{"id":574278,"date":"2021-07-08T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=574278"},"modified":"2021-07-09T13:38:09","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T17:38:09","slug":"analysis-police-in-schools-critical-race-theory-and-a-plummeting-delegate-head-count-at-neas-2021-virtual-assembly","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/analysis-police-in-schools-critical-race-theory-and-a-plummeting-delegate-head-count-at-neas-2021-virtual-assembly\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Police in Schools, Critical Race Theory and a Plummeting Delegate Head Count at NEA\u2019s 2021 Virtual Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Antonucci\u2019s Union Report appears most Wednesdays; see <\/em>the full archive<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

F<\/span>or the second consecutive year, the National Education Association was compelled to organize a virtual representative assembly in lieu of the mammoth in-person convention it customarily holds. Last year\u2019s agenda was extremely limited<\/a>. Delegates could only listen to speeches and presentations online, and then vote by mail on union officers and the budget.<\/p>\n

This year, improved technology enabled NEA to schedule a full slate of business. Delegates were able to wait in a phone queue to debate or ask questions, and an online system allowed instantaneous up-or-down voting on all measures. Pursuant to federal law, voting for officers cannot be conducted online, and so delegates will choose union officers by mail during the summer.<\/p>\n

Certainly there were difficulties in trying to manage such a large crowd online, but the proceedings were no more confused than is the norm at the union’s annual in-person events, and overall, the technology seemed to work satisfactorily.<\/p>\n

Other problems, technology couldn\u2019t fix.<\/p>\n

Delegate attendance at NEA conventions has been falling for years, from a high of almost 10,000 at the 1998 assembly to the low 6,000s more recently. Without the need for travel, out-of-pocket expenses or even a brief absence from home over Independence Day weekend, the time was ripe for attendance to improve. The numbers looked good initially, as 6,702 delegates signed up.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>\n

But when opening day arrived, only 5,591 logged on. Even this number was inflated when it came to debating and voting. Most votes totaled in the 4,000 to 4,500 range<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At least publicly, NEA chose to ignore the relative lack of interest.<\/p>\n