Teachers Saving Children® Inc. - National
Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 3
February 1995
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Instant coffee, microwaves, ATM's, fax machines - a fast-paced instant society. Instant results - instant success. But do good results and success actually come instantaneously?
The Ohio Chapter of Teachers Saving Children® has been incorporated since April 1991. Some have questioned whether or not progress is being made. Often, one needs to be on the battlefront to see the actual ground being won. Rome wasn't built in one day and neither will the battle over the abortion issue with the NEA be won quickly.
Ground is being taken. More grassroots teachers are taking a stand. NEA members are writing letters to national and state leaders expressing their opposition to NEA's pro-abortion position. TSC is networking with a variety of pro-life organizations. And our voice is being heard.
At the spring RA in 1991 and 1992, New Business items were brought before the Ohio Education Association delegates. Each time these items were "objected to consideration" before a motion could even be made. At the 1993 and 1994 spring RA's, OEA Resolution I-3 was held and motions were made to delete paragraph 2. Both times there was good debate over the issue and increased numbers of delegates were beginning to vote for the deletion of this paragraph.
At the 1994 Fall OEA RA, delegates were able to secure enough signatures to place an OEA Constitution and Bylaws Amendment on the ballot for spring. This amendment would restrict the spending of dues dollars on divisive issues, specifically abortion, among members.
On the national scene, the TSC Board of Trustees feels that it is important for the legal work to be completed before moving on to specific areas of strategy. As of this date, TSC-National is officially incorporated in the State of Ohio. TSC-National has received its SS4 number, the IRS Employer Identification Number. The TSC-National Constitution & Bylaws were approved at the February Board of Trustees meeting. The next legal item will be to file for recognition as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Once completed, then specific decisions will be made regarding what TSC will be doing on a national basis.
TSC plans to take advantage of all opportunities which will expedite our purpose while proceeding in an ethical manner. Progress and success take time. Thank you so much for your patience and your support during the "infancy" of this organization.
1. Election of Officers of the Board for the 1995-96 fiscal year were held. Connie Bancroft will serve as the Executive Director; Gary Winney will serve as the Assistant Executive Director; Carolyn Croll will serve as the Secretary.
2. The Board made a decision NOT to have a peaceful demonstration in 1995. This item will be re-evaluated each year.
3. The Board discussed various strategies which would fulfill the purpose of TSC.
1. The Board approved the Constitution & Bylaws.
2. Elections of Officers of the Board for the 1995-96 fiscal year were held. Connie Bancroft will serve as the Executive Director; Gary Winney will serve as the Assistant Executive Director; Carolyn Croll will serve as Secretary.
3. A Resolution was approved for the establishment of state chapter/affiliates.
4. The 1994-95 budget was adjusted.
We continue to work with other pro-life organizations in a variety of ways. We would like to be able to include our literature at Right to Life county and state fair booths again this summer. If you have contacts with local Right to Life Chapters or other pro-life organizations and want to help out in this way, please contact TSC for more details.
Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions as to how we can inform people about our organization, please let us know. The Board of Trustees is always open to new ideas and suggestions regarding any aspect of TSC.
NOTE: The following Resolution was approved by both the Ohio Chapter and the National TSC Board of Trustees.
"Members of Teachers Saving Children® are encouraged to promote the purpose of TSC in their communities. However, to protect the integrity of the organization, the Board of Trustees requires members to obtain prior authorization from the Executive Director before speaking in behalf of or otherwise representing Teachers Saving Children® Inc."
NEA Resolution I-13 states: "The National Education Association supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom..."
When the annual NEA-PAC contribution form arrived, I almost threw it out as a matter of habit. After all, NEA had not been representing my views on abortion since the 1980s. I had, also, become disgusted with the fact that my professional organization was taking stands on issues outside the realm of education, areas where, I believed, the NEA had no business treading. As I looked at that PAC form daily for about a week, more and more it became a symbol of abortion advocacy and far-left stands on non-education issues. I wondered what I, one person, could possibly do that could influence an organization that was so immense. Then it all started to come together...
I decided to send my PAC form in, address filled out, with a "stick-em" note attached that expressed my opposition to the NEA's view on abortion. Soon I told my colleagues about the PAC form idea. Support was overwhelming.
Then came the final, most effective step in the PAC plea. The NEA-PAC was asking for contributions, but, as far as I was concerned, it was no longer representing the trust in God our forefathers had stamped on the coins being contributed. A simple penny would be the ideal symbol for the PAC plea, also, because it meant "poor service" when given as a tip in the business world. Pro-life teachers could send in penny contributions to NEA-PAC to make sure their protest forms would be processed!
At our school, in one week's time, protest PAC forms more than doubled the average number of PAC contributions. Please consider joining our efforts as you receive PAC forms requesting contributions. Together our plea for NEA's silence of abortion, a non-education issue, will be heard!
Editor's Note: The above is condensed from an April '94 TSC-OH article being repeated by request.
Every employee of a Local school district should have a copy of the Master Contract (Master Agreement) between the Association and the Board of Education. This contract (or agreement) covers all employees whether or not they are members of the Association. Every member of the Association should have a copy of the Local Association's Constitution & Bylaws. This is the governing document of the Association. Also read your NEA Today, and any State, District, and/or Local Newsletter.
One way to make your voice heard when decisions are made is to serve in an elected or appointed position. Most local positions are elected in the spring. If you do not wish to serve in an elected or appointed position, you can still express your opinion. Just contact your local president.
The NEA Now is a monthly publication for your local association leadership that often has information which all NEA members should read. Please check with one of your local officers or your building representative. Request that this publication be posted in your teachers' lounge. Take a few minutes to read this publication to find out more specifically what the NEA is doing with your dues money.
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