IEA 2007-2008 FACT SHEET

Purpose: In 1892 the Idaho Education Association founders adopted their first constitution. It said the organization’s purpose was to improve the teaching profession, promote child and teacher welfare and advance education through the efforts of members working together. While the Association has grown and constantly reviews its direction, those purposes remain the IEA’s unaltered foundation.

Membership: IEA's total membership was 12,330 as of Sept. 7, 2007.

Governance: For distribution of services to members, the IEA is divided into nine regions with offices in Coeur d’Alene (Region 1), Lewiston (Region 2), Twin Falls (Region 4), Pocatello (Region 5), Idaho Falls (Region 6), Meridian (Region 9), and Boise (Regions 3, 7, and 8). The annual Delegate Assembly, composed of more than 500 members, determines IEA’s policies. The Delegate Assembly for this year will be April 11-12, 2008 in Boise. Between annual meetings, the IEA is governed by a 32-person board of directors elected from throughout the state. Local affiliates in almost every Idaho school district represent their members in collective bargaining, member rights, public relations, academic freedom, grievance resolution, and a myriad of other services.

Staff: The IEA employs 33 professional and associate staff throughout the state.

Leaders:
President. Sherri Wood is an Idaho native who graduated from Marsing High School and the University of Idaho. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education. She has been a learning disabilities/resource room teacher in the Caldwell School District for 28 years.

Vice President. A California native, Marty Meyer has worked in the Coeur d’Alene School District for 26 years. He is the day custodian at Fernan Elementary School where students call him by his first name and rely upon him for assistance. He was recognized by the NEA as the Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year in 2003.

NEA Director. Penni Cyr has been the librarian at Moscow High School for eight years. Previously, she was an elementary librarian, elementary teacher, and junior high computers and math teacher. She has held numerous leadership positions in the Moscow Education Association and represented IEA Region 2 on the IEA Board of Directors for nearly five years.

Executive Director. James A. (Jim) Shackelford became IEA's seventh executive director on March 1, 1992. He was an IEA region director from 1977-1986, when he became the IEA associate executive director. An Oklahoma native, Shackelford earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma. He taught junior high English for five years.