Local UEA / NEA members in the Bonneville UniServ area attended the recent NEA Western Regional Leadership Conference held at the Hilton in Salt Lake City. Participants attending the conference were from the states of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. This year's WRLC was hosted by the Utah Education Association. UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, UEA Vice-President Tom Nedreberg, and UEA Executive Director Mark Mickelsen coordinated all of the events of the three-day conference.
Attendees participated in focus area sessions in Political Action, Member Concerns & Representation, Funding Public Education in a Difficult Economy, Education Policy, and Membership & Organizing Campaigns. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.delivered the keynote speech at the Friday opening session dinner to inspire conference participants, and set a positive tone for the weekend activities. Utahan Lily Eskelsen, NEA Vice-President and featured speaker at Saturday's lunch, spoke out against "one-size fits all" standardized tests.in American schools.
Sunday's conference session was closed with remarks by NEA Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle, who urged teachers to "Lift up your heads, and be proud to be leaders in America!" WRLC
participants were left with feelings of optimism and confidence that they were making a positive difference in the lives of American students.
