EIA's annual project has not returned from the printer yet, but the requests are already pouring in. Without further ado, EIA is proud to announce the publication of NEA Confidential: A Practical Guide to the Operations of the Nation's Largest Teachers' Union. The 60-page handbook offers both overt and covert information about NEA headquarters and the union's state and local affiliates. It describes the UniServ program in plain English! Elections, dues, PACs, resolutions — it's all covered in NEA Confidential. Think of it as your personal Cliff's Notes for understanding NEA and its policies. 

If you want to write, speak or think about NEA in the coming school year, send an e-mail response to EducIntel@aol.com with your snail mail address and the crack EIA staff (me) will fire one out to you (well, as soon as I get one). Single copies are free. Call about bulk orders.

The University of Connecticut is offering a course this semester entitled "The Leadership Role of the Teacher Union." Taught by Dr. Wendy L. Poole, the course examines "the prevalent model of teacher unionism in America, how and why it developed, and how and why it is being challenged by educators and non- educators." Among the required readings are United Mind Workers by Kerchner, Koppich and Weeres, and The Teacher Unions by Myron Lieberman.

Is the Columbus Education Association thinking about switching teams?  Disappointed with the outcome of the merger vote in July, the Ohio local is starting to hint at jumping ship. "CEA will now have to reassess its position within the current structures," reads an editorial from the latest CEA Voice. 

"Do we still have a place within OEA/NEA? Are our views more in line with the AFT? This will be an important year for our local Association as we closely examine these issues."

A defection by Columbus would cause major public relations damage to NEA.  Columbus has a high media profile because of its peer review program — modeled on AFT's program in Toledo.

Also on merger: Reuters reported that the Minnesota Education Association and the Minnesota Federation of Teachers will merger tomorrow and become Education Minnesota. While the two unions have done everything but merge over the past two years, the story is a bit premature. The unions cannot officially merge before a vote of the NEA Board of Directors. Unless I'm badly mistaken, the board will not meet until October 9.

Well, it was only a matter of time before this case was made. A story from NEA Focus entitled "What Else Are They Making Up?" notes an item in the September-October The American Prospect about exposed fabricator Stephen Glass and his former position at the Heritage Foundation's Policy Review. Glass wrote two education stories for Policy Review, one on lunch subsidies and one on teacher unions and pensions. NEA Focus offers no proof that these stories were fabricated, but that doesn't matter. "The privatizing crowd always seems to be able to come up with great anecdotes to zing public employees and public institutions," writes NEA Focus editor Steve Lemken. "Now we may have a clue how they get them."

Meanwhile, People for the American Way is using very new math. The organization sent out a press release claiming Milwaukee's voucher program will cause a $29.4 million shortfall in the city's public schools. That's $4,900 per voucher for each of 6,000  students in the program. PAW doesn't mention that this is only true if every one of the 6,000 students already attends private school. Using arithmetical legerdemain like that, it would equally accurate to claim the program will provide a $12.6 million windfall. Milwaukee currently spends well over $7,000 per pupil in public schools. If all 6,000 voucher students had switched from public to private, it would mean a savings of more than $2,100 per pupil.

Since neither extreme is true, the "costs" or "savings" of voucher programs depend entirely on which parents take advantage of them. In some cases, public schools will end up with less money per pupil. In other cases, they will end up with more. The very same thing happens when private school students switch to public schools. Such nuance would undermine PAW's polemic, however.

The New York Public Employee Relations Board decided a 3,000 stipend paid to an auditor by a school district in Port Jefferson was an unfair labor practice. The board ruled: "The provision of benefits that are more than what is called for in a collective bargaining agreement is inherently destructive of a union's representation rights. It can be construed to give a message that unit employees would do better if they abandoned their union." No word on what the auditor thought. (Thanks for this item, David.)

NEA Communications is asking its state and local affiliates to provide examples of their work on teacher quality issues. These stories will likely play a large part in next month's NEA/AFT joint conference. 

Superior Court Judge James T. Ford ruled that California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin cannot have herself identified as "teacher/state superintendent" on the November ballot. Eastin, who last taught in 1979, is running against first-grade teacher Gloria Matta Tuchman. (This news item brought to you by Mike Antonucci, sheet metal worker/EIA director.)

Quote of the Week: "Deeper understanding only comes with mastery of facts. Without the facts, we're left only with opinions." — Veronica Norris, a parent in Orange, California, responding to criticism that new science and social studies standards are too heavy on facts.