Education has always been the
pillar of our community and state. In 1863 there were 564 teachers in the state of Kansas, and
34 of them gathered in Leavenworth in the fall to establish the Kansas State
Teachers Association. On October 1, 2013, the Kansas National Education
Association will celebrate its 150th anniversary by planting a
Legacy Tree in Tenth Avenue Park (located
at the Leavenworth Tree Legacy which is in the city area by Warren Middle
School). An invitational flyer is attached. The tree planting ceremony will be led by
KNEA President Karen Godfrey, Vice President Mark Farr and Secretary Sherri
Schwanz.
KNEA will also appear on the City Commission agenda for a
proclamation on September 24th at 7 pm.
More History
KNEA’s rich
history began in Leavenworth with the organization of its first local teachers
association. The leaders of the Leavenworth organization put out the call
to all teachers in the state to join together in one organized group. A
series of resolutions explained that the purpose of the new organization
included “securing in Kansas the best system of public schools;” and
recommending appropriate “provision for the school buildings, personal
attention of parents to the progress of their children at school, the
employment of teachers of good mental and moral qualification and daily reading
of the Bible…” (100 Years in Kansas Education by C.O. Wright). The
minutes from the first meeting celebrated the new organization by reporting,
“Teachers and friends of education return to their respective fields of labor
with the consciousness of having discharged their full duty in a noble
cause.”
Today, the Kansas
National Education continues its mission to advocate for education
professionals and to unite KNEA members, Kansans, and the nation to fulfill the
promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse
and interdependent world. KNEA members have adopted a set of core values
that guide their work as an organization and define their mission. These
core values are: Equal Opportunity for All, a Just Society, Democracy,
Professionalism, Partnership and Collective Action.
Superintendent
Isaac Goodnow served as the first president of KSTA. Superintendent
Goodnow earlier established Bluemont Central College which later became Kansas
State University.