Reginald Fentress

The board voted April 1 not to include Fentress’ name, or that of any other African-American candidate, on the ballot for the 2008-10 presidential term. Since Acey is African American, Fentress was ruled ineligible to run for the office because the next MEA president must be white.

 “We voted to follow the bylaws,” said Acey.

According to bylaws formed when all-white and all-black teacher associations joined in the mid-1970s: “The position of president shall alternate from white to ethnic minority.”  

This means that when the president is white, then the vice-president is black, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian or Hispanic. Fentress is not interested in being vice-president, even though he is eligible to be a write-in candidate for that position.

 The bylaws are antiquated, said Fentress, a fifth-grade teacher at Winchester Elementary School.

 “We are forced to vote for people based on race. . . Teachers are not looking for color of skin.  They are looking for the best person to represent them,” he said.

With a membership of 6,500-6,800, MEA is the largest association of teachers in the state and one of the largest in the country.  Although it is not specified as a union, it is considered a bargaining unit for educators. MEA bylaws have numerous references to division of power and position by race, and makes consistent use of the term “ethnic minority” to describe the majority of its membership.  African Americans make up 75-85 percent of the association.

When black and white associations joined in 1975, such language was deemed necessary to include in the bylaws to ensure minority representation. NEA once had similar guidelines to ensure diversity. Fentress said that now neither the state nor the national association has such stipulations in its bylaws.  NEA amended its policy in 1988 to comply with the Landrum-Griffin Act, a federal statute making it illegal to guarantee minority representation.  

Paul Birkmeier, governance policy specialist, said that NEA is required to comply with the federal law that opened up elections and “do not allow you to wall off any seats for the executive committee or board.”  He said that state association requirements may be different.

An NEA-affiliate, the Tennessee Education Association states in its bylaws that each of its affiliates, such as MEA, is “autonomous and responsible for its official actions.”  TEA has policies regarding minority representation for at-large positions and state NEA directors, but none regarding executive committee and board. A call to TEA regarding the number of affiliates that have MEA-like policies in place went unanswered at press time.

In order for a black candidate to run for president in off-years, an amendment to the bylaws is necessary. Fentress charges that the MEA board has circumvented efforts to change the bylaws, which requires three readings and a three-fourth vote. He said that the board disregarded a request made last school year to remove race-related election requirements.  

Fentress said a presentation in February was ruled a first reading instead of a second presentation, thereby leaving no time for a third reading before the Election Committee completed its work in last month.  Fentress said board members ignored the letter he sent indicating his intent to run.

Information on “eligible” candidates and ballots are being mailed to MEA members. Voting will take place April 14-18 at MEA headquarters.  Only members can vote.  

Fentress plans to challenge his lack of inclusion on the ballot that features current vice-president Stephanie Fitzgerald and Jim Underhill, two white candidates for president.

“I decided that I was not going to wait,” he said.