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Benefits of Membership

Why Join KNEA?

Joining KNEA is good for you personally and professionally... and it's good for kids. You receive member benefits and networking opportunities. You build relationships with colleagues across the state and nation. You have a proven, credible resource in helping your students succeed.

Regardless of how long you plan to stay in the profession, KNEA is your professional organization because it is comprised of professionals like you. We're the one to go to for ideas and answers. We are like a family, a union of professionals who agree that kids and education are important - and the people who are working in schools are important, too.

- Who are KNEA members?
- What do we do?
- Where we're going...

Who are KNEA members?

We are diverse. We are teachers, educators and pre-professionals. We are 4th grade teachers, science middle school teachers, high school English teachers and coaches. We are special education teachers, college professors and students just taking their first foundations class. We are administrators, support professionals and those who continue to serve the teaching profession through their retired membership.

• More simply put, we are your favorite teacher when you were in school.
• We are your friends, your colleagues and your mentors.
  
• We are united in our belief and support for public schools and the teaching profession. We know that it is part of our professional responsibility to unite together for the good of our students and for our profession.
• We are a volunteer organization supported by our members' dues, grants from the National Education Association and the good work of our members.
  
• We are 26,000 members strong in Kansas and 2.7 million members strong across the country. Regardless of the job classification, we are all teachers.

What do we do?

Our members set policy, establish our budget and develop legislative priorities. While most of our members work each day in the classroom, others volunteer to keep an eye on the big picture of education - lobbying, negotiating, and protecting contractual and constitutional rights.

KNEA members hire professional staff located across the state who are available to consult on teaching and learning, student achievement, and legal and salary issues. We support new and continuing professionals by helping to create or improve established mentoring programs.

KNEA provides a clearinghouse for the best professional development opportunities, the latest research on proven school improvement activities and special discounts on a variety of books and teaching materials to help you be your best.

We offer training through the "I Can Do It" training series on classroom management that can be translated into IDP (Individualized Development Program) points that you can use for renewing your licensure. Specialized bargaining training has recently been approved for college credit.

KNEA, in conjunction with the Southeast Kansas Education Center in Greenbush, offers training for Professional Development Council (PDC) members on quality professional development and implementing the new state PDC regulations.

There is a KNEA member in virtually every school building across Kansas. These members are ready and willing to assist you in becoming a successful teacher. We promote quality public schooling through programs such as Read Across America and American Education Week. We work proactively with the Kansas Learning First Alliance, Kansas Business-Education Coalition, school boards and administrators to promote public schools.

We provide liability insurance protection plus access to specially trained staff and KNEA attorneys should you ever find yourself with job-related legal trouble. We also provide an attorney-referral program for non-job related issues.

Every person has unique financial needs. Through NEA/KNEA Member Benefits, special services and group discounts help you make the most of your money through discounted car and homeowner's insurance, low-interest signature loans, financial planning advice and guidance in building your retirement nest egg. Whether this is your first job or a mid-life career change, KNEA has special programs that can meet your financial needs.

Where we're going...

We have three priorities. Every program, every decision is based on how to meet the goals within these strategic priorities.

Quality Public Schools (Quality Schools)
We are committed to ensuring every Kansas public school student is learning and achieving. How? We provide a wealth of information that helps teachers narrow the achievement gap. This clearinghouse plus various safe school resources can be found on this Web site.

Strengthening the Teaching Profession (Quality Teaching)
We are committed to providing a highly skilled, competent, qualified and diverse teaching force. How? We established standards for programs for mentoring and for programs that help new teachers adjust to their school and classroom. We also make sure professional development is ongoing and relevant to what teachers do on the job every day.

Improving the Well Being of Members (For Members)
We are committed to attracting the best-qualified teachers to the profession. How? We know that in order to attract quality teachers, school districts must pay professional salaries. Schools must continue to reward teachers throughout their careers. While teachers care for their students and other members of the school family, providing for their own family is equally important. KNEA members are determined to advocate for higher salaries for all education professionals.