It’s official: Becky Pringle will serve as the NEA’s secretary-treasurer for the next year, filling out the remainder of Lily Eskelsen’s term when Eskelsen becomes vice president.
Pringle, a former member of the NEA executive committee from Pennsylvania, beat out contender Marsha Smith, a member of the NEA executive committee from Maryland, with more than 80 percent of the vote. Among other things, Pringle now gets to do the fun job of preparing the union’s financial report each year.
The RA adjourned early for the Fourth of July, and officials postponed announcement on the outcome of a vote on admitting private school workers to the NEA.
Nearly 80 percent of the members also voted today to elect Barack Obama as president. Obama will address the RA tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. in a live satellite feed from Montana. The union has had some integral differences with the presidential candidate in the past. He spoke last year in favor of performance pay, which is anathema to the union, and has voiced some positive thoughts on charter schools. The question is, will he change his tune now that the 3.2 million- member union is throwing its might behind him?
We are not holding our breaths.