User:Jtaylorjohnson/KEA

Kentucky Education Association

The Kentucky Education Association (KEA) was founded in 1857 as an advocacy and lobbying group for "improved education funding, safe schools, better materials, smaller class sizes, and the empowerment of school employees and parents" in Kentucky's education system. The organization allows all school employees to voluntarily join its membership. KEA has satellites in every school district of Kentucky and is an affiliate of the National Education Association. KEA is the largest professional group in the state.

Mission and Vision Statements
KEA's mission statement: "Kentucky Education Association is the preeminent voice for quality public education" KEA's vision statement: "We unite, organize, and empower members to advocate for themselves and to ensure a quality public education for every Kentucky student."

Organization
KEA is divided into 13 separate districts. These districts are governed by an elected board of directors. The organization also elects members to their policy making arm, the Delegate Assembly, which is held each year. KEA also elects members to the National Education Association's representative delegation.

KEA runs 15 offices throughout kentucky and employs over 55 staff members, who are overseen by an Executive Director. KEA's president and vice president are allowed to work full-time for KEA rather than their normal classroom positions.

Political Influence
KEA's political unit is called "Kentucky Educators’ Political Action Committee" (KEPAC) and acts to support politicians who support education. KEPAC has a long history of campaign contributions to politicians in Kentucky. They have also been an FEC registered federal Political Action Committee during the 2000 and and 2008 election cycles. In the 2008 election, KEA spent over $27,000 to send direct mail to influence its members to vote for U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford.

The KEA has an influence on the upcoming 2011 Kentucky gubernatorial election. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is running for reelection and he and his fellow Democrats have historically relied on the support of the KEA. Education has become an important issue in the race as budget cuts loom. Both Beshear and his opponents are struggling to both please KEA and deal with the budget crises.

Throughout 2011, KEA has been an active force in pressuring Kentucky lawmakers to back off on cuts the education budget as Kentucky tries to contain their budget crises. The bill passed, however, on March 2nd. Earlier in 2011 KEA announced opposition to Senate Bill 12, which would give authority for the school superintended to hire principals rather than the school's council. They backed off the issue, however, to focus on the cuts to education.

In 2008 KEA/KEPAC was ranked as the number three political action committees in Kentucky, having spent $286,014 in the state. In 2010, the organization spent $435,291.18 on state political activities and ended the year with $451,575.66 in left its fund.

Historical
KEA has had at similar influence on Kentucky politics for decades past, including some of the following examples. The group organized a widespread teacher's strike in the state in 1970 to demand a pay raise. In 1985 they successfully lobbied for an education bill to pass.

In 1911, KEA elected its first female president, Cora Wilson Stewart.

In 1913, KEA was citicized for not fully supporting the women's sufferage movement in Kentucky. The Lexington Leader claimed it was because it would mean equal rights and therefore higher pay to female teachers, but KEA refuted that conjecture.

In 1955, KEA successfully lobbied both gubernatorial candidates to pledge an increase of $20 million to public schools in Kentucky.

In 1968, KEA realized a big victory in the state by helping to push through an increase to the state's sales tax (to 5%) to provide additional funding for the education system.

Throughout the entirety of the 1970s, KEA tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to pass a teacher's right to negotiation (unionization) bill through the legislature. This fight resulted in numerous work stoppages.

In 1987, KEA backed a Republican governor (John Harper) for the first time in their 13 year history of gubernatorial endorsement.

Current Leadership

 * President: Sharron K. Oxendine
 * Vice President: Tom Denton
 * Executive Director: Mary Ann Blankenship