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November 21, 2025

  • presidentarlington
  • Nov 24
  • 4 min read

Happy Friday! Only a few more workdays until Thanksgiving break!  We kicked off American Education Week with two very exciting events! On Monday, NEA President Becky Pringle joined us at Barrett Elementary School. President Pringle read a story to a Pre-K class, visited Dr. Laurie Sullivan's "Project Discovery" classroom, attended a cooking demo, served lunches, and presented two checks--the first check was for $10,000--this money will help pay down student lunch debt. The second check was for $5,000--this will go to nutritional support programs at Barrett Elementary School. A picture of the check presentation is currently on the APS homepage (see below). If you'd like to see more coverage, visit NEA Today on Facebook or Instagram, or visit American Education Week launches in Arlington with support for students hit by SNAP disruptions | DC News Now

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On Tuesday, we learned that NEA approved a $25,000 grant to support teacher home visits.  We are so excited to be a part of this work.

On Wednesday, we celebrated our Education Support Professionals--thank you for all that you do! This video is a bit dated, but it highlights what our ESPs do every day:  Bing Videos  THANK YOU!  

Speaking of ESPs, our state affiliate is looking for input on our ESP Bill of Rights. If you have a moment, please visit https://forms.veanea.net/view.php?id=1425517

If you or anyone you know is an ESP who utilizes SNAP benefits, and would be willing to speak to NEA staff about it, please let me know. As you know, SNAP and food security have been in the news a lot lately. NEA is working to advocate for ESPs and needs names and voices who are willing to go public to help tell the story.

Congratulations to member Cesar Espejo of Claremont for being named an APS All Star for November.

We had so many things to be thankful for this week. I hope you will take some time on your break to unplug, and to celebrate all the wins, no matter how small. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate.

TAKE ACTION

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their political action(s)?

Robley Jones Political Activist Award, please click on this link: https://vea.link/Rob-Jones-Awar

The Robley Jones Award for Political Action - This award is for an individual member.

Criteria:

  • Awarded to an active VEA member who has contributed significantly to the advancement of public education legislation and/or policy, and/or contributed to the election of public education friendly candidates in the Commonwealth of Virginia

  • Any member of the Virginia Education Association may nominate a recipient by completing the nomination form and submitting it, along with any other documents


NEWS FROM VEA



The latest updates from VEA's Department of Government Relations & Research

Public Education and Working Families Wins

Virginia’s 2025 elections delivered a series of significant victories for candidates committed to strengthening public schools, supporting working families, and investing in communities across the Commonwealth. In the House of Delegates, pro-public education and pro-labor candidates made significant gains, especially in competitive districts from Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Richmond. These results strengthened the chamber’s majority and ability to address staffing shortages, modernize school infrastructure, and improve learning conditions for students.Additionally, ten school board seats flipped to pro-public education leadership, with three school boards shifting entirely. VEA members played a decisive grassroots role in these wins-knocking on over 1250,000 doors, making over 38,000 Get Out The Vote (GOTV) calls, sending thousands of postcards and generating more than 7.5 million digital impressions statewide! With new leadership taking office, Virginia now moves into a pivotal 2026 General Assembly session, one where educator voices must be front and center. But our work isn’t over, the months ahead offer a historic opportunity, with united advocacy and strong public support, we can deliver meaningful progress for Virginia’s students, educators, and communities.

VEA Political Awards

Does your local deserve an award for the political activism organizing campaign it ran this past year? Then you should apply for the VEA Fund Award for Political Activism. This award is given out annually in recognition of a local who inspired political activism amongst its members via an organizing campaign. Likewise, the Robley Jones Award for Political Action is awarded to an individual member who has contributed to either the advancement of public education legislation/policy or contributed to the election of public education friendly candidates in Virigina. Applications for both awards are due Monday, January 26, 2026.

VEA Fund Award for Political ActivismRobley Jones Award for Political Action

Get Ready for Lobby Day!

Are you ready for Lobby Day on February 16th, 2026? Lawmakers need to hear from you about our legislative agenda! RSVP below and make your plans to come to the Capitol to let your lawmakers hear about the importance of expanding and strengthening collective bargaining rights for public employees, competitive compensation, increasing revenue and enhancing worker protections! There will be an in-person briefing and legislative reception on Sunday February 15th, so that you’ll be prepared for Lobby Day the following day.

Learn More and RSVP Here

Note: Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, there will be no Communiqué sent next Friday. Please look forward to receiving the Communiqué again on Dec. 5th!


 
 
 
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