KNEA Awards

The Epperson-Peters Award is given to the KNEA local association member or local associations whose collective or individual efforts best exemplify the ideas of teacher efficacy.

This award is presented for activities that personify the spirit of Oleta Peters and Lila Epperson and have significant statewide impact on the education community.

This award shall represent encouragement of, striving for, and protecting individual and collective employment, and human and civil rights in the teaching community.

The award further assumes that all teachers are committed to those principles. However, those individuals and associations whose continuing and extraordinary efforts bring to life these principles are hereby recognized and encouraged to continue their efforts.

The activities of each local and/or individual shall be judged on their relative merits without comparison to other locals or individuals.

The Epperson-Peters Award shall acknowledge excellence in the following areas: (1) contract enforcement; (2) contract negotiation; (3) teacher rights; (4) protection of civil and human rights; (5) recognition of the right to be different (6) willingness to pursue legal and contractual rights without regard to individual consequences; (7) defense of academic freedom; (8) organizing of local associations for the benefit of improved working conditions; and (9) those personal qualities of perseverance, principles and compassion which are exhibited by the local association or local association member in the aforementioned areas.

Applications for the award may be submitted by: KNEA staff, a UniServ District, and individual KNEA members or local association.

Applications will be available at each UniServ District office and are to be sent to the KNEA President.

The award committee shall be comprised of seven members appointed annually by the KNEA Board of Directors.

The award committee shall include two UniServ Presidents, two members of the KNEA Board of Directors, the KNEA President, and one member each from the Professional Negotiations Advisory Council and the Human and Civil Rights Advisory Council.

No more than two representatives on the committee shall be from the same UniServ District. The committee may select recipients for the award or choose not to give the award.

KNEA shall fund the expenses of members to the committee.

The award shall be an amount of money based upon the income from invested funds as determined by the committee.

The Epperson-Peters Award shall be presented at the Representative Assembly.

The Epperson-Peters Award shall be permanently funded through a trust established for that purpose and shall not be funded from the general annual revenues of Kansas NEA.

Click here to download the application.

The KNEA Friend of Education Award is an annual recognition of a person or organization whose leadership, acts, and support have contributed to the improvement of public education on a statewide level.

Purpose

The KNEA Representative Assembly created the Friend of Education Award as an annual recognition of a person or organization whose leadership, acts, and support have contributed to the improvement of public education on a statewide level.

Qualifications

An individual nominated shall have exhibited leadership, acts, and support of education on a state level that establishes the nominee as a true friend of education, education employees, and students. A nominee need not be a resident of Kansas but should reflect philosophies and principles compatible with KNEA’s. An education nominee, if eligible, must hold NEA Active/Retired membership.

Nomination

Any KNEA member or local affiliate may nominate an individual or organization to the Friend of Education Award Committee by completing a nomination form and submitting it to KNEA. Nominations must be signed and include proof of the nominator’s KNEA membership or affiliation. Nominations should contain information on the following key points:

Name and address of the candidate, and name and address of the individual and local association nominating the candidate;

No more than 200 words describing the educational contribution(s) made by the candidate; and

A listing of the activities with which the nominee has been involved that have helped improve public education.

Selection of Recipient

A five-member committee, appointed by the KNEA President, will review each duly submitted nomination and recommend a recipient to the KNEA Board of Directors for approval. The Board is not required to make an annual award.

Click here to download the nomination form.

The HCR Award is given to an individual, school, educational association, or organization working in the field of Human and Civil Rights within the last five years.

Criteria

• Nominees may be individuals, schools, educational associations, and\or organizations working in the field of Human and Civil Rights within the last five years. These nominations might be for one or more of the following areas:

  • protecting the rights of others in such areas as child abuse, sexual abuse, missing children, civil rights, discrimination, etc.;

  • working to bring about improved interpersonal and\or intergroup relations;

  • working toward improvement in board-staff relationships;

  • working for further understanding and appreciation of multi-ethnic groups and other groups which suffer discrimination;

  • establishing cooperative working relationships with other groups concerned with education; and

  • promoting educational quality.

• Nominations will be accepted only from KNEA members and affiliates.

• All nominations must be submitted on the official nomination and documentation form.

• Appropriate support materials must accompany each nomination form. This documentation may include newspaper clippings, newsletters, programs, certificates, citations, photographs (of the nominee, trophies, plaques, etc.), scrapbooks (which might contain all of the above), or audio\video tapes (although transcripts are preferred). All support materials must be related to one or more of the criteria listed for the award.

• Support materials must be arranged in an orderly and sequential manner and limited to ten pages. Items must be properly numbered and labeled. Examples of previous support material can include, but are not limited to, newspaper clippings, certificates, photographs, scrapbooks and audio\video tapes. Please fasten together and mail in a large envelope or box. Do not send bulk items such as trophies, plaques, or valuable certificates - photographs of such items will suffice.

• A five-person selection committee will be appointed by the KNEA Board to select the award winner. This committee is comprised of two members of the Human and Civil Rights Advisory Council, two members of the KNEA Board of Directors, and the KNEA Vice-President.

The KNEA Board will present this award and the KNEA Representative Assembly.

The Board reserves the right to present no award in any given year.

Nominations and support materials are to be sent to the KNEA President.

Click here to download the nomination form.

A traveling trophy will be awarded to the UniServ District with the greatest percentage of membership increase based on January 15 membership figures. A permanent record of the recipient will be engraved on a plaque displayed at KNEA headquarters.

A certificate will be awarded to the UniServ District with the largest number increase in membership based on January 15 membership figures.

A certificate will be awarded to the UniServ District with the greatest market share of members based on January 15 membership figures.

A certificate will be awarded to the UniServ Districts with growth in market share of members based on January 15 membership figures.

The Wootton/Hensley Political Achievement Award is given to a KNEA member, UniServ District, local association, or political action committee whose activities further the educational opportunities for KNEA members and the students of Kansas, and has significant impact on the education community. This award recognizes outstanding service in the field of political action.

Purpose
This award shall be given in recognition of outstanding service in the field of political action. This award may be given to any KNEA member, UniServ District, Local Association or Political Action Committee whose activities further the educational opportunities for KNEA members and the children of Kansas. This award will be given to those people who best personify the spirit of Bob Wootton and Anthony Hensley and whose work will have significant impact on the education community. 

Nomination Process

• Nominations may come from individual KNEA members, KNEA staff, UniServ Districts, or Local Associations.

• Nomination forms may be obtained from any KNEA office, will be printed in an every-member KNEA publication, and will be sent to all Local and UniServ Presidents.

• Nominations will be submitted to the President of KNEA by February 1, and the President will choose and convene a selection committee which shall consist of no less than nine (9) members: the KNEA President, KNEA Vice President, three (3) members of KPAC, two (2) KNEA Board members, and two (2) UniServ Presidents.

• The Selection Committee shall have the discretion to award or not to award on a yearly basis.

• Committee expenses shall be the responsibility of KNEA/KPAC.

• The award, if given, will be presented at the annual State Representative Assembly.

Criteria
The award will be presented to the person(s) primarily responsible for furthering the mission and\or objectives of KNEA in one or more of the following:

• Electing a statewide candidate

• Electing a legislative candidate

• Electing a state board of education candidate

• Electing members to a local board of education

• Passage of legislation beneficial to the professional advancement of Kansas teachers

• Passage of legislation beneficial to the children of Kansas

• Lobbying activities beneficial to the mission and objectives of KNEA

• Organizing and implementing local, UniServ, or state political activities

• Tenacity in the face of adversity

• Activities beneficial to the mission and objectives of KNEA.

• Involvement in training, guiding, and nurturing those who become involved in the political process

The award shall be a plaque recognizing the significant achievement made by the person or group in the area of political action.

Click here to download the nomination form.

The KNEA Educational Support Professional (ESP) Award is established to recognize contributions by an ESP member for their efforts to advance the KNEA and ESP activities within the Association in one or more of the following areas:

• Impact on students.

• Impact on families and community.

• Union engagement and activism, with a focus on ESP workforce issues.

• Impact on colleagues.

Eligibility Requirements
The nominee must have been a member of the KNEA for at least three years prior to the date of nomination. Members of the KNEA Board of Directors and members of the KNEA ESP Task Force are not eligible during their terms of appointment, unless retiring from the profession at the end of the year in which nominated. Nominations may be submitted by local associations or by individuals working through their local association officers.

Nomination
Any KNEA member or local affiliate may nominate an individual for the KNEA ESP Award by completing a nomination form and submitting it by Feb. 1 of each year. The nominator will need to work with the nominee to fill out the nomination form. 

Selection
All nominees must comply with the nomination guidelines. The five-member KNEA Selection Committee, appointed by the President, will review all nominations to ensure eligibility and submission requirements have been met.

The Selection Committee may recommend a candidate to the KNEA Board of Directors for approval.

The Board is not required to make an annual award.

Notification
If a nominee is selected for the award, the award will be presented at the KNEA Representative Assembly (RA). At the discretion of the KNEA President, the nominee may be considered for nomination at the State National ESP Of the Year Nominee for the Kansas NEA Affiliate.

Click here to download the nomination form.

A certificate will be awarded the UniServ District with the greatest percentage of its members contributing to the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education through Electronic Funds Transfer. The calculations will be based on data as of February 1.

This award shall be given in recognition of outstanding service in public education. This award may be given to any KNEA member, KNEA staff, UniServ District or Local Association who advocates for KNEA members and education professionals. This award will be given to those people who best personify the larger-than-life spirit of Jack Williamson.

Criteria
This award will be presented to the person(s) responsible for furthering the mission and/or objectives of KNEA in one or more of the following:

• Providing outstanding service on multiple levels

• Seeking common ground with diverse groups

• Being an effective communicator by using technology in innovative ways to reach out to members

• Organizing and participating in political action

• Handling confrontation yet relishing in the good fight

• Keeping up with current trends and issues in education

• Organizing and implementing activities at the local, UniServ and state levels.

Click here to download the nomination form.

Please send the completed nomination form and other documents to

      Kimberly.Howard@knea.org, Fax: 785-232-6012

      Or Mail: KNEA- Attn. Higher Ed Award, 715 SW 10th Ave, Topeka, SK 66612

This award is open to all NEA higher education members. The recipient for the NEA Higher Educator of the Year award must have approximately ten years of professional service in higher education as of January 1, 2025, and have demonstrated consistent advocacy for higher education unions at any level (local, state, national).

Selection Criteria

The NEA Higher Educator of the Year Selection Committee will review all nominations to ensure eligibility and submission requirements are met. Nominations will be considered per the three following criteria:

• Professional Practice, including, but not limited to: demonstrated development of innovative student-centered learning tools, research methods, curricula, and appropriate discipline-based course delivery methods.

• Labor-based Advocacy, including, but not limited to: demonstrated development of a union consciousness/social awareness regarding the critical role organized labor plays in the higher education landscape.

• Community Engagement, including, but not limited to: a demonstrated pattern of participation in local/community organizations, events, and activities associated with strengthening the ties between higher education and other service-related organizations.

Click here to download the nomination form.