The Steering Committee

Concemed Past Presidents

and Retired Associate Executive Sectetary
of the Alabama Education Committee
424 South Decatut Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

334-262-4448
MEMORANDI]M

To:

Lily EskelsenGarcia, President

National Education Association

From: The SteeringCommittee of

ConcemedPast Presidentsand
Retired Associate Executive Secretary
of the Alabama Education Association
Dorothy Strickland
Tyna Davis
NancY WorleY t
Eunice Horton
Joe L. ReedV/
AnitaRaby
Date: July 2,2015
Re:

AlabamaEducationAssociation"Trusteeship"

This letter comes to expressour deep concernover the current "Takeover" of the Alabama
EducationAssociation(AEA) by the NationalEducationAssociation(NEA) in the nameof Trusteeship.
Pleasereadthis letter in conjunctionwith the NEA Bylaws and be guidedby your own wisdom and
cornmonsense. We are concemedthat it is detrimentalto both AEA andNEA for this Trusteeshipto
continueand,therefore,NEA shouldnot insiston attemptingto run AEA in violationof NEA By-Laws,
8-12,the AEA Constitutionand Policies,andAlabamaand Federallaws. A Trusteeshipof this kind is
We searchedin vain to find anyjustificationfor NEA's placingAEA underTrusteeship,
unprecedented.
but concludedsuchactionwas unwarranted.
Accordingto NEA By-Laws,8-12,"Trusteeshipsover StateAfftliates,"theNEA may establish
for only two purposesas follows: "a. The Association
over an affiliatedstateassociation
a Trusteeship
may establish a trusteeship over an afliliated state associationfor the purpose of (i)
correcting corruptionor financialmalpractice or (ii) restoring democraticprocedures."
Therewas no violation of the AEA "democraticprocedures"andtherewas no evidenceshowing
that the AEA Boardor DelegateAssemblycommitted"financialmalpractice."TheAEA hashada good
relationshipwith NEA for the past four and one-halfdecades.It would be a tragedyindeedfor this
relationshipto deteriorateovera power-grabthathassomedefendersbut no defense.
petitioned
thattheAEA Board,following all procedures,
If we assume,for the sakeof discussion,
power to
has
no
the
AEA
Board
so
because
the NEA to take possessionof the AEA, NEA could not do
is
the Delegate
give AEA away or loan it out to anyone. The supremegoverning body of the AEA
Assembly. Thereis no authoritywhatsoeverfor the AEA Boardof Directorsto transferits authorityto
of the current"Takeover,"thereareno
theNEA or a SpecialTrustee.Underthe factsandcircumstances

groundsfor NEA to occupyAEA.

"It's irrelevanthow you slice it or dice it " therewas no due processin this "Takeover." We
over
encouragethe readersof this letterto also readand analyzeall of NEA By-laws,8-12(Trusteeship
you can readily seethat the Bylaws were not
StateAffiliates). After you have readtheseprocedures,
followed andTrusteeshipwas not wananted.
To this day, we do not know who requestedNEA to come and place AEA under Trusteeship.
The recorddoesnot showthat the AEA Board requestedNEA to comeprior to the day of the vote to put
AEA under Trusteeship.Who invited NEA? Accordingto the AEA President,it was supposedto be a
"partnership"to do an audit of AEA finances.When the audit was submittedto the AEA Board,NEA
shouldhaveleft and madeitself availablefor consultation.However,insteadof leavingAEA whenthe
auditwascompleted,NEA installeda SpecialTrusteefrom out of stateto assumecompleteconholof our
organization. If anyonethinks that an out of state stranger can do a betterjob for the AEA than its
members,electedofficers, constitutionaladminishativeofficers, and the Board of Directors,he or sheis
sadly mistaken. The Trusteehasno authorityto hire, fire, promoteor demote,restructurethe AEA staff
or encroachuponthe powersof the AEA Board or DelegateAssembly. Yet very shortly after the Trustee
arrivedat the AEA he terminateda twenty-yearveteranemployeeby giving him four hoursto resigr or
be fued solelyon "grapevinegossip." ln addition,on numerousoccasions,
the Trusteehasstatedthatthe
ASTA and AEA mergeragreementof August 1969,and approvedby the NEA, is null and void! That
sameattitudekilled the mergersin mostotherstatesthat werc combinedpursuantto NEA Resolution12.
If the NEA representatives
say that AEA invited them in, that is not true. The AEA Board was
told by NEA representatives
the night of a regularboardmeetingthat NEA alreadyhad the authorityto
place AEA under Trusteeship;and if the Board did not vote to requestTrusteeship,NEA would place
AEA underTrusteeship
without a vote. Some,not knowingand othersmisled,the AEA Boardvoted 17
to 14 to carry out the NEA MAI{DATE. After readingthe NEA Bylaws and the circumstancesleading
up to the "Takeover,"it clearly revealshow the AEA becamea pawn of the NEA. Therewas absolutely
no compliancewith the NEA Bylaws, and there was absolutelyno authority for the AEA to request
may
Trusteeship.
NEA's continuedpresencehasnothingto do with the purposesfor which Trusteeship
be imposed.
Don't force us to fight an organizationwe love, respectand support. This is an "internal family
issue,"but the Houseis severelyDivided. We all knowthat a HouseDivided cannot stand. It is going
to takemanyyearsto repairthe damagealreadydone.
Finally,NEA is occupyingour organizationillegally and withoutjustification.NEA shouldcall
the AEA, the strongorganizationwe
the SpecialTrusteehomebecauseif the NEA continuesto trespass,
past
years,
45
will
DEAD!
not
built overthe
be
We do
concedethattheNEA Trusteeship
is legalandwe
to takeour association
back!
aredetermined
pc: AEA OffrcersandBoardof Directors
NEA Offrcers,ExecutiveCommitteeandBoardof Directors
Presidents
andExecutiveDirectorsof AfFrliatedAssociations