Last Post

I set this blog up as a campaign information piece and didn't really post as much here as I had hoped. The election is over, and congratulations go out to Charles, Brent and Lisa for winning election to our great association's leadership team.

The election loss was easy to process compared to the news - while driving home - that my great friend and mentor, Gerald Bonham, had passed away. Gerald founded our local in 1973. He taught me virtually everything I needed to know about being a local leader, and he did it by example. I will miss him so much. He was going to be my first call upon arriving home.

I've met some amazing people in MNEA over the years, and I am so thankful to have at least had the chance to travel about and campaign as best I could on a very limited budget. Truth is, the focus for me has always been on the local and individual member level, and I was unable to persuade enough delegates that the skills I have developed during seven years leading our local in Springfield would translate into strong leadership at the state level.

So, it's back to work . . . two member meetings this morning, one hotline investigation and a teacher bargaining session in the afternoon. This is the work we do, and it feels good to be back in the saddle after a long, sleep-deprived weekend at the RA.

I'd like to thank some truly amazing friends and colleagues who came together to support my one-and-only campaign for state office. It was an unforgettable experience. I learned a lot about our state association, its culture, and how we choose our leaders . . . and I take with it some friendships that will last forever.

Once again, good luck to Charles, Brent and Lisa . . . as they join Phil as executive leaders of our association. May they work well together and stay focused during the challenging battles ahead.

Ray

Time Well Spent

It's been over a month since I posted anything here, but I've enjoyed doing a little traveling across the state meeting some folks and attending various legislative functions and meetings. Here in Springfield, we're in the middle of negotiating three separate contracts for 1,800 teachers, 55 school nurses and over 200 clerical staff, respectively. This is a daunting task to say the least.

Be Careful What You Wish For

"Be careful what you wish for." I distinctly remember our district's former CFO cautioning me after a particularly contentious school board meeting back in 2008. In some respects, she was right. Achieving bargaining rights and winning three representation elections was at once a grueling and energizing process. Our local membership had never been more engaged. But we always knew that any election successes would be soon forgotten if we weren't able to negotiate tangible, positive changes in the working/learning environment for the folks we sought to represent.

That's what we're doing now, and it takes every bit as much focus and determination as any election campaign. One huge change here in Springfield has been how our district now approaches the bargaining process. Of course, the initial reaction was, "No Thanks, we're representing you just fine," and other, even more patronizing quotes during board debate.

How Administrators View Collective Bargaining

After three years of negotiations for multiple bargaining units, the district now fully embraces the process. The school board openly talks about collective bargaining from the dais, and the Human Resources Department now provides a power point to new hires that describes representation and the process of bargaining. A couple of months ago, the Columbia district sent a contingent of administrators down to Springfield to confer with our HR director and school attorney about the bargaining process. CMNEA had just won the rep election, and the admins wanted some guidelines on setting up parameters for bargaining. The district invited me to attend the session, and it was gratifying to hear our HR director describe how positive the process had become, how they had learned more about employee working conditions and developed a good working relationship with Springfield NEA.

Man, I didn't think we'd ever hear language like that. And I'm here to tell you that it took a great deal of work and straight communication to get to that point in time - on our part and on the part of the district. Now, the real work has begun. It doesn't get any easier, but it sure is gratifying when a particular proposal is adopted into the contract - positive changes that the teachers/nurses/secretaries know came directly from them.

Time Well Spent

So, that's where a bunch of our energy is focused right now. Our bargaining teams meet as often as possible after work. We put together proposals and counter-proposal, go over language incessantly, come up with new language, and try to reach tentative agreements that our hard working education professionals will recognize as a step forward. I can tell you it's time well spent - and that's a good description of how we feel at the end of the process . . . spent.

The campaign for MNEA president has seemed a bit like a break from work in some respects. But I do know that - just as with the collective bargaining process - the real work begins after the election . . . and there are some major issues facing teachers and education professionals in our state and nation that will require great focus and hard work.

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody at the RA. Please come by our hospitality rooms (we've expanded) that are jointly sponsored by six candidates. Even in our respective campaigns, we've shown a great deal of collaboration and cooperation, which bodes well for the leadership of our association.

Candidate Statement

Here's the official MNEA Candidate Statement that is required of all candidates for MNEA offices and will appear on website, Something Better, etc. . . . and if you're interested in something beyond the 250-word limit, there are some additional comments that follow. - Ray
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I’m Ray Smith, candidate for Missouri NEA President. My flyers and mailers list all the committees, boards, RAs, coalitions, campaigns and other events. In this short statement, I’d like to describe one specific experience that, I believe, relates to the tough work ahead for our association and its leadership.

For seven years, I have been on leave from my middle school teaching and coaching duties while serving two terms as president of the 900-member Springfield local. During my second year, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that teachers were entitled to the same representation rights as other employees. Almost immediately, our local leadership – in collaboration with MNEA and NEA staff - turned our attention toward an unlikely goal in our neck-of-the-woods. We sought to achieve the empowerment of teachers and education professionals through the collective bargaining process.

After three years of continuous effort – a period that was characterized by intensive discussions with local leaders, district officials, lawyers, school board members, state staff, some intense campaigning, media events, even a lawsuit against our district . . .  we finally achieved three decisive election wins. And through it all, local service to individual members was uninterrupted.

The next Missouri NEA president will lead an association that comes with a complex set of challenges that are perhaps unprecedented over the past 40 years.  I do not seek this office as a career destination. I see it as a continuation of the work that we must do . . . together.

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Beyond 250 words . . .

When I was teaching 7th grade Math, Pre-Algebra and coaching middle school football at Hickory Hills Middle School, I had absolutely no thoughts of becoming the local president. I enjoyed the flow of events and interactions with my whacky 7th graders. They thought I was a little whacky, too, so we were able to achieve some kind of mutual middle school respect and balance. Though I came to public school teaching as a second career after many years in the public sector working in the library system, I knew that teaching was a perfect fit.

I joined the local on the first day of teacher orientation, took a pass on the district's "Step Up" professional development program for new teachers, and came to rely on an amazing group of colleagues - almost all were NEA members - for advice and counsel. Years later, many of these same colleagues, who I had come to admire and respect so much, were advising me to run for local president. They knew that I was a political junky, kept up on education issues and had become active as a building representative. I eventually followed their advice and began riding a rather steep learning curve that has continued to this day. Similarly, colleagues that I have come to know and respect in Missouri NEA have urged me to consider running for this leadership position - and their support has been no small factor in my decision to enter this campaign for MNEA President.

Timing was a big factor in my personal decision to run for MNEA President. Both of my daughters, who are ten years apart in age, attended excellent public schools. In fact, this year is the first in the last twenty-four years that I haven't had at least one child in the public school system. Many of the teachers I now represent as local president were teachers of my own children. I've attended dozens of teacher/parent conferences from both sides of the table. With my children now living more independently, this is an optimum time for me to apply for a job that will require relocation and a great deal of travel.

That's probably enough for this posting. My intention is to send out more posts as we get closer to the Spring RA. Thanks for reading!

Ray

p.s. I'm trying to do some traveling in the coming weeks. If you are inclined to support my campaign's travel expenses, please send any small contributions to:

Ray4MNEA
Committee to Elect Ray Smith
2649 E. Lombard
Springfield, MO 65802

email: rsmith0451@msn.com
phone: 417-848-5213