One hundred and twenty-five CEA members are joining nearly 7,000 educators from around the nation in Denver, Colorado, this week for the 2026 National Education Association Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA). Connecticut delegates are traveling across the country and will engage in discussions in caucus about their positions on issues that will come to the floor of the RA.
The RA takes place July 3-7 this year and is the world’s largest democratic deliberative body and the top decision-making body for NEA’s nearly 3 million members. Every year, delegates come together to draft and debate new policies, adopt a strategic plan and budget, listen to speeches from NEA leaders and other prominent educators and activists, and elect new leaders. This year, in addition to NEA leaders, delegates will hear from 2026 Teacher of the Year Leon Smith, 2026 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year Ric Calhoun, and 2026 NEA Higher Educator of the Year Clinton Smith, and will vote for a new NEA President. NEA President Becky Pringle’s last term concludes this summer, and CEA President Kate Dias is one of four candidates running to be the next NEA president. Delegates will also elect a vice president and secretary-treasurer to three-year terms, as well as two NEA executive committee members.
“I’m so excited to connect with other educators from across the country and vote on policies that shape our classrooms,” says East Hartford teacher Stacy Constantine. “I’m especially proud to support Kate Dias for NEA President. She has done incredible things for us here in Connecticut, and her voice is exactly what we need in D.C. right now!”
At every RA, delegates take on some of the most pressing issues facing public education and will consider a host of new business items (NBI) that will define much of NEA’s advocacy work going forward.
“As a delegate to the NEA RA, I’ll be a part of the democratic process,” says Education Association of Cromwell President Leigh Neumon. “I believe learning from both Connecticut delegates and those from other states is what makes our union strong.”
Over the four days, RA delegates will discuss higher pay, better working conditions, mental health supports, and racial and social justice. We are also at a critical moment for millions of America’s educators and the families who depend on our public schools. The Trump administration has announced it is moving special education programs, which oversee $15 billion a year in funding for students with disabilities, out of the Education Department and into the Health and Human Services Department and sending the Education Department’s civil rights office to the Justice Department.
CEA and NEA have raised awareness about these destructive actions, as well as urging governors to opt out of the Trump administration’s proposed federal private school voucher tax credit program and publicly reaffirm their commitment to public education.
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