Suggestions for Strengthening Your Branch
- Plan budgets, times and locations of meetings to ensure that executive and/or committee members are not out-of-pocket as a result of their association work.
- All branch executive members and committee chairpersons should regard it as one of their responsibilities to groom their potential successors.
- The branch president should be an effective ex-officio member of all branch committees (as far as time permits). Otherwise the president should involve the vice-president and, if necessary, other branch officers in this work.
- Ensure that professional development concerns are handled by the branch.
- Assign branch officers to visit school staffs regularly to discuss areas of Association concern and teacher concern for inclusion in the agenda of meetings and/or for executive action.
- When necessary, use time at meetings of school staffs to discuss association issues.
- Make it a priority to start early to develop a slate of candidates to ensure competition in branch elections. A nominations committee should be in place at the beginning of each branch year and should be encouraged to identify the needs of the branch and work at recruiting persons capable of meeting these needs.
- Take advantage of opportunities to have branch personnel (executive and members) speak at local groups and write in local publications on educational issues.
- Make the NLTA aware of educational concerns to be addressed by the school board-teacher liaison committee.
- Develop meaningful liaison with the school board representatives in your area.
- Ensure that “grassroots” opinions are heard provincially.
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