About DSEA

DSEA's Minority Action Plan 2008
What the story behind the DSEA logo?
DSEA Executive Board seat open

Our Mission

"The Delaware State Education Association, a union of public school employees, advocates for the rights and interests of its members and outstanding public education for all students."

One Voice for great public schools

More than just words, that is our mission. DSEA is the voice of education employees - in the General Assembly and the courts, in contract talks and before school boards and state agencies - wherever people make decisions affecting school employees, our schools, agencies -- our students and their families.

Our goals

... to increase the capacity of the local affiliates and members to effectively ADVOCATE for their needs
... to ADVOCATE and build public support necessary for a quality public education for all students
... to increase MEMBERSHIP, member commitment and involvement in activities of the union and its affiliates, and
... to maximize member involvement in the POLITICAL ACTION process in order to impact policy and laws for the benefit of our members
... to increase the capacity of our human resource, fiscal and communication SYSTEMS
... to utilize the best TECHNOLOGY available to collect and share information that will enable effective decision-making.

DSEA believes...

... that public education is the best way to provide opportunities for all in a democratic society;
... that our members in public education and public health are our most valuable resources. It is through their empowerment and involvement that we will achieve our mission and goals;
... that advocacy on behalf of our members and public education is the primary focus of our organization; and
.. that we build relationships based on fairness, dignity and respect.

Minority Action Plan

DSEA and NEA both have a long history of commitment to respecting and involving all members - no matter their color or creed. NEA requires its state affiliates, in fact, to submit a "Minority Action Plan" each year about how it will achive ethnic-minority delegate representation within our Association in numbers commensurate with the population of the state. Posted here is a copy of DSEA's current Minority Action Plan as approved by the NEA Board of Directors in January of 2008.

What does this symbol mean?

This symbol is used in NEA logo inside the letter "e." The letter pi in the symbol is the first letter of the ancient Greek word for education, paideia. The arrow symbolizes education's focus on the future. The triangle represents an Association membership united in purpose at the national, state and local levels.
We call it the UEP symbol for the United Education Profession.

Kent County Board seat open

With the appointment of Exec. Board Member Karen Crouse to the treasurer's position, there is now a vacancy for a board member representing Kent County. The term for this vacant seat will expire in August of 2009.

Any member who works in Kent County and who has been a member for at least one year is invited to send a letter of intent and interest to the attention of DSEA President Diane Donohue by e-mail, fax or letter to DSEA, 136 E. Water St., Dover, DE 19901; fax 1-302-674-8499.

The deadline is end of the business day October 30, 2008. The Board will vote on their decision at their November 14 Exec. Board meeting. If you have any questions regarding the vacant seat, or the duties of Board members, please do not hesitate to contact Donohue or her assistant, Sandy Dearman at 1-866-734-5834 or by email.

DSEA Executive Board adopts new slogan and logo

At its January 2008 meeting, the DSEA Executive Board approved a change in the DSEA logo (left), the symbol we use to carry our "brand" to members and the public. They also adopted a new slogan, or positioning statement, "Moving Education Forward.".
The former logo (right), adopted in the early 1980's, was created to mirror the logo of our national affiliate, the National Education Association, seen above.

Since its original adoption in the 1980's, the organization has revised its Strategic Plan twice, as well as change its mission statement.

The rationale for the development of a new logo was to create one that looked more contemporary and which included a positioning statement. Why? to use our logo space to carry not only artwork, but also a message. We use the logo hundreds of times a year. It is seen by thousands of members, potential members, policy makers and families. It needs to work harder for us than our previous logo.We also sought to do extensive research of our members' opinions, as well as researh into other education logos, education association logos, plus the latest on the best practices in logo designs today.

On the other hand, we found out that many members relate strongly to the former logo, that it does carry significant meaning for them. We found the same with outside people as well. Hence, a decision was made not to stray too far in look from the previous logo.

Once the research pointed us towards a positioning statement of “Moving education forward,” the logo design we needed to reflect that message became clearer in our minds.

The font is more modern than our current font, yet still lower case – so as not to deviate too radically from our former, long-standing logo.

It is italicized to reflect the energy and motion of the positioning statement, Moving Education Forward.
There was strong opinion, among members especially, to somehow reflect the State of Delaware in the logo. We used the state's blue and gold colors to acknowledge that preference.
The “E,” which stands for EDUCATION, was highlighted with the deep gold color to make this critical word stand out. Its different shape also achieves that purpose.The rounded shape of the letter "E" reminds the public that Education is a human endeavor, a science but also an art, involving people. For a caring profession such as education, hard, square corners on the E would not have been appropriate.
Adding the movement lines behind the "E" further reflects the positioning statement and adds energy to the design.
The E - with its movement lines - can also stand alone and further illustrate the positioning statement. Perhaps some day when the E is used alone, people will think “Moving Education Forward – ah yes, DSEA!”
The "E" is touching the "A" for good reason. This symbolizes the intrinsic relationship between public education and the Association; that they operate together; that professional issues and workplace issues affect each other; that the Association is not "just a union" or "just a professional association," but rather both; that this union of education employees works together to improve the profession and public education; and finally, that we all work together - teacher, specialist and Education Support Staff members - to "Move Education Forward" for our students, families and society.