2008 NEA Convention
Delegate information/Convention details

Congratulations on your election as a delegate to the NEA Convention–especially those of you attending for the first time. Those of us who have had the privilege of attending a convention before know that it is the best way to see the democracy of the NEA in action!

Read the following information, then click here to complete the online registration. You can pay online by credit card or check. If you do not have Internet access, call Karen Sholes at 800-392-0236 to register. All registrations must be complete by May 15. Delegates who adhere to this deadline will have the $50 registration fee waived.

PLEASE NOTE: NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT THE $50 REGISTRATION FEE AFTER MAY 15 UNLESS SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN ADVANCE WITH KAREN SHOLES.

IMPORTANT: Click here to view a delegate roster listing all State, Local and Cluster delegates on file as of April 10. If you see any errors – someone who is not on the list and should be or vice versa – call Beeb at 800-392-0236 IMMEDIATELY.

FIRST DELEGATE CAUCUS
Missouri NEA’s Pre-RA caucus is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, June 14 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Columbia, MO. Directions to the hotel can be found on the hotel’s web site at www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/directions/coucy-courtyard-columbia. We cover a great deal of vital information at this meeting, so please make it a priority to attend. The May issue of NEA Today will have the new business items as well as all proposed bylaw and resolutions changes. Please bring the May issue of NEA Today with you. A lunch will be served following the meeting. The cost for lunch is $15 per person. Refer to the online registration for ordering information. Please indicate if you will attend, even if you are not planning to eat lunch. THE PRE-RA IS THE FIRST CAUCUS. STATE DELEGATES WHO DO NOT ATTEND MAY LOSE PARTIAL FUNDING.

CONVENTION DETAILS
All delegates should be in Washington, D.C. no later than 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1. Our first caucus will be held on July 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the D.C. Convention Center. We don’t have our room assignment yet, but check back to this site for updates. On July 2, we will have a morning caucus (8-10 a.m.) followed by time to register, visit exhibits and attend hearings. This caucus MAY be cancelled, depending upon RA business. Listen for the announcement at the July 1 afternoon caucus. The RA begins on July 3 and ends LATE the afternoon of July 6. Please schedule your departure for July 7 to ensure that we have a full delegation present for the debate on new business.

FIRST-TIME DELEGATES
The first step on your road to success as a delegate is to read this letter carefully and register by the May 15 deadline. If you are a first-time delegate, you are encouraged to attend the new delegate luncheon and orientation session on July 1 at noon at the D.C. Convention Center. Please indicate on the online registration if you plan to attend. If you have any questions about the registration, call Karen Sholes at 800-392-0236. Attending the new delegate orientation and all MNEA caucuses as well as participating on the floor of the RA will help you understand the process better.

All delegates are strongly urged to raise or contribute a minimum of $180 to NEA-PAC while at the convention, but most delegates raise and/or give more. Additional PAC fundraising will continue throughout convention week, so come prepared!

STATE CONTACTS
State affiliates use the “state contact” system each year to keep informed about issues of interest in other state affiliates, what they are doing to seek solutions, etc. Delegates who are assigned as state contacts act as the communication link between states. For example, Oregon will appoint a delegate to be the contact for Missouri and Missouri will appoint a delegate to be the contact for Oregon. These two individuals will exchange information about their state and report back to their own state delegation. The job allows individuals to work with others at the convention. Most delegates really enjoy this role. If you are interested in being a state contact, complete the appropriate section in the online registration. Requests are honored in the order they are received, so complete your registration soon!

The convention committee will provide a gift for delegates to give to their contact person. Missouri state contacts are welcome to personalize the gift with additional items.

HOTEL INFORMATION
Missouri delegates will be housed in the Hampton Inn Convention Center located at 901 6th St., NW, Washington, DC. The phone number is 202-842-2500. Do not contact the hotel directly to make your reservation. Reservations must be made through MNEA in order to receive the convention rate and to help insure that MNEA is in compliance with NEA regulations. Violations of housing policy guidelines can result in severe housing selection penalties for future conventions.

The Hampton Inn is located two blocks from the convention center. Each room features complimentary high-speed Internet access, a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, in-room safe, hairdryer, weekday newspaper, and an iron with full-size board. Guests may enjoy a fitness center and indoor pool. Parking is available at the hotel at the rate of $22 per day.

ROOM RESERVATIONS
Room rates this year (including tax) are $182.05 single and $193.51 double occupancy. Complete the online registration to reserve your room. Each room reservation must be guaranteed by credit card. (Your credit card will not be charged until you check out at the end of your stay.) You may choose your roommate from a list in the registration system or by typing in the name of your desired roommate. If you need a roommate but don’t want to choose one from the list, please indicate this on your registration. Karen will do her best to match you with another delegate, but there is no guarantee that you get paired which may leave you to pay for a single room.

TRANSPORTATION
NEA’s Web site contains information and discount codes for several airlines. Go to http://www.nea.org/annualmeeting/08travel.html for more information.

The Missouri delegation hotel is a walking hotel. This means that NEA will not be providing a shuttle to transport delegates between the hotel and the convention center. The hotel is only two blocks from the convention center, but if you feel you are unable to walk that distance twice daily, please contact Karen Sholes so she can help you arrange transportation.

If you would like to purchase a Metro fare pass, you can do so by visiting www.wmata.com. The Washington Metro is a clean, safe, subway system that gets you almost anywhere you would like to visit in D.C.. A seven-day pass is $39. I would encourage you to order your fare pass in advance rather than buying your fare ticket from the vending machines in the Metro stops, since those can be busy and crowded during the day, especially while a large convention (like NEA) is in town.

Car rental discounts are available through the MNEA members-only Web site.

DELEGATE HANDOUTS, PINS, ETC.
Caucus/convention materials, state contact material and delegate handbooks will be available for pickup at the June 14 caucus in Columbia. If you are unable to attend, please ask another delegate to get your materials or you will have to wait until you are in D.C. to get the information! Unclaimed materials, state contact bag items, pins, etc. will be available in D.C. at the first caucus.

Convention pins will be available for sale (design shown right). The cost is $3 per pin. Complete the appropriate portion of the online registration to order your pins in advance. (You may also purchase them at the pre-RA or after we arrive in D.C.) These make great gifts for collectors, friends or family. Some delegates buy extras to trade with delegates from other states.

There will be no “official” convention t-shirt this year. Instead, the Convention Committee has decided to make available an American-made black zip-up sweatshirt with the MNEA logo embroidered on the left chest. The cost for a sweatshirt is $30. Karen will be ordering the shirts based on pre-orders, so complete the appropriate portion of the online registration to order your shirt in advance. In addition, a patch has been designed for the 2008 NEA Convention, with the same design as the pin. The patch will have an iron-on backing to attach it to the sweatshirt. You can order your 2008 patch through the online registration. The cost for the patch is $2 each. We plan to continue the patches from this point forward, so delegates can add to their sweatshirt to show what years they have attended the NEA Convention. The sweatshirts and the patches will be available for pick-up at the pre-RA in June.

You may also purchase a “Convention Survival Kit” from the Convention Committee. The Kit includes snacks and other vital items that you may need on the floor of the RA. Please complete the appropriate portion of the online registration to order a Survival Kit. Each order is $6. Survival kits will be available for pick-up and for sale at the pre-RA June 14.

AISLE SEATS
Aisle seats will be sold in a blind silent auction at the first caucus in D.C. All proceeds from the auction will go to PAC and will count toward the winning bidders’ PAC donations.

MISSOURI NIGHT
This year’s Missouri night will be a memorable experience! We will be boarding the Spirit of Washington at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy a dinner cruise on the Potomac. Not only will you sit down to a sumptuous buffet dinner while viewing the panoramic view of the nation’s capitol, but you will also be able to dance the night away on your choice of three dance floors. The cost for the evening is $70, but thanks to California Casualty/A+ Auto and Home Insurance, we are able to reduce the cost for delegates to $60 each. If you’d like to attend, please complete the appropriate section of the online registration. (For evening cruises, appropriate attire is business casual to dressy. Men traditionally wear slacks and sport coats, with or without ties. Women wear dresses or nice pants. Please do not wear T-shirts, jeans, shorts or sneakers at this event.)

CAUCUS BREAKFAST
The Hampton Inn offers two free breakfast options to guests. Hotel guests can choose a hot breakfast each morning or an “On-the-Run” brown-bag breakfast if there’s no time to sit down.

HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS DINNER
The annual Human & Civil Rights Awards Dinner will be on July 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the D.C. Convention Center. Missouri NEA has purchased several tables so our delegates can sit together. Order early, because tickets go fast. Once we sell out the tables we purchased, there may not be additional tickets available. If you want to attend, complete the appropriate portion of the online registration. Tickets are $65 each this year. Dress for this event is formal, but not black tie. Tickets are not mailed! Our tickets will be picked up in one group and distributed to delegates before the event.

NEA GLBTC DINNER
The NEA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus will host the NEA GLBTC Dinner on July 5 at the Renaissance Marriott. The event will begin with a no-host cocktail reception at 6:30, with dinner served at 7:30. Tickets are $65 each. Dancing will follow the dinner from approximately 10:00 p.m. to midnight. If you wish to attend the GLBTC dinner, please indicate your entrée preference on the online registration. MNEA has reserved two tables, for a total of 20 tickets. Once those tickets are sold out, we may not be able to order additional tickets, so make your reservation early!

DELEGATE DIRECTORY
Keri Martensen, our Convention Committee chair, will be creating the delegate directory this year. Please send a photo to Karen either by e-mail or regular mail. If you are unable to forward a photo, we will be taking photos of delegates at the pre-RA in June. The other information to be included in the directory is included on the online registration.

EMERGENCY FORMS
NEA is no longer using paper forms. All emergency contact and medical information should be entered on-line at the following web address: https://hems.nea.org/emergencyinfo/updateinfo.cfm. If there are no changes since last year, you still need to re-submit your data again, to let NEA know that you are attending and your information is still valid. If you have any problems or questions, please contact Karen.

PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED DELEGATES
If you are physically challenged and a delegate to the Convention, register online for services at www.nea.org/annualmeeting/08challenged.html. NEA is doing all registrations online this year and has some very specific guidelines regarding transportation and other services for physically challenged delegates.

JOINT CONFERENCE ON WOMEN & MINORITIES
The Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women will be held at the Hilton Washington Hotel, in Washington D.C., on June 28 and 29, 2008, prior to the NEA Representative Assembly (RA). Participation in the Joint Conference is limited to 800 pre-registered members who are delegates to the 2008 RA and 100 pre-registered members who are non-delegates. Delegate status will be verified. As in previous years, there will be no on-site registration.

The early registration fee for both delegates and non-delegates is $110.00 if postmarked by May 5, 2008. Registration after May 5, 2008 will be $135.00. RA delegates attending the Joint Conference will receive a two-night stay (double occupancy) at the Hilton Washington Hotel for the nights of June 27 and 28. Non-delegate members must pay for their own room, and payment must be received with the registration form. No one will be able to call the hotel directly to make reservations - ALL reservations must be made through NEA Human and Civil Rights. If you are interested in attending the Joint Conference, contact Karen or Beeb.

CHILD CARE AND FAMILY SERVICES CENTER
If you are interested in childcare during the RA, please contact Karen Sholes for information. The forms were not available from NEA as of the date of mailing, but should be available soon.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE ONLINE REGISTRATION. IF AT ANY TIME YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS WITH THE REGISTRATION, CALL KAREN AT 800-392-0236. REMEMBER, THE DEADLINE FOR FREE REGISTRATION IS MAY 15.

Coordinating an event of this size takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Your assistance is very important for this process. You must complete registration in a timely manner to insure everything you need is arranged for you. I realize how busy you are at this time of the year, but please take the time to fill out the forms and return them before the deadline. The success of your trip to the convention depends, in part, on Karen having complete and timely information.