Kris Finley, National Board President

ELEA National Board Members representing each network around the country met in Columbus Ohio October 11-14, 2001. Through a generous grant from Aid Association for Lutherans, we spent a day with Betty M. Lovelace, Ed.D., Director of Multicultural Affairs at Denison University, Granville, Ohio. Dr. Betty Lovelace led the group in exploring diversity issues. Dr. Lovelace was highly informative and thought provoking as she helped us face many of our personal biases. We gained an understanding of what still divides us as people and were challenged to be more aware of diversity opportunities in our own lives and in our Lutheran Schools and Centers.

Juanita Harder, manager of Educational Programs in Church Relations from Aid Association for Lutherans, was one of our guest speakers for the weekend. Juanita presented AAL’s new initiative “Committed to Kids” to the ELEA board. This initiative will work to strengthen nurturing relationships between children and their primary caregivers, as well as to enhance the quality of Lutheran early childhood centers across the United States. For more information about this exciting initiative, please look on page 5 in this issue.

In the board meeting of the National Board of ELEA there was action taken that we want you be informed about. First, the Board moved to accept a new ELEA Network Standards document that will be of help for the Networks. This document will encourage each Network to function similarly, with the intent to maintain local services or to facilitate revitalization of services in Networks. The Network Standards document will soon be in the mail to all Network officers.

The Board has decided to initiate dialogue concerning possible membership invitation and/or research options for sharing resources with the Schools and Centers in the church bodies with which the ELCA is in full communion.

ELEA has received a grant from Lutheran Brotherhood in the amount of $15,000 to start a Resource Library to provide staff development training resources for a small cost to our member schools and centers. We are very excited about the opportunity to provide this extra benefit. The need now exists to provide an assistant in the National Office of ELEA to oversee this ministry. The Board moved to increase ELEA membership dues starting with the 2002-2003 membership year to provide an office assistant for the resource library. School /Center membership dues will increase from $125 per year to $140 per year. Individual membership will increase from $60 per year to $70 per year.

Over the past three years there has been discussion regarding the need to make changes to the ELEA Constitution and Bylaws. After continued attention to this matter there was a draft of amendments to the Constitution presented at this meeting. Proposed amendments to the Constitution were passed unanimously. According to the Constitution these proposed amendments must be ratified by the entire membership holding two-thirds of the votes cast via a mail ballot. The National ELEA office will now be planning for this vote and you will receive information in the coming weeks regarding your action.

The National Board of ELEA is an excellent group of committed Principals and Directors of ELCA Schools and Centers who volunteer their time to the board not only during this annual meeting, but have ongoing responsibilities in committees throughout the year. Please take time to thank them for their dedication and willingness to serve in this capacity. You will find a complete list of the board members on page 11 in this issue.

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