folly to
continuedemanding that NEA think and function the same way as in the
past, whilethe education industry itself is verging on collapse. That's
what the steelunions did, and when the steel industry died, so did
the jobs of hundredsof thousands of steel workers. If we in education
are so charmed to thepast that we can only do things the same way
as always, public educationas we have known it will soon become extinct,
so will members' jobs, sowill the ability of kids to get an education
regardless of economic andsocial status.
I believe that if we are to advocate effectively for our members
in thecontemporary and future environments, NEA and its state affiliates
mustbe powerful and credible. I want NEA to be both, but we will soon
be neitherif we continue to think and behave only as we have for the
past quartercentury. NEA can do better than simply defend the status
quo. We cannotstand pat, because the stakes for children, members,
and the country aremuch too high.
Sincerely,
Bob Chase
President, NEA
Bob
Chase Defends His Views