The big picture: The National Education Association Representative Assembly kicks off this week in Portland, Ore., and the Idaho Education Association is sending more than 20 delegates to the annual event. 

• NEA RA officially runs from July 3-6, but IEA leadership arrived in Portland last week to attend meetings held in advance of RA. 

Why it matters: NEA RA is the largest democratic deliberative assembly in the world, with thousands of educators from around the country converging to set the business of NEA for the year ahead. 

• Fun fact: California alone sends roughly 1,000 delegates to NEA RA. 

What delegates will do: IEA delegates will serve on several NEA subcommittees to determine the national union’s budget, legislative amendments, bylaws, resolutions and new business items. 

• IEA is part of The Northern Tier, a voting bloc that includes several similarly-sized associations from states in the western half of the country that lean more conservative and rural. 

Where to follow the action: Follow IEA on Instagram and Facebook. We’ll also post right here on IEA Reporter.