Ohio Education Association Statement Regarding Harris V. Quinn U.S Supreme Court Decision
COLUMBUS – June 30, 2014 – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a narrow decision on Harris v. Quinn when it eliminated fair share fee arrangements for Illinois home healthcare workers.
The following statement can be attributed to OEA President, Becky Higgins:
“The suggestion by commentators that public employee unions dodged a harsher ruling should not cause us to lose sight of who brought this case and what their agenda remains. The so-called “Right to Work” alliance is still intent on diminishing, if not eliminating, the rights of working people. And they have their sights set on Ohio.
“So-called “Right-to-Work” is confusing, complicated and controversial. “Right-to-Work” isn’t what it seems. It’s wrong for educators, working people and for the middle class. It is just another attempt by CEO’s and corporate interests to limit your freedom at work and end unions so they can tip the balance more in their favor at the expense of working people and the middle class. So-called “Right-to-Work” would silence the voice of educators, who are the best advocates for stronger public schools, better services for Ohio’s students and adequate resources in the classroom.”
From the National Education Association’s Office of General Counsel:
This morning the Supreme Court issued its decision in Harris v. Quinn, which raised the question of whether an Illinois statute that permitted home health care workers to organize and pay a fee for their representation to the union selected to represent them, violated the First Amendment. In a decision issued by Justice Alito and joined by the four other conservative Justices on the Supreme Court, the Court held that the statute did violate the First Amendment. In so doing, the majority extensively criticized the doctrinal foundation of Abood, the 1977 decision allowing the collection of agency fees in the public sector, and concluded as follows: “Because of Abood’s questionable foundations, and because the personal assistants are quite different from full-fledged public employees, we refuse to extend Abood to the new situation now before us.”
Today’s decision is a significant blow to SEIU and places in jeopardy efforts to create effective new statutory frameworks for organizing home health care workers and child care workers. It will also fuel significant litigation attacking Abood agency fee arrangements. But as of today, those arrangements – which include all of the agency fee arrangements used by NEA and its affiliates – survive. NEA OGC will have a full analysis of today’s decision a little later today.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
Teacher Evaluation Language Good “First Step, But More Fixes Are Needed”
COLUMBUS – June 3, 2014 – Ohio Education Association President Becky Higgins said today that the compromise reached by the House and the Senate in the teacher evaluation provisions of HB362 were a step in the right direction but more work needs to be done to fix the state’s flawed teacher evaluation system.
HB 362, which was overwhelmingly approved by both branches, sets up an alternative framework that reduces from 50% to 42.5% both student growth measures and classroom performance as factors in teacher evaluations. It also provides local flexibility in determining how the remaining 15% of an evaluation will be calculated.
“We would have preferred to have seen the changes that were initially proposed in SB 229, which was unanimously approved by the Senate,” said OEA President Higgins. “But today’s actions by the House and Senate represent some progress which can be built on in the future. We appreciate that lawmakers listened to the concerns of educators and are thankful for the steps taken by the Senate leadership and the tenacity of Senators Gardner and Lehner in making this progress happen.”
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
OEA Urges State Auditor To Probe Allegations Of Charter School Malpractices
COLUMBUS – June 3, 2014 – The Ohio Education Association (OEA) today called on State Auditor David Yost to look into the serious questions raised by one of its members, Matt Blair, about activities that he observed while teaching at a the Horizon Science Academy in Dayton, Ohio.
In a letter sent yesterday to the State Superintendent and the State Board of Education, Blair said that he witnessed what he believes to be unethical behavior, including “officials pulling at-risk students out of class during standardized testing (and) Turkish men who came in on a Saturday to darken ‘in the answers for students who wrote too lightly’ on standardized tests.”
Blair asked Board members to “determine whether the apparent cheating and other irregularities I witnessed were properly investigated and whether they continue today.”
The initial reaction by officials at the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to Blair’s allegations, which first appeared on the OEA website in December, 2013, was to try to put a positive spin on the activities at the charter school. No real effort appears to have been made to investigate Blair’s claims, according to publicly-released documents.
“ODE’s apparent failure to conduct a thorough examination of the issues raised by Matt Blair does not inspire confidence in ODE’s ability to oversee charter school operations,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “It is for that reason that we urge Auditor Yost to act and to conduct a probe worthy of the serious questions that have been raised.”
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
OEA Calls For Suspension Of State-Imposed High-Stakes Decisions In Implementation Of New Common Core Standards
COLUMBUS — May 12, 2014 — Nearly a thousand education leaders from schools throughout the state who gathered Friday and Saturday at the Ohio Education Association’s Spring Representative Assembly voted unanimously to support proposed legislation that would hit the pause button on all state-imposed high-stakes decisions based on student test results in the implementation of Ohio’s New Learning Standards. This would allow school districts across the state to have adequate time to prepare students to succeed. Assessments based on the new standards are scheduled to take effect in the next school year.
Like too many others across the country, OEA members and their students are beleaguered by the ever-increasing weight of standardized testing. From federal mandates tied to the No Child Left Behind Act to the growing number of state-level achievement tests, Ohio’s students are being subjected to the overuse and misuse of standardized tests. Too often, what students are being taught and what is being tested are not aligned, particularly now as Ohio educators continue to develop curricula to match new and higher-level learning standards.
“We want to hit the pause button on all state-imposed high-stakes decisions tied to student test results so that educators and the communities in which they work will have the time, resources and freedom to explore and design appropriate curricula,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “OEA is committed to making sure schools have the resources they need to give educators the means to help students succeed.”
In a 2013 PDK/Gallup poll of public attitudes toward public education, 77 percent of respondents said increased testing has either hurt or made no difference in improving schools. A recent poll in this state revealed that 42% believe that too much emphasis on standardized tests is the most serious problem facing Ohio public schools, making it the number one education concern of Ohio voters. The misuse and overuse of standardized testing harms children, demoralizes educators, and undermines public confidence in our schools.
Classroom teachers throughout the state echo these sentiments. Erin Salzer, a special education teacher from Pickerington noted, “Attaching high-stakes accountability to new standards and new assessments without providing students the time to learn the foundational skills necessary to be successful in the new standards only sets students up for failure and parents for frustration.”
“Smart implementation of the new standards is about giving students and educators the time and tools they need to succeed,” said Higgins. “Ohio should heed the warning sign of what’s happened in other states, such as New York, where the hasty and ill-conceived implementation of Common Core assessments have caused parents and educators to lose faith in the new standards. We need time for those making the assessments to get it right.”
The OEA recognizes the need for ongoing comprehensive assessment of student growth and believes the primary purpose of any assessment should be to assist students and their parents in identifying strengths and needs and to encourage students to become lifelong learners. A three-year safe harbor on high stakes decisions tied to standardized testing will give educators and their communities the time, resources and freedom to deliver the teaching and learning conditions fundamental to student success.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
Waverly Student Wins Ohio Education Association Black History Month Essay Contest
COLUMBUS—March 27, 2014—Noah Clifton, a fourth-grade student at Waverly Intermediate Elementary School, is the 2014 winner of the Ohio Education Association (OEA) Black History Month essay contest that asked students “What Freedom Means to me as we honor Black History Month.” OEA President Becky Higgins visited Waverly Intermediate Elementary School to present Noah with a $50 check, a book about black history and a celebratory pizza party for him and his classmates.
Clifton, a student of OEA member Dawn Malone-Smith, won the Black History Month essay contest for his essay on Freedom Soldiers. Ohio students in grades 4-6 were eligible to compete.
As part of its recognition of Black History Month, OEA aired a radio commercial in which Noah read the following excerpt from his winning essay: “Black History month makes me think about people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, whose courageous acts made freedom possible for so many more people. As we celebrate Black history Month, I hope everyone thinks about the important rights we enjoy today and the sacrifices others have made for us.”
The essay contest provides students with the opportunity to learn more about African-American contributions and the achievement of freedom against many odds. It also showcases the students’ creativity and talent.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
Cat-A-Van Reading Tour Hits The Road To Get Kids Reading, Brushing
NEA, Delta Dental Of Ohio Celebrate Read Across America By Asking Students To Grab Their Hats And Read With The Cat
WASHINGTON — February 20, 2014 — The Cat in the Hat is back in Ohio, and he’s revving up his engines to get kids excited about reading—and brushing their teeth!
This year’s official Read Across America celebrations will start in Seuss-tastic style when NEA’s Cat-a-Van Reading Tour hits the road on February 24, and will cover more than 20 cities—including three cities in Ohio—before capping off its three-week, 4,000-mile journey on March 14. The special Cat-a-Van Reading Tour, sponsored by the National Education Association and Delta Dental of Ohio will visit thousands of school children along the special reading route to deliver a very important message to students: 2 x 2 + 20 = good oral health and literacy habits.
The campaign is designed to increase the awareness around good oral health and literacy habits by asking children and their parents to brush for two minutes, two times per day, and read for 20 minutes each day for a daily total of 24 minutes. Reports show that American students miss 51 million hours of school every year because of oral health problems. In fact, tooth decay continues to be the single most common chronic childhood illness—about five times more common than asthma.
“Educators know that students need to come to school ready and able to learn, and students who are absent from class due to health problems are missing out on critical instruction time,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Everyone from Horton to the Grinch can benefit from developing good oral health and reading habits.”
Recent findings out of the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC showed students who experience oral health pain are four times more likely to have lower grade point averages. Still other studies reveal that students who don’t read at grade level by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.
More than 20 cities will be visited by the famous Cat in the Hat on NEA’s Cat-a-Van Reading Tour. Stops along the reading route in Ohio include Reynoldsburg and Hilliard in the greater Columbus area, as well as Akron.
As part of NEA’s Cat-a-Van Reading Tour, more than 30,000 special stovepipe “reading” hats, books and toothbrushes plus other goodies like tooth timers will be distributed to students to keep them reading and brushing at home. Delta Dental of Ohio also will be distributing more than $15,000 in grants to the libraries and media centers of the public schools visited by the Cat-a-Van Reading Tour to help keep their libraries stocked with books and other reading inspiration.
Originally created as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading, NEA’s Read Across America was founded by NEA and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., and has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day. Now in its 17th year, more than 45 million people young and old participate annually in the literacy program. Since Dr. Seuss’s March 2nd birthday falls on a Sunday this year, the official Read Across America Day will be celebrated Monday, March 3 to allow schools nationwide to participate in the reading fun.
“The success behind NEA’s Read Across America is that it gets kids excited about reading,” added Van Roekel. “When children love to the read, Oh, the places they can go!”
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
Staci Maiers, National Education Association
(202) 822-7150; cell 202-270-5333, smaiers@nea.org
Claire Doroh, Delta Dental of Ohio
517-347-530; cell 517-927-2130, cdoroh@deltadentalmi.com
About NEA
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org.
About Delta Dental of Ohio
Delta Dental of Ohio, with its affiliates in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and Tennessee collectively are among the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2012, the enterprise paid out nearly $3 billion for dental treatment to 11 million enrollees. Offices are located in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Sherwood and Little Rock, Ark.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; Okemos and Farmington Hills, Mich.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.
For more information about NEA’s Read Across America, visit www.nea.org/readacross
Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/neareadacrossamerica
For classroom resources focused on oral health and literacy, go to www.deltadentaloh.com/teachingtools
Follow us on twitter at @NEAMedia
Keep up with the conversation with #neareads
OEA Announces Endorsements
COLUMBUS — February 3, 2014 — The Ohio Education Association (OEA) Fund for Children and Public Education (OEA-FCPE) announced its second round of endorsements for the November 2014 statewide elections. The OEA–FCPE has endorsed the following:
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Connie Pillich for Ohio Treasurer
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Nina Turner for Secretary of State
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John Patrick Carney for State Auditor
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David Pepper for Attorney General
“Ohioans will be well-served by these recommended candidates. They all have strong records of support for our public schools — from K-12 through higher education,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “These candidates have a vision to ensure a better future for Ohio’s children and a firm commitment to public education.”
The OEA FCPE State Council, comprised of elected OEA members from throughout the state, carefully screens candidates based on their voting records, their stated support of public education and the OEA’s priority issues.
In November, OEA-FCPE endorsed Ed FitzGerald for Governor.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org