Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1511668
ISEA Communiqué • isea.org December 2023/January 2024 3 OPINION Use this momentum to get involved by Mike Beranek, ISEA president, mike.beranek@isea.org Iowa State Education Association stands against those who wish to do harm to our students, the educators who work with them and those who wish to reshape a system designed to meet the needs of all our students. Just look at the recent school board elections across the state and the local unit recertification elections. We must capitalize on this advocacy. Our entire membership must communicate how our schools play a vital role in a healthy democratic society. We must engage with policy makers and remind elected officials a prosperous school system means a prosperous community. Main Street Iowa needs Iowa's public schools. Our success is a collective effort which reaches into every building and into every corner of the state. The entire ISEA will remain the leader in confronting issues that demoralize our educators and damage the public education system. Recently, the ISEA Executive Board approved the creation of a new state committee and a new task force committee. The addition of a Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) committee allows the ISEA to address critical issues faced by many of our students and educators. The new Artificial Intelligence Task Force will have forward-thinking and proactive discussions on topics directly impacting public education. Both new entities will need membership participation. If you are interested in working with likeminded individuals on the SOGI committee talk with your local president to submit your name to the council chair. Anyone who is interested in serving on the Artificial Intelligence Task Force should contact me directly. You can find my email address in my byline at the top of this column. Advocacy does not end with the completion of a ballot. Exercising our fundamental rights goes beyond Election Day. Lifting our voices must be continual, strong, and purposeful. Thank you for what you do every day and thank you for the work you will continue to do on behalf of our students, members, and communities. Together, we can obtain our goals and dreams. These dreams must not just focus on today, but our dreams must be cognizant of the future. This future includes you, me, and the ISEA. The Iowa State Education Association is now accepting nominations for individuals who want to be state delegates to the National Education Association Representative Assembly in Philadelphia, Pa., July 3-7, 2024. Nomination forms are available online by scanning the QR code included on this page. You will need to enter your membership identification number to nominate. Your membership ID is the 10-digit number printed above your name on the mailing label of the ISEA Communique. State delegates may be nominated and elected at-large and/or nominated and elected from within their electoral district. Only one person needs to make a nomination for a name to appear on the ballot. Self-nominations are allowed. Nominations for representation may be submitted as follows: Category 1 members: Teachers and other non- supervisors, which includes NEA Active, Life, and Educational Support members, who are not supervisors, holding ISEA membership. Category 2 members: Others, which include retired NEA Life members and NEA-Retired who are ISEA members; also, supervisors who are NEA Active, Life and/or Educational Support who are ISEA members. Each state delegate who attends the 2024 Representative Assembly will receive up to $2,000 for expenses provided they meet the funding guidelines. Voting for this year's delegates will take place beginning in February. Watch for more details as they become available. NEA RA nominations December 2023/January 2024 – Vol. 61 No. 3 The ISEA Communiqué (ISSN 0019-0624) is published seven times a year (monthly except July & August; plus combined in October/ November, December/January, and April/May) by the Iowa State Education Association, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309, 515-471-8000 or 1-800-445-9358. $3.87 of membership dues is for a year's subscription; for nonmembers, the annual subscription is $10. Periodical postage is paid at Des Moines and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address corrections to ISEA Membership Records, 777 Third St., Des Moines, IA 50309. Advertising: To advertise, contact Kimberly Knight at 515-471-8000 or email kimberly.knight@isea.org. ISEA makes no representations regarding advertised products or services that are not endorsed by ISEA or NEA Member Benefits. Duplicate mailings? To stop duplicate mailings to the same household, contact the membership department at 515-471-8000 or email isea.membership@isea.org. President: Mike Beranek Vice President: Josh Brown Treasurer: Kelly McMahon Senior NEA Director: Rachella Dravis NEA Director: Sara Earleywine Executive Director: Mary Jane Cobb Editor: Mike Wiser Editorial Assistant: Kimberly Knight Visit us on the web at isea.org Cover design by Robin Blake Exercising our fundamental rights goes beyond Election Day. Lifting our voices must be continual, strong, and purposeful.