Ohio Educators Give Senator Portman A Civics Lesson On Judicial Appointment Process
Mounting Pressure In Ohio And Across The Country For Hearing And Vote On Supreme Court Nominee
COLUMBUS – March 29, 2016 – Ohio educators, who teach students every day about the U.S. Constitution, joined the growing number of citizens who want Senator Portman to #DoYourJob at events in Cincinnati and Columbus on Tuesday.
“Supreme Court nominees deserve a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote. Both parties have always provided that respect to nominees,” said Maria Mueller, an AP Government teacher in the Mason City School District. “It’s what I teach my students every day, and we should expect the same from our elected officials.”
Events are taking place, in Ohio and across the country, nearly every day to apply pressure to members of the U.S. Senate to hold a hearing and vote on Judge Garland’s nomination.
“Senators should just do their jobs, instead of playing political games and delaying action on a Supreme Court nomination,” said Gina Daniels, a history teacher in Licking Heights. “It would be like me refusing to teach the Revolutionary War to my students. That’s unacceptable.”
Polling has found that the majority of Ohio voters think that the vacant seat on the Supreme Court should be filled this year. Editorial boards across the state, including the Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and the Cleveland Plain Dealer – which called Portman’s stance “a mistake” – have criticized Senator Portman’s refusal to do his job and fulfill his constitutional duty.” The Toledo Blade recently called Portman’s stance on the Supreme Court nomination “indefensible.”
“I agree with the 58 percent of the American public, who want President Obama to nominate someone to the Court rather than leave it vacant. It’s disheartening to think the entire justice system could come to an impasse because Republican Senators want to shape future decisions based on politics. Let’s tell the Republican Senators to do their job,” said U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-3rd District).
Last week, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) became the third Republican Senator to buck party leadership and support hearings for Garland: “I would rather have you (constituents) complaining to me that I voted wrong on nominating somebody than saying I’m not doing my job. … I can’t imagine the president has or will nominate somebody that meets my criteria, but I have my job to do. I think the process ought to go forward.”
“We need more people to stand up and speak out about the obstructionism that is all too common in Washington,” said Columbus City Council President Zach Klein. “It’s right and fair for the U.S. Senate to hold a hearing on the president’s nominee to the highest court in the land.”
Already more than 350 law professors warned Congressional leaders that, ”A long-term vacancy jeopardizes the Supreme Court’s ability to resolve disputed questions of federal law, causing uncertainty and hampering the administration of justice across the country.”
“There are too many issues at stake – from education to voting to clean energy – for the Supreme Court to be down a member,” said Cincinnati Councilmember Wendell Young. “There are very real, very significant consequences for the American people if Senator Portman manages to leave the high court in limbo.”
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 122,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities
OEA Applauds Supreme Court Decision To Reaffirm Collective Bargaining
WASHINGTON – March 29, 2016 – The U.S. Supreme Court today affirmed that public employers have a compelling interest in having strong and effective collective bargaining. The 4-4 decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association leaves intact the sound law of Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that has been working for nearly four decades.
At issue in Friedrichs was whether non-union members could share the wages, benefits and protections negotiated in a collectively bargained contract without needing to pay their fair share for the cost of those negotiations. The case was brought by the Center for Individual Rights, an organization funded by corporate special interests that are pushing their own agenda. The National Education Association, the nation’s largest union with more than 3 million members, and the California Teachers Association, are two of the union respondents in the case in addition to the state of California. The Ohio Education Association (OEA) is NEA’s Ohio affiliate.
“We welcome today’s decision,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “But we’re under no illusion that the threat posed by Friedrichs is over. There are some 30 similar cases making their way through the courts and any one of them could well make its way to the US Supreme Court. All of this underscores the importance of this year’s elections for President and the US Senate, and the resulting ability to fill the current and any future vacancy on the Supreme Court.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a political ploy to silence public employees like teachers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, higher education faculty and other educators to work together to shape their profession,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “In Friedrichs, the court saw through the political attacks on the workplace rights of teachers, educators and other public employees. This decision recognizes that stripping public employees of their voices in the workplace is not what our country needs.”
The case was thinly veiled attempt to weaken collective bargaining and silence educators’ voices. In response, hundreds of amici curiae or “friends of the court” briefs weighed in to support the union respondents. Twenty-one states, dozens of cities, nearly 50 Republican lawmakers, school districts and public hospitals rose in support of the value fair share fees provide in terms of the effective management of public services. During oral arguments, lawyers for the respondents argued that the current fair share system is a good compromise and common sense solution. Ohio is a fair share fee state. The court’s decision today left that system in place nationwide.
“I’m thrilled millions of educators like me can continue to work together through their unions to advocate for the best teaching and learning conditions of their students,” said HaSheen Wilson, a network administrator at Youngstown State University and OEA member. “In an era when the rich just get richer while the poor seem to fall through the cracks, we need to come together and speak out for change — whether it’s smaller class sizes, training for educators, fair pay and benefits, healthcare or safer work environments.”
The Friedrichs case provided a vivid illustration of what’s at stake when it comes to the highest court in the land. It also was an example of how special interests are using the Supreme Court for political agendas rather than what the court was intended: interpreting and upholding the Constitution.
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 122,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities
Students, Teachers Rev Up For Read Across America
COLUMBUS – February 29, 2016 – Students across Ohio will join millions of their peers around the country to celebrate the National Education Association’s (NEA) eighteenth annual Read Across America Day on March 2, 2016.
It’s expected that more than 45 million people, both young and old, will pick up a book and read on NEA’s Read Across America Day, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the joys of reading.
The Ohio Education Association (OEA) urges all who understand and appreciate the value of reading to get together with young people under one of the red-and-white stovepipe hats made famous by the Cat in the Hat-for a flurry (or furry) of reading excitement!
For more information on NEA’s Read Across America, please visit www.nea.org/readacross and www.readacrossamerica.org and learn of other reading celebrations that are happening from coast to coast.
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 122,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities
The Ohio Education Association Says State Report Cards Should Be Seen In Context
COLUMBUS – February 25, 2016 – In response to the release today of the Ohio School Report Cards by the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Education Association (OEA) urged state policy makers to take further steps to reduce the use of standardized tests to measure student achievement and evaluate teacher performance.
“Ohio’s 2014-15 report cards should be interpreted with considerable caution,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “The drop in test scores was anticipated as local schools and students were adjusting to the substantial changes made to Ohio’s testing system. Among these changes was the use of the more rigorous and controversial PARRC tests that have since been replaced. Without more time and support for teachers and students to adjust to the implementation of a new testing system, it was always likely that Ohio and other states would see a drop in scores.”
“School districts, parents, and policy makers should be leery about putting much emphasis on the report card data or using it to make decisions or comparisons'” said Higgins. “We encourage the state’s policy makers to find more ways to limit the role of standardized tests so that our students get more genuine teaching and spend less time preparing for and taking tests.”
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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
February 2016 Ohio Schools
- IN THIS ISSUE
- Education and Experience
- Working together, educators and community stakeholders address non-academic barriers too student success
- Presidents Message – Our power, our voice – Our union helps us to make a difference in the lives of our students
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
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Perry Education Support Professionals Vote To Unionize, Join OEA
COLUMBUS – January 19, 2016 – In ballots counted today by the State Employment Relations Board, more than 200 custodians, aides, paraprofessionals, secretaries, food service workers, and other education support professionals in the Perry Local School District voted overwhelmingly to form a union affiliated with the Ohio Education Association (OEA).
“We organized our union to gain a voice, respect, job security, and solidarity,” said Cindy Savage, an accounting secretary at Perry High School who graduated from Perry Local Schools and has been employed by the district for 25 years. “Most importantly, we now have one unified voice to advocate on behalf of the students we serve.”
The vote was the culmination of a yearlong organizing campaign and a two-week mail-balloting period. During the campaign, the district respected the employees’ right to organize and allowed staff to decide freely whether or not to form a union. The new union, the Perry Association of Support Staff OEA/NEA, now begins the process of negotiating its first contract.
“We are looking forward to building a mutually respectful relationship with the district as we bargain a strong first union contract,” said Melody Woodson, a 14-year district employee who works as an elementary library clerk at Genoa Elementary School.
The Perry Association of Support Staff OEA/NEA members join approximately 300 teachers and other certified staff in the Perry Local School District who are also affiliated with the OEA as members of the Perry Classroom Teachers Association.
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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
OEA Welcomes Congressional Passage Of The Every Student Succeeds Act
COLUMBUS – December 9, 2015 – The largest association of professional educators in Ohio today heralded the end of the “test, blame and punish” era of the No Child Left Behind Act with the passage in Congress of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new law puts educational decision-making back where it belongs – in the hands of local educators, parents and communities – while keeping the focus on students most in need. ESSA recognizes that student success is more than a test score by allowing states to gauge student achievement through multiple measures.
“ESSA recognizes that the one-size-fits-all approach to student achievement does not work,” said Ohio Education Association (OEA) President Becky Higgins. “ESSA will allow Ohio to reduce the amount of standardized testing. In doing so, students will have more time to learn and develop critical thinking, and teachers will have more time to teach and inspire the joy of learning. The measure also provides an opportunity for educators to have a greater voice in shaping education policy.”
Students and educators have lived with the unintended consequences of the failed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for more than 14 years. OEA members advocated on behalf of Ohio’s students in the effort to turn the page on the failed NCLB law and to pass a new federal education law that provides more opportunity for all students.
Leading up to ESSA’s passage, educators in Ohio and across the nation used face-to-face meetings with lawmakers, made phone calls, sent emails and used social media to urge Congress to bring the joy of teaching and learning back to the classroom. Educators nationwide made nearly a half million individual contacts to members of Congress.
President Higgins also noted that ESSA includes provisions for greater charter school accountability and transparency that complement Ohio House Bill 2 that was signed into law last month.
“We welcome the provisions that call for stronger charter school accountability and transparency – something that has been lacking in Ohio for too long,” Higgins said, “and we applaud the hard work done by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown to make sure these provisions were included in ESSA.”
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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.
December 2015 Ohio Schools
- IN THIS ISSUE
- Lessons in Living – Through training, educators gain an understanding of the challenges of living in poverty
- Ohio’s new Professional Development Standards offer opportunity for learning based on educators’ real needs
- Celebrated author and OEA 2016 Read Across America spokesperson Drew Daywalt connects kids to a world filled with imagination and laughter
Moved recently? Contact the OEA Member Hotline to update the address on file at 1-844-OEA-Info (1-844-632-4636) or email, membership@ohea.org. Representatives are available Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | OhioSchools — Past Issues
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OEA Is Granted Temporary Restraining Order To Ensure The Voices Of Youngstown Educators Are Heard
COLUMBUS – December 2, 2015 – The Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas today issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing Brenda Kimble, Youngstown Board of Education President, from appointing a relative, Carol Staten, to the Academic Distress Commission. The Ohio Education Association (OEA) and its affiliate, the Youngstown Education Association (YEA), sought the TRO because Staten is not currently a teacher in the Youngstown City School District.
OEA and YEA argued that Staten’s appointment violates state law that says one member appointed by the president of the Youngstown Board of Education shall be a teacher employed by the district.
“We are pleased that Judge Lou D’Apolito found merit in our complaint and agreed to stop the effort to deny Youngstown educators a chance to advocate for their students and improve the Youngstown City Schools,” said OEA president Becky Higgins. “We are committed to making sure that teachers are heard and can serve on this Commission as provided for under Ohio law.”
A hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for December 14, 2015.
The Ohio Education Association represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
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.
Statement From OEA On The Court’s Decision To Deny A Preliminary Injunction In The Youngstown Case
COLUMBUS – October 13, 2015 – “Today’s decision will not deter us,” said OEA President Becky Higgins, “from continuing to find ways to give voice to the parents, educators and community in Youngstown who were silenced by the state takeover and who have a vital role to play in shaping the future of Youngstown’s public schools so that students have the high-quality education they deserve.”
‘We also remain concerned that the school-takeover provisions that were enacted could be applied to other districts in the state.”
The Ohio Education Association represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
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.