Delsea Regional chemistry teacher will serve with Steve Beatty, Petal Robertson
Tina Dare, a high school chemistry teacher at Delsea Regional High School, has been elected secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey Education Association. Her two-year term begins on Sept. 1. NJEA’s officers are elected by the NJEA membership at large. Last fall, current NJEA Vice President Steve Beatty and current NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson were elected by acclamation to serve as the union’s next president and vice president, respectively.
Dare is a veteran New Jersey educator who has previously held a number of union leadership positions, including president of the Delsea Education Association, treasurer of the Gloucester County Education Association and chair of the NJEA Government Relations Committee. While serving as NJEA’s secretary-treasurer, she will be on leave from her position at Delsea.
Current NJEA President Sean Spiller congratulated Dare. “Tina is a tremendous advocate for NJEA members, our students and our public schools. I’m confident that NJEA members will be in good hands under Steve, Petal and Tina’s leadership. This is a critical time for New Jersey and the nation, so I’m glad our union will continue to have strong, committed leadership in the coming years.”
Beatty and Robertson also congratulated her on her election. “We look forward to working closely with Tina to continue the momentum we are building at NJEA. She understands the challenges we face and carries a deep commitment to advocacy and justice into this work. We are in the midst of a critical election season here in New Jersey and are facing a crisis of democracy nationally. Tina will bring great energy and another perspective to our work and will be a great representative for NJEA members across the state as we work to elect Sean Spiller as governor, protect public education and maintain the nation’s best public schools.”
Dare expressed her excitement about her new role as well. “I thank my fellow members for trusting me with this responsibility. We are facing many challenges right now, but we also have many opportunities to show what real union solidarity can accomplish. I’m excited to work with Steve, Petal and all NJEA members to elevate our profession, protect our students and make our great public schools even stronger.”
Spiller, NJEA’s endorsed candidate for governor, will continue as president of NJEA through the end of his term on Aug. 31. Beatty, Robertson and Dare will assume their new roles on Sept. 1. NJEA’s state officers are elected to two-year terms and are eligible to be reelected once to each office.