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Please Attend Your State Party
Convention
TSTA Heads to the State Political
Conventions The Democratic State Convention will be held in Austin on June 6-7. Each delegate will sign in and pick up credentials, and will also indicate his or her presidential preference at that time. The sign-ins will be tallied and that total will be used by the nominations committee to distribute the pledged party and elected official delegates and the at-large delegates among the presidential candidates. The State Convention elects four types of delegates to the National Convention: 126 pledged senatorial district delegates and 21 alternates; 35 unpledged party and elected official delegates; 25 pledged party and elected official delegates and 5 alternates; and 42 at-large delegates and 6 alternates.
For more information on how the delegates are allocated to
presidential candidates, room reservations and registration process
please visit the Texas Democratic Party website at
www.txdemocrats.org/the_party/2008_TDP_State_Democratic The following weekend the Republican State Convention will be held in Houston on June 12-14. The following business will occur: elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas; elect one male and one female member from each senatorial district to the State Republican Executive Committee; and adopt a state party platform. Each senate district is entitled to be represented by one member on the following committees: Credentials, Organization, Rules, and Platform and Resolutions. According to Republican National Committee rules, Texas will be allocated 140 delegates and 137 alternates to the 2008 convention in Minneapolis. Forty-one of these national convention delegates and alternates will be selected at-large at the state convention, according to how well presidential candidates do statewide. Ninety-six national convention delegates and alternates will be selected according to how well presidential candidates do within Texas’ 32 congressional districts. According to Republican National Committee rules, the remaining three delegate spots are automatically assigned to the Party Chairman, National Committeeman and National Committeewoman and are un-pledged delegates. For more information regarding the
convention, where to stay, and registration visit the Republican
Party of Texas website at
www.texasgop.org. This is
your opportunity if you are a delegate to the state convention to be
elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in
Minneapolis, MN September 1-4. As staffers from the Clinton and Obama campaigns parachute into Texas this week for the first serious presidential primary in 20 years, TSTA and NEA find themselves in the very unusual position of being neutral in a significant political race. Not something that has happened very often. Here’s why, according to NEA President Reg Weaver: “Both Democratic candidates have strong records on education, but our members want to know about their visions and their plans for the future, and we haven’t really heard that yet. “If they haven’t made education a central part of their campaigns, how can we feel confident that they will make education a central part of their administration?," Weaver said. “For the past eight years, America’s public schools have been the victims of top down, manage by mandate federal education policy. “We want to know how these candidates are going to reach out and build partnerships with America’s public school employees," Weaver continued. "Are they going to make No Child Left Behind a plan for lifting students up instead of letting them down? Will they provide reliable and adequate funding for federal education programs? How will they help state and local governments pay for improved facilities, new technology, better teacher training, and more help for those who need it most?” “We want to know, how America’s public schools fit into this culture of change they talk so much about. And we want to hear them talk about it now – often – and loud,” he said. We can expect both candidates to take to the airwaves this week as they begin their push towards early voting which begins on February 19 and at least one debate in Texas is in the works. TSTA encourages all of its members to pay attention to what the candidates are saying on public education and to become involved in the election. In Texas that means voting on election day and then returning to your polling place for the precinct convention after the polls close and running to be a delegate to county convention. With many political experts believing this race won’t be over until the convention, it is critical that TSTA members go to their precinct conventions and become delegates. TSTA has information on how that will work in the Democratic and Republican caucuses. We also have resolutions supporting public education for you to take to your precinct convention. Related Links Get the Latest News on Your Computer
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TSTA/NEA: FIGHTING FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SINCE 1880 316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX 78701 * 877-ASK-TSTA * ©2007 Texas State Teachers Association |