Head
of teachers' union comes full circle
Sunday, November 13, 2005 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
When Joyce Powell attended her first
convention of the New Jersey Education Association more than
30 years ago, she was a young, anonymous member from South
Jersey.
On Thursday, when she walked onto the
cavernous floor of the Atlantic City Convention Center, she
was greeted at every turn.
"Hello, Madam President," said one
well-wisher.
Powell, the newly elected president of
the NJEA, blushed, if only a little.
"This is such an exciting moment," she
said. "I share the responsibilities of this organization
with other officers, of course, but this is now my
watch."
By all accounts, Powell had a good
week.
On Tuesday, Jon Corzine, the candidate
the union endorsed for governor, was elected, as were nine
of the 10 legislative candidates the union
endorsed.
On Thursday, Powell presided over her
first NJEA convention, where her warm and approachable style
was on full display.
BIG CHALLENGES
Yet there is no denying the daunting
challenges ahead for the 54-year-old special education
teacher from Vineland. She succeeds a longtime officer of
the 192,000-member union and faces intense pressures on some
of the NJEA's sacrosanct issues.
One of her early greeters Thursday was
the president of the West Windsor-Plainsboro local, an old
friend in what seems to be an infinite network of union
leaders who know her.
"We do have a few struggles ahead of us
with pensions and all that, and I think Joyce realizes that
her members will be willing to step up for her," said Debbie
DiColo, a physical education teacher. "We're not going to
miss a step with the change of leadership."
Powell was elected this summer to the
full-time $204,000-a-year post and took office Sept. 1. She
succeeds Edithe Fulton, an officer of the NJEA for the past
21 years, including eight as president. Powell's election to
the two-year term was no surprise, as she had previously
served as vice president and secretary-treasurer.
Given her history in the organization,
she is not expected to break much from the policies and
practices of the past few presidents, not to mention the
NJEA's executive director, Robert Bonazzi, arguably the
union's true power center.
DIFFERENT APPROACH
Yet as the public face of the union,
Powell brings a lighter touch to the job than did her feisty
predecessor, as well as more focus on some of the more
professional issues facing teachers.
While vague on the details, Powell said
she hopes to promote a "new vision" of professional
development to complement the state's current training rules
that require 100 hours of courses and training every five
years.
Just as in the legal and medical fields,
Powell said, teacher development and collaboration should be
an ongoing, if not daily, part of a teacher's
life.
She spoke of establishing positions in
schools, labeled a "teacher leader," to act as liaisons
between teachers and administration. The leaders, who would
remain in the classroom, would take part in decision-making
and be a sounding board for other teachers.
She also talked about the need to provide
greater help to struggling teachers, an issue many say is
too often ignored by the NJEA. She knows the NJEA "takes its
lumps" as being too rigid and wants to change that
perception.
"I'm not a status quo type of person,"
she said. "I like to solve problems in creative
ways."
It's a shift in style, though subtle,
that is being welcomed in the union's leadership, at least
publicly. Bonazzi, the union's director for 14 years, said
the dual labor and professional role for the NJEA is
critical as schools face rising pressures.
"Joyce has a deep understanding of both
sides," he said. "There is a real recognition that we need
to move into these areas."
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
And others pointed out that professional
development is tied to better wages. "It will be easier to
argue for higher pay and benefits if we can guarantee a
high-quality product," said Jim Schroeder, the union's chief
Statehouse lobbyist.
Make no mistake, the traditional union
issues remain at the forefront of the union's -- and
Powell's -- agenda.
In the wake of a successful campaign to
bring all starting salaries above $40,000 -- about
two-thirds are now there -- the union is embarking on a new
one: "50K on the First Day." (The first district to cross
the $50,000 starting mark will be Westfield next year,
according to the union.)
At the convention last week, Powell
proudly posed for pictures with a woman dressed as NJEA
pioneer Elizabeth Allen, who as president of the former New
Jersey State Teachers Association a century ago helped gain
the nation's first teacher pension system.
That pension system is now under scrutiny
in the Statehouse, with even some prominent Democrats
looking at ways to curtail costs. Powell said she won't bend
much on that issue.
"Advocacy (for its members) will always
be the No. 1 priority for this organization, always," she
vowed.
Powell said she knows the escalating
property tax debate will be an especially important debate
the NJEA will need to enter. And inside the convention
center on Thursday, Powell did her best to insure the NJEA's
103rd president was anonymous no more.
"It's a lot of networking and feel-good
stuff today," she said, overlooking the center's atrium.
"People pay a lot of dues (to belong to the NJEA), and want
to feel they really belong to something. I want to make sure
they do."
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com, or (973) 392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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