leading the way for 150 years

Leading the Way for 150 Years

1857 NEA founded in Philadelphia as National Teachers Association.

1861 Kansas becomes 34th state.

Early SchoolsKansas constitution

recognizes state responsibility for a uniform system of schools.

Schools established by county superintendentswithin “walking distance” of students.

Kansas State Teachers Association

Founded 1863, just a few weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Founded by education leaders to support public schools.

KSTA Founders

Isaac Goodnow, one of the founders of Bluemont College now known as Kansas State University.

KSTA Founders

Peter McVicar, President of Washburn Universityfor 25 years.

KSTA Founders

H.D. McCarty, Leavenworth County Superintendent of Schools and a staunch proponent of teaching black children to read.

State SuperintendentsIsaac Goodnow, H.D. McCarty, and

Peter McVicar each served as Kansas State Superintendent of Public Instruction. They were true giants of Kansas education.

The TeachersIn the 1860’s, teachers

prove their qualifications by writing their names, reading a paragraph from a newspaper, and answering an oral question or two.

The Students

1874: Students ages 8 – 14 required to attend school during the 3 to 4 month school year.

The FundingMoney from the sale of school lands

(sections 16 and 36 of most townships) and from the estates of persons dying without heirs established a school fund to support common schools.

There was also a 1-mill statewide property tax for schools.

1879 Loss of FundingLegislative battles between Western

and Eastern interests result in loss of statewide property tax for schools.

Funding for all schools not restored until the middle of the 20th century.

What happened to the money?

1879 Loss of FundingLegislature continues to collect the

taxes and the money is used to build the west wing of the Capitol.

The Courts

1896: in Plessy vs. Ferguson the Supreme Court rules that “separate but equal” schools are allowed.

The School Districts

9,284 Kansas school districts because each one-room school was a separate district.

1896

The NEA1903

NEA initiates a nationwide program to enhance the economic conditions of teachers, including tenure and pensions.

NEA is 50 years old with 5,044 members.

High School Funding

County officials given the authority to levy local property taxes to establish rural high schools.

1905

NEA Advocacy

NEA votes to support the fight for Women’s Suffrage

1912

The Association

KSTA becomes third state Association in the nation to establish a state headquarters with a full time Executive Secretary.

1914

State Department of Education

State Department of Education established to improve schools.

1915

State Department of Education

Legislature allows county superintendents to hold institutes (in-service) of one to four weeks; teachers required to attend are critical of institute quality.

1915

The State of Kansas

Kansas State Reading Circle (a KSTA subsidiary) authorized by the legislature; law required schools to expend “not less than $5 per teacher to purchase books for library.”

1926

Kansas State Reading Circle

Initially KSTA members read and recommended books.

For over 50 years KSTA also sold the books.

Kansas State Reading Circle

Kansas State Reading Circle

Today’s KNEA Reading Circle members make recommendations to schools and libraries.

Growing Teacher Participation in KSTA Leadership

New KSTA constitution requires one-third of board members to be classroom teachers.

1936

The State of Kansas

Legislature passes state aid for all elementary schools following intensive lobbying by KSTA.

1937

NEA AdvocacyKate Frank

Muskogee, OK, teacher and

member activist

Leader in attempting to unseat BOE members in 1942.

Fired 1942; reinstated with NEA’s support, 1945.

NEA AdvocacyFollowing Kate Frank’s dismissal, NEA President Donald DuShane created a committee to investigate violations and support member rights.

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$10,000 was set aside for legal defense.

The $10,000 Defense

$10,000 in 1942 equals $143,433 in 2013.

$948.39 was left after Kate Frank’s reinstatement to start NEA’s DuShane Fund for Teacher Rights.

The Kansas Connection

NEA’s Kate Frank/DuShane Fund underwrites KNEA’s legal assistance to members and local associations to this day.

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Leading the Profession

KSTA adopts standards for membership – 60 hour teaching certificate by 1952 and degree by 1957. Current members were grandparented into membership.

1951

Following KSTA

Following KSTA’s lead, the State Board of Education sets 60-hour requirement for teaching certificate but delays degree requirement until 1959.

1952

Funding for High Schools

Century-long aggressive lobbying by KSTA pays off with state funding for high schools, BUT. . . . .

1954

There Had Been Consequences

The legislature condemned the newly renovated KSTA headquarters which stood across the street from the Capitol.

1953

KSTA Headquarters

$2 per member annually for 9 years

OLD 1954 NEW

By the WayThe “reason” for the

condemnation of the KSTA headquarters was the state’s need for land to build on. Almost 20 years later the state erected the Justice Center at that location.

U.S. Supreme Court

1954, the court overturns “separate but equal” doctrine for schools in Brown vs. Board of Education.

School Unification 1963

Kansas Supreme Court upholds unification law to replace elementary, common, and rural high school districts with comprehensive K-12 districts.

Death threats and law suits fail to derail implementation.

School Unification Impact

Number of school districts reduced to 348 although the law did not require individual school closings.

Today fewer than 290 USDs.

Increasing Member Involvement1960’s

Kansas Student NEA

KSTA Regional training

Association Changes

1960’s and 1970’sTeacher members take control of

KNEA Board of Directors.KNEA president becomes a full-

time position.

KNEA Leadership Changes

1990

KNEA vice president becomes a full-time position.

Governance of the Profession

1969 Kansas legislature enacts first Professional Teaching Practices Act giving teachers a state-level legal voice to recommend and enforce professional standards.

Governance of the Profession

Today teachers are a majority on both the Professional Practices Commission and the Standards Board. Both groups are advisory to the State Board of Education.

Governance of the Profession

KNEA provides on-going support to KNEA members serving on state commissions and committees.

KSTA representative assembly votes to change the name to Kansas-NEA (vote of 184 to 181.)

Name Change 1969

KNEA RA emphatically resolves to make a negotiations bill its top priority in the 1970 legislative session.

Priorities 1969

UniServ: A New Program for A New Time

First NEA UniServ District in the US is established in Lindsborg, Kansas, serving a 60 x 60 mile area (UD 114 now includes this area.)

In 2012-13, KNEA has 18 UniServ districts providing services to 23,000 plus members.

UniServ 2013

Negotiations StatuteKNEA lobbying succeeds and

legislature adopts Professional Negotiations Act in 1970.

First local affiliate to receive recognition to negotiate is the St. John City Teachers Association.

Negotiations Challenges

Battles are fought by local leaders, local associations and KNEA to make the negotiations law meaningful.

Numerous court cases required.

Teachers Fired for Bargaining

Liberal, Kansas, Board of Education non-renews Oleta Peters and Lila Epperson who attempted to negotiate under the new law.

KNEA defends teachers, who are re-instated by the Kansas Supreme Court in 1978.

More Teachers Fired for Bargaining

Coffeyville Board of Education non-renews five teachers on the negotiations team. (Case settles out of court in 1975, but only two teachers choose to return to the district.)KNEA provided defense.

Hiawatha NEA President Testifies for

Changes in PN Law

Changes to the Negotiations Law

At KNEA and local association urging, impasse resolution procedures requiring mediation and fact-finding added to PNA (by 1980).

Changes to the Negotiations Law

Decisions by the Department of Human Resources (now Department of Labor) and the Kansas courts over four decades establish and clarify the implementation of the negotiations law.

Changes/Clarifications Negotiations Law

Mandatory and permissive topics further clarified (Chee-Craw and Shawnee Mission cases)

Local association may demand that changes in mandatory topics be bargained even if they are not included in current negotiated agreement. (Dodge City and Wichita)

Changes/Clarifications Negotiations Law

Hours and amounts of work include number of teaching periods in a day (Dodge City and Wichita cases)

Courts Impact Negotiations Law

Local association may not bargain away the right of employees to resign or refuse supplemental contracts. (Swanson case)

Courts Impact Negotiations Law

“Supplemental” duties defined by nature of the work not the time of day the work is performed. (Hachiya-Livingston case)

Courts Impact Negotiations Law

Evaluation procedure is mandatorily negotiable while criteria is permissive. (Brewster case)

Courts Impact Negotiations Law

“Good faith” in negotiations defined in case from Hays.

Includes making proposals and counter proposals as well as indicating why a proposal is unacceptable or could be changed to become acceptable.

Changes in How We Negotiate

Initially, positional negotiations with one spokesperson for each side.

Late 1980’s, KNEA began to explore Win/Win or Interest-based Bargaining

More collaborativeMore individuals speaking and

participating

P.I.C.K.Kansas-NEA and the Kansas

Association of School Administrators collaborated at the beginning of this century to create Partners in Collaboration Kansas.

P.I.C.K.P.I.C.K. trained teams of facilitators to

train/assist BOE and teacher teams in collaborative bargaining.

Each two-person team included an administrator and a teacher.

Success of the Law

According to KNEA General Counsel David Schauner, over 11,000 contracts have been negotiated under the law since 1970.

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Success of the LawFewer than twenty (20) unilateral

contracts have been issued by Boards of Education after the parties failed to reach agreement.

Teacher Due Process1973 Teacher Due Process Act:

after two years in a district teachers must be given reasons for non-renewal.

Hearing panel recommendations are advisory only.

Court Clarifies Due Process Law

1983: In the Coats case, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that teachers with due process rights have precedence over those who do not.

This decision “put the teeth” into the due process law.

Court Clarifies Due Process Law

.Leota Coats, long-time association activist, stood up for teacher rights

Courts Allow Teachers to Resign

SupplementalsSupplemental (coaching and activity)

contracts are separate from primary contracts and may be resigned (Swager case).

Teacher Due Process1984 - 1992

Much court and legislative action follow on this topic. By 1992 due process rights are granted after 3 years, AND the decision is binding on the Board of Education.

KNEA Leads Way on Collaboration

1986

KNEA provides $10,000 which the legislature matches for pilot projects on faculty collaboration.

KNEA Leads Way on Collaboration

1986

Pilot projects with elementary schools were implemented by Circle NEA, Manhattan NEA, Hutchinson NEA and Junction City NEA.

Keeping Your License 1981 – 1985

State Board of Education allows professional development points as well as college hours for renewal of teaching certificates.

Improving Negotiated Agreements

Local associations begin to bargain credit for PDC points on salary schedules.

Licensure System Changes

2003Local Professional Development

Councils take on new roles in approving professional development used to renew licenses.

KNEA AND PDCs

2001 to 2013Before changes implemented,

KNEA designs KSDE-approved training for local PDCs.

Collaborates with Greenbush Service Center to deliver training.

The Year They Stopped Laughing

When: 1976

Who: Legislators

Why: KNEA members very successful in elections.

The Year They Stopped Laughing

How: KNEA trained members as political action coordinators and activists in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s.

Before They Stopped Laughing

KNEA helped defeat the powerful Majority Leader of the Senate. (1970)

Helped elect a governor.(1974)

The Year They Stopped Laughing

Chief strategist Bob Wootton, KNEA President Dorothy Steele, and PAC

chair Millard Denny

The Year They Finally Stopped Laughing

1976

KNEA endorsed and helped elect 10 challengers of Senate incumbents.

The Year They Finally Stopped Laughing

1976KNEA helped change the majority in the Kansas House for the first time since early in the century.

1976 to 2010Years of Success

KNEA members helped elect numerous friends of education and of working people to the Kansas House and Senate.

1976 to 2010Years of Success

KNEA members helped elect several governors.

KNEA members helped elect reasonable members of the State Board of Education.

Governor Carlin signs amendments to the

PN ActKNEA President Jim Lewis and KNEA staff observe.

Winners!5 of 6 winners in statewide races and a 70% record in the legislative races.

KNEA members worked hard.

Friends in High PlacesCongressman Dan Glickman and Secretary of State Jack Brier visit with South Central members in the Haysville UniServ Office.

We rallied when it was cold. . .

We rallied when it was hot. . .

We got together and planned. . .

Board members, UniServ leaders, KPAC members, and staff

The Year They Decided to Get Even

2012 elections were difficult for all moderate candidates and many KNEA recommended candidates lost.

The Year They Decided to Get Even

Legislation attacked bargaining, payroll dues deduction, due process, and KPERS.

The Year They Decided to Get Even

Payroll deduction for voluntary political contributions is gone.

The Year They Decided to Get Even

Collective bargaining is in a study committee (thanks to tireless work by KNEA members, leaders, and staff).

KNEA Members and Staff pack hearings

The Year They Decided to Get Even

KPERS is in yet another study committee.

Due process changes likely to be considered in 2013.

2013

Celebrating 150 years of educators from all institutions working together for great Kansas public schools.

2013One of the most challenging years

in our history.Education “reform”Hostile LegislatureInsufficient school funding

2013

The year we start constructing our future – and the future of Kansas public schools.

2013Pride

CommitmentConfidenceOur StudentsOur SchoolsOur Association