The Moment is Here: Take Back Your Union!

Polls Finally Open

The moment we have been collectively building toward has finally arrived, RUNners! This morning, the doors to a fair, transparent, and democratic future for the Education Association of Alexandria (EAA) have swung wide open.

First and foremost: Thank you.

Thank you to every classroom teacher, education support professional, counselor, bus driver/monitor, and staff member who stood by this campaign. When the establishment tried to silence us by subverting due process, your outcry forced the Virginia Education Association (VEA) to step in and reset the scales. You didn't back down when the race got uncomfortable, and because of your resilience, we are able to RUN our slate of candidates today!

Why This Vote Matters Right Now

We don't need to remind you what is at stake.

The events of the last few weeks have laid bare the necessity of a union leadership that actively fights for its rank-and-file members, rather than hiding behind a wall of silence and excuses. For example in the past few weeks alone ACPS educators have faced:

• The Budget Betrayal: We watched the School Board pass a deeply unpopular budget in an 8-1 vote. They chose to protect vacant Central Office administrative seats over fully funding critical student resources like the Communities in Schools (CIS) program.

• The Contract Chaos: We endured a stressful set of weeks of administrative failures when ACPS distributed inaccurate employment salary notifications/contracts, leaving educators in complete limbo about their professional futures.

• The Ghost-Ship Leadership: Through all of this chaos, the current EAA leadership remained entirely absent, only breaking their silence to issue defensive statements blaming the VEA for their own lack of basic labor law compliance.

When our union leadership is missing in action, the school division administration operates without accountability. We are drawing a line in the sand today. No more frozen steps. No more "bargaining blind." No more excuses.

Your Voting Playbook: How to Cast Your Ballot

The electronic voting window is officially open. Because this re-RUN is being independently overseen by the VEA, the process is secure, secret, and completely insulated from local establishment interference.

The Voting Window

Opens: Monday, June 29, 2026, at 6:00 AM

Closes: Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 7:00 PM

How to Vote

1. Check Your Inbox: Look for an email from the independent vendor, BallotPoint Election Services, sent to your personal email address.
2. Vote the Full Slate: To pass our aggressive reform and accountability agenda with minimal obstacles, we need a true working majority on the EAA Board of Directors. Vote for our core executive team and our down-ballot champions:

• David Paladin-Fernandez for President

• Dr. Tyron Barnes for Vice President

• Howard Van der Sluis for Treasurer

Our endorsed candidates for Building Representatives (Directors) across your respective ACPS workplaces (view the guides below for your respective schools!):

EAA OFFICER CANDIDATE GUIDE

ACHS BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE GUIDE

FRANCIS HAMMOND BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE

GEORGE WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE

JEFFERSON-HOUSTON BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE

PATRICK HENRY BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE

WILLIAM RAMSAY BUILDING REPRESENTATIVE

3. Missing Your Ballot? If you have not received your voting instructions from BallotPoint, contact the state election committee immediately at vea.elections@veanea.org to verify your personal email record.

The Results Announcement

Once the digital polls close on Tuesday evening, we will not have to wait in the dark. The VEA will host an all-member webinar to officially announce the results of this election.

• When: Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 8:00 PM

• Where: Virtual Webinar (Registration info will be sent directly via email by the VEA).

We have proven that our voices are impossible to ignore. Now, let’s prove that our votes are just as powerful. Reach out to three colleagues in your building right now, make sure they check their personal emails, and let's finish what we started.

We will have more information about things like next steps on collective bargaining (vote no on the current CBA), our contracts and more later!

For now, just focus on locking your vote in and then reaching out to everyone you to tell them to vote RUN!

Let's hit the ground RUNning!