AUDIENCE: CTA Elected State & Local Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly.

MEETING INFO: The 2023 NEA Representative Assembly and the California Teachers Association Caucus will take place in Orlando, FL, from July 2 until July 6. Plan your travel and housing dates to arrive July 1 and depart July 7. The first California Caucus will be on July 2 at 9:00 am. The NEA RA will be July 3-6 with the California Caucus meeting each morning from 7-9 am in the designated California hotel. CTA will meet at the Hilton Orlando. The hotel is connected to the convention center via a walkway/skybridge. Bus service is also provided by NEA from the CA Hotel to the Convention Center.

REGISTRATION: Delegates will be required to register with both CTA and NEA. Registration for the California Caucus Meetings is now open! Registration for the NEA RA will open on Monday, June 5. You must register for both the CTA California Caucus Meetings and the NEA RA, via separate registration links, in order to attend the in-person meetings.

You must book your hotel room using the link provided in the CTA California Caucus Meeting registration confirmation email.

NEA delegates that are not registered by the NEA cutoff date will not be allowed to attend the RA.

VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers (who are delegates) are needed to serve on the following committees: Caucus Elections Committee, California Night, Communications/Sign Carriers, Registration, Sales and State Contacts. The opportunity to sign up as a volunteer will be available in registration.

2023 CTA & NEA Schedule of Events – coming soon

NEA RA INFORMATION*:  Visit RA.NEA.org for NEA updates

Visit this site for general updates and specific California Caucus information

*All program details and documents are subject to change.

• CA State & Local Delegates – $30 per delegate
• Guest Tickets for CA Night – $85 per guest

All delegate and guest fees must be paid with a credit card when you register.

State Delegates: CTA will fund a maximum of $2,600 for covered expenses with appropriate itemized receipts attached to the Member Expense Statement. Reimbursable expenses include half the cost of the room rate for each night, travel costs and meals. Please review page 2 of the Member Expense Statement.

Of the $2,600, state delegates may apply for an advance of $1,600. This advance amount will be distributed as follows –> $1,200 upfront then the remaining portion of $400 distributed on Day 4 of the RA. The RA State Delegate Advance Request form must be received by CTA Accounting Department no later than 5pm on Friday, June 16. Click here to complete the RA State Delegate Advance Request form.

If you wish to expedite the payment of your advance and all future payments from CTA, complete the attached ACH Authorization form and email it to EYIP@CTA.ORG.

Please note, if you have signed up for ACH/Direct Deposit for State Council reimbursements, any future payments (including RA payments) will also be made via ACH/Direct Deposit.

Local Delegates: Reimbursement arrangements, if any, are to be made through your local chapter.

All in-person delegates must meet the NEA Health & Safety Guidelines in order to attend the NEA RA & California Caucus in-person.

The current NEA Health & Safety policies for the NEA-RA are below. The California Caucus Meetings will follow the same NEA guidelines.  Key details are noted below:

• Meeting participants will no longer be required to attest to their vaccination status, provide proof of a negative antigen test, wear a mask, or provide any additional information related to their COVID-19 status prior to entering an event.
• Individuals who are experiencing new or atypical symptoms of an illness that may be transmitted when in close contact with others should refrain from attending the event.

As part of registration, all attendees are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct for CTA Events found here.

Documents related to the California Caucus Meetings will be linked here as they become available:

• Newsletter #1 – 5/2/2023
• Newsletter #2 – 5/12/2023

Documents related to the NEA RA will be linked here as they become available:

• 2023 NEA Guidelines for Physically Challenged Delegates
• 2023 NEA Child Care Request Information
• NEA General Documents for Delegates
• NEA Platform Instructions – coming soon
• Food Options at Hilton Orlando – coming soon

Universal Studios Orlando

Date: Tuesday, July 4

Time: 4:00 pm until closing

The CTA Board of Directors’ California Night activity will be held the afternoon of July 4 at Universal Studios Orlando!

During registration, all delegates will have the option to choose one complimentary Universal Studios 1-Park Pass. This pass also includes a $30 Universal Studios gift card which may be used at the park and participating outlets at Universal CityWalk. Delegates may also purchase additional guest tickets for $85/ticket during registration. The guest ticket does not include a gift card. The California Night Pass allows the pass holder to choose to enter one park – either “Universal’s Islands of Adventure” or “Universal Studios Florida” on 7/4/23 after 4pm.

Transportation to and from Universal Studios is not provided. The park is about 8 miles from the hotel/convention center.

Elections will be held for the California Resolutions Committee Members at the 2023 NEA RA.

• Open Seats – California Resolutions Committee Members:
  • Districts 3 and 13 (Term of Office: September 1 – August 31, 2026)
• Open Seats – California Resolutions Committee Member and Alternate:
  • District 6 (Term of Office: Date of Election – August 31, 2024)

The Resolutions Committee is responsible for preparing proposed resolutions for adoption and presenting them to the Representative Assembly. Only credentialed delegates are eligible to be candidates.

This year’s NEA Resolutions Committee meetings will be held on July 1 and July 2 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. The meetings are scheduled for in-person only.

• In order to provide those delegates who are employed in Districts 3, 6 and 13 with the opportunity to run for the NEA Resolutions Committee from California, the following procedure has been adopted:
  • Declaration of Candidacy form. Click here to file a Declaration of Candidacy form for the NEA Resolutions Committee. Deadline to file is 2pm (EST) on July 3, 2023. Please note, Declaration of Candidacy forms are only accepted via online. The filing window begins with the mailing of this pre-convention NEA RA Delegate Newsletter and ends at 2 pm (EST) on July 3, 2023.
  • Resolutions Committee members will be elected to three-year terms in accordance with NEA Standing Rule 7B. When a Resolutions Committee member serving a multi-year term is not subsequently elected as a state or local delegate to an upcoming NEA RA, their service will end when the Resolutions Committee concludes its summer meeting prior to the NEA RA. This will result in an unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy by resignation or other inability to serve, the alternate shall complete the Committee member’s term of service. An election to complete the term of the alternate will be conducted at the next NEA RA.
  • The California Caucus shall elect as many members to the NEA Resolutions Committee as there are NEA State Directors for California using the same geographical boundaries as provided for electing NEA State Directors. A candidate shall be employed in the area to be represented. Caucus members who have had an opportunity to vote for and to elect Resolutions Committee members at either the NEA-Retired or NEA Student Program representative assemblies are ineligible to vote for Resolutions Committee members elected by the California Caucus.

• The election shall be handled in accordance with the following procedures:
  • Ballot Order. After the deadline for submission of declaration of candidacy forms, the order on the ballot shall be established by listing the candidates within each district using the current CTA Elections Alphabet.
  • Statement of Qualifications. Candidates may submit a statement of qualifications not to exceed 250 characters in the “Bio Sketch” section of the Declaration of Candidacy form. At the established time, all candidates who have met the filing deadline shall also be afforded the opportunity of making an oral statement to the Caucus, not to exceed one minute (write-in candidates not included). The oral statements will be made in the same order that the names of the candidates appear on the ballot.
  • Requirements for Election. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes in each district shall be elected as members of the NEA Resolutions Committee from California. The candidate receiving the second highest number of votes from each district will be the alternate. The election shall be by plurality vote.
• Voting and ballot counting procedures for electing Resolutions Committee members are as follows:
  • Voting will be electronic. The voting link will be emailed to RA Delegates’ personal email address they used to register for the RA.
  • Prohibition of Campaigning. While the voting window is open, there shall be no campaigning by the candidates or others.
  • Counting and Observers. Votes will be tabulated electronically by Simply Voting.
  • Tellers Report. The Chairperson of the Elections Committee shall prepare the Tellers Report, which shall also be signed by members of the Elections Committee as verification of the results.
  • Announcement of Results. After completion and verification by the required signatures, the Tellers Report shall be immediately given to the Caucus Chairperson for announcement of the results to the Caucus. The official election results shall include the number of votes.
  • Report to NEA. The CTA President shall be responsible for reporting the election results to the NEA.

Q: Are guests allowed at the RA?

A: Yes, guests may attend the RA as long as they are sponsored by an RA Delegate, NEA Member, or an Association Staff Person. Below are the important rules to know.

• The delegate/member/staff person may add the guest(s) when they register with NEA for the RA.  Do not add your guest when you register with CTA for the California Caucus.
• If you forget to add the guest(s) initially
  • the delegate/member/staff person may modify their registration online and add guests before they arrive at the Convention Center
  • the delegate/member/staff person may come to the registration desk onsite at the convention center for assistance in adding guests
  • Guests will not be allowed to register themselves, they must be sponsored by a delegate/member/staff person
  • NEA Members are not guests – they are members and can register at the Convention Center starting July 2nd.
  • Badges will be handed to the sponsoring delegate/member/staff person only. Badges are not given directly to a guest.

Q: Will there be a virtual option for the RA or CA Caucus?

A: This is an in-person event. There will not be a virtual option for neither the NEA RA nor the California Caucus Meetings.

Q: Can I purchase guest tickets for Universal Studios onsite through CTA?

A: We recommend purchasing all guest tickets in advance as onsite options through CTA will be extremely limited.

Q: Is a Covid vaccination required to attend the RA?

A: Effective June 1, 2023, NEA meeting participants will no longer be required to attest to their vaccination status, provide proof of a negative antigen test, wear a mask, or provide any additional information related to their COVID-19 status prior to entering an event. Please read this document for more details on NEA’s Covid Policy and Protocols.

Q: What is the deadline to register with the NEA to secure Physically Challenged aid through the NEA?

A: To receive special services, delegates who qualify for Physically Challenged Services must fill out the Physically Challenged Delegates Request Form by June 5, 2023 and register on-site at the PC Office.  Please read this document for more details.

Q: Are Mobility Scooters allowed at the Convention Center

A: Delegates are personally responsible for bringing their own medical devices/equipment including mobility scooters should they wish to use them at the convention center or the CA Caucus hotel.  Please read this document for more information.

Q: Is transportation provided to California Night at Universal Studios?

A: Transportation is not provided to/from California Night. Universal Studios offers a dedicated location for getting picked up or dropped off by car, including by rideshare services such as Uber. (Taxi services are offered in a separate location near the bus loop.) There is no parking fee for getting picked up or dropped off.

• Pick-Up & Drop-Off Area – North Parking Garage
  5th floor, in the Jurassic Park section. (Follow signage Uber/Car/Ride App Drop-Off & Pickup)
• Parking Garage Address For Theme Parks And Universal CityWalk
  6000 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819

Governance: For questions regarding NEA RA program and delegate information, please contact CTA Governance Support at ra@cta.org or 650-552-5300.

Registration & Housing: For questions regarding housing and California Caucus registration, please contact the CTA Conference Coordination Center at rahousing@cta.org or 650-552-5355.