Idaho Education Association Governance Organizer Peggy Hoy accepts a rose at NEA RA to commemorate her time on the National Education Association Board of Directors.
The big news: Governance Organizer and outgoing NEA Director Peggy Hoy is winding down her final term on the National Education Association Board of Directors. But she didn’t let that stop her from making a splash at the recent NEA Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., over the July 4 weekend. And, she has plans to continue her work at the national level.
Advocating for rural local unions: During RA,Hoy announced the formation of the Rural Local Unions Caucus, a new advocacy and voting bloc within the National Education Association. Members will not have to be RA delegates to join, Hoy said — any member in a rural district can participate.
• The caucus will amplify the voices of educators in rural school districts across the country, ensuring their unique needs and challenges are recognized at the national level.
• The caucus will meet at the 2026 RA in Denver, but Hoy said the plan is to have several interim organizing meetings online throughout the year.
• The caucus fills a need not currently filled at the national level, Hoy said. “We have a lot of opportunities for our urban schools, but not a lot for our rural schools — and it’s not because we don’t want to give it to them,” she said. “It’s just that rurals don’t have the same capabilities: Maybe they’re not able to go to a conference because they can’t get a sub, for example. It’s not that NEA doesn’t care, it’s just that rurals are not organized yet.”
Speaking up for the issue making Idaho (in)famous: Hoy also spoke during the final NEA RA session, the Day of Learning, about the Everyone Is Welcome Here poster controversy and the opportunities it presents. Hoy presented two breakout sessions in front of a total of 3,500 people.
• The issue is a key organizing opportunity, Hoy explained, especially given Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador’s recently released opinion about the poster’s legality.
• “The ‘Everyone Is Welcome Here’ movement didn’t shrink after the AG’s statement,” Hoy said in her presentation. “It grew. It clarified our purpose … Now, the pressure is where it belongs: Not on teachers quietly decorating their classrooms, but on lawmakers who are trying to erase inclusion with the stroke of a pen.”
Next steps: Her NEA term has ended, but Hoy’s work as IEA’s governance organizer continues — especially as the union flexes its political muscle during the May Matters campaign. Lewiston Education Association member Lindsey Smith, who was elected as NEA director earlier this year, steps into the role on Sept. 1.
