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.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
###
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.”
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
###
The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
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
###
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
###
The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
Educators Endorse Ted Strickland For The U.S. Senate
COLUMBUS – October 7, 2015 – The National Education Association’s political action committee, the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, and the Ohio Education Association’s Fund for Children and Public Education (FCPE) have endorsed Ted Strickland for the U.S. Senate.
“Ohio educators are proud to endorse Ted Strickland for the U.S. Senate,” said OEA President Becky Higgins. “He is a proven champion of sound education policies. As Governor, Ted Strickland sought to ensure that every child had access to a quality education, regardless of where they live or what school they attend. As a member of Congress, he was an early skeptic of the proliferation of standardized testing. We are confident that he will continue to provide a much-needed voice for hard-working Americans, and will serve the best interests of educators and students in Congress.”
The NEA Fund made the endorsement on the recommendation of OEA’s FCPE State Council. In August, members of OEA’s FCPE State Council interviewed two US Senate candidates and recommended Ted Strickland to the NEA Fund. The NEA Fund, a federal political action committee, provides financial support to pro-public education candidates on the federal and state levels without regard to their party affiliation.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
###
The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.