The CEA Representative Assembly (RA), held each May, is CEA’s highest policy-making body.
Approximately 500 delegates take action to decide Association policies, including adopting amendments to the CEA RA Standing Rules, the CEA Constitution and Bylaws, approving revisions to the CEA Resolutions, and voting on new business items.
Delegates – elected from CEA’s more than 160 local affiliates – also vote to approve CEA’s fiscal-year budget. The budget is proposed by the CEA Finance Committee and then sent to the CEA Board of Directors prior to adoption by the RA. The budget amount approved at the RA determines the amount of annual CEA membership dues for the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30. The budget supports all the strategic objectives, programs, and services provided to members.
Candidates for the offices of CEA president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer are elected at the RA. The three-year terms for officers are staggered so that president and vice president elections are held in different years from the elections for secretary and treasurer. Delegates also elect CEA’s two representatives for the NEA Board of Directors as well as the NEA director alternate. When necessary, CEA RA delegates elect one or more ethnic minority director at-large candidates to the CEA Board of Directors.
Several awards are also presented during the RA, including the CEA Thomas P. Mondani Friend of Education Award, the McCormack Award for Teaching Excellence, HCR Awards, CEA internal and community newsletter awards along with honoring the Association member who is serving as Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year.
More than a dozen Association members who are appointed to the RA Planning Committee are responsible for assisting in the planning of activities at the RA. The committee also oversees the registration and credentialing of all delegates and guests attending the annual meeting. The CEA RA is where CEA delegates elect new officers for 3 year terms.