On March 26, 2023 members of the Richmond Education Association’s (REA) leadership including some Board of Directors candidates, current Board of Directors members, and several building representatives received an email from the current REA President stating that the REA elections that were scheduled to start the following day, March 27, would be postponed until after spring break, but no date was given. This is at minimum a two week postponement of the election. This amendment to the election calendar did not go through the Board of Directors or Representative Assembly, nor was it sent to general members, many of whom may have been planning to vote in the next few days.
The rationale given for the delay is unclear. In part, the email blamed an error by the REA office administrative staff and that staff member’s absence from work for not sending the correct information to members originally. Additionally, in the email the President referenced how the bylaws mandate staggered seats for the Board of Directors, and that due to the absence of the petition for the staggered terms, a two and three year term, from the notice of election sent out on March 3, all elections for Spring 2023 would need to be postponed. And she is correct; Article V, Section 2, Elections and Terms of the REA Bylaws states,
“Members of the Association shall elect a minimum of 10 Directors at-large by secret ballot with open nominations as provided by these Bylaws for two year staggered terms. Directors shall serve a term of two years and shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.”
What’s telling though is how haphazardly the bylaws are followed by the current REA leadership. Although the bylaws state the Board of Directors terms are staggered, they clearly state that the term for a member of the Board of Directors is two years, not three. How the current leadership believes it has the authority to unilaterally lengthen the term of office for the Board of Directors from two years to three, remains to be seen.
The optics of postponing an election the day before polls open already undermines members’ trust in fair and democratic elections. Not to mention, it is the REA Board of Directors that approves the election calendar anyways, so changing it without the Board’s approval would be a violation of the REA Bylaws, per Article VI, Section 3-C1. The attempt to postpone the election is particularly disturbing when one considers the fact that REA leadership had to be compelled by rank and file union members to even schedule elections at all. In February 2023, over 60 REA members signed a petition addressed to the REA President, Vice President, and Board of Directors requesting the following:
“The REA Campaign and Elections Committee shall complete its duties as listed in Article VI, Section 3-C of the REA by-laws. Specifically, we request the following items be made available to the general membership.
An elections calendar, as well as the rules and procedures for the upcoming elections, including the VEA Delegate Elections for the VEA delegate convention, NEA Representative Assembly, REA Board of Directors and REA Leadership;
An announcement of open positions to be filled by election nomination through petition; and
A copy of the REA by-laws, to ensure our members are familiar with the rules and procedures which govern the internal life and decision-making processes of our union.
Notification of upcoming Campaign and Elections Committee meetings and open them to the general membership so that any REA members may attend.
Announcement of polling stations for union elections at locations convenient for members located in all areas of our district (Northside, Southside, etc.)”
Unfortunately, only one question of this petition was answered; the announcement of the election. Since REA members don’t regularly receive updated copies of the bylaws, it’s hard for your average rank and file member to be educated about union policies and their rights as members. Additionally, no meeting of the Campaign and Elections Committee was announced to the general membership, leaving room for further speculation as to the intentions behind postponing the election.
Perhaps most disheartening is what such last minute, unilateral, and undemocratic changes do to the faith of members in their union. At a time when public education is under attack nationally, and our own school district’s funding – which includes our collective bargaining agreement – is being debated by our City Council, our current union leadership is risking the reputation and public faith in REA in an attempt to deny democratic processes.
If you believe that democracy means having a say in the decisions that affect you, and that our union should be run democratically and the election should proceed as scheduled, REA and VEA leadership needs to hear from all of us. You can share your concerns and demand transparency by doing the following:
Show up to vote in the REA election at 5pm on Monday, March 27 at the REA Office located at 3615 Saunders Ave, Richmond, VA 23227. Remember, the Board of Directors did not approve a postponement of the elections or change to the election calendar, so per the Bylaws, voting starts March 27, 2023.
Email the REA President, Katina Harris, at harriskk@alumni.vcu.edu and demand that the Election Calendar be followed and that the President rescind the postponement. You can also CC or reach out to VEA President, Dr. James Fedderman, at jfedderman@veanea.org
In the event that all REA members are informed of the postponement of the election before polls are scheduled to open at 5pm on March 27, email the REA and VEA presidents to demand that REA elections be run and observed by an independent third party in order to ensure fairness and transparency.
Lastly, tomorrow, March 27 is also the first City Council budget hearing. While the internal democracy and fair leadership of our union is imperative, we must also continue the fight of our union to ensure Richmond Public Schools is fully funded. We are asking all RPS educators, community members, and supporters to show up to the Richmond City Council meeting on March 27 at 6pm at Richmond City Hall located at 900 E. Broad St.