The big news: IEA members recently traveled to Denver, Colorado, for the National Education Association Representative Assembly.
• NEA-RA is often billed as the “world’s largest democratic deliberative assembly,” with 5,800 delegates from every corner of the country.
• Members from state affiliates, like the Idaho Education Association, caucus with other members, vote on constitutional amendments, new business items and bylaws.
• This year also featured a consequential election for the NEA presidency.
Making votes count: The Idaho delegation met with members of The Northern Tier (TNT), which includes IEA and the Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana state affiliates. TNT pools its endorsements for candidates and votes as a bloc.
• Cindy Schaffeld, a member of IEA’s Southwest Education Association-Retired, took a point of personal privilege to recognize outgoing IEA President Layne McInelly during the meeting.
How do you send off an IEA president?
With a (temporary) tattoo. Check out that photo, plus many more, from Idaho’s delegation in our NEA-RA photo gallery.
NEA elections: Idaho’s delegation voted in a number of major NEA elections. Here’s who will be leading NEA over the coming years:
• Princess Moss, NEA’s current vice president, will succeed Becky Pringle as the leader of the nation’s largest teachers’ union. Moss visited Idaho in 2025 to participate in the Vallivue Education Association’s annual Back-to-School Fair. The elementary music educator from Virginia won with 50.3% of the vote.
Learn about NEA’s new president, Princess Moss
She takes the place of outgoing NEA President Becky Pringle.
• Noel Candelaria, a Texas special education teacher, won the vice presidency with 66.1%. Candelaria previously served as NEA’s secretary-treasurer.
• Robert Varela Rodriguez, also a special education teacher, hails from California. Rodriguez was elected secretary-treasurer with 53.7% percent of the vote.
• Cecily Myart-Cruz, an English teacher from California, and Shannon McCann, a special education teacher from Washington, were elected to the NEA Executive Committee.
• A number of NEA board directors representing education support professionals were elected by acclimation: Anne Badilla, Jennifer Bramson, Sidney Flournoy, James R. Henderson, III, Saul Ramos, Marcie Vox, Debra Ward-Mitchell and Charles E. Wilson, III. Monica Altamura was elected as an alternate.
• Idaho’s own Penni Cyr was also elected to national office — read the full story here.
IEA members make a difference: IEA’s delegation smashed its previous donation record to the NEA PAC, raising more than $9,400 to support public school champions of any party.
• 30 out of 30 delegates contributed
• That puts the total raised by Idaho members this year to $19,049.45
Get the full download. Learn about all of the bylaws, constitutional amendments, new business items and more by clicking on the download below.
