February 13, 2008

Among all of the gloomy days recently, this morning is a bright and sunny day. This has caused me to stop and reflect on the many things that are happening in our district and association.

For much of the time I have been president of the NUEA, we seem to have stepped from one crisis to another. From the insurance crisis in 1997 to the Board Wars and the continuing skirmishes that raged since 1998 until recently, to the difficult negotiations and the recent board elections, it has been one thing after another.

The one constant I have been able to rely on throughout this time is the support of the members of the NUEA. It is through this support that we have been able to maintain a affirmative working environment for us resulting in a great learning environment for our students. Year after year, our district continues to be a lighthouse for the rest of the state. Our members have never lost sight of the fact that we are here to provide the best possible education for the students of Naperville .

No matter how hard the storm raged around us, our focus has always been on the students.

The recent success with the referendum highlighted for me the fact that this year is different from the past years. While the focus and dedication remains the same, there seems to be a subsiding of the storms. This has been a calmer year. Granted, the work on the referendum was intense and we always see our work as urgent, but the world around us seems brighter. The stakeholders of District 203 are working in collaboration towards the same goals and outcomes. The conversations I have participated in recently in the district have a different tenor about them. Instead of being urgent to meet the continuing crises, there is more of a focus of the vision of the future of education in Naperville .

You can see farther when the horizon is clearer.

Today, I feel better about our future. As I reflect, I look back to the mission of the NUEA;

The Naperville Unit Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education, advance the educational profession, fulfill the mission of our schools, expand the rights and further the interests of the members of the NUEA.

This mission has helped us keep our focus and steer a course through the difficult years. It will continue to provide us guidance as we meet the challenges that we face in the coming years.

But, for now, we can enjoy the fruits of our hard work.

For all of this, I want to thank all of the members of the NUEA. I am very proud to be your president.

David Griffith