COLUMBUS – March 18, 2015 – On Wednesday March 18, educators in the Tipp City School District voted overwhelmingly to establish the Tipp City Education Association (TCEA) and to become members of the Ohio Education Association. The elections were conducted through the State Employee Relations Board (SERB).
The Tipp City School District, which has been rated “Excellent” on the state report card for the last seven years, has seen an alarming number of educators leave their jobs due, in part, to non-competitive wages. Teachers recognize that by having a unified voice they will be able to stabilize their workforce and allow dedicated professionals to maintain the high quality education of students in the Tipp City Schools.
“As one of many dedicated employees of Tipp City Schools for more 20 years, my colleagues and I work hard to develop and maintain our tradition of excellence. We highly value a stable and productive work environment that promotes the quality education that our kids deserve,” said veteran teacher and TCEA spokesperson Joe Bellas. “The members of TCEA look forward to collaborating with the district to enhance the stability, responsibility, and integrity of our schools.”
“We welcome the Tipp City educators to our union” says Becky Higgins, OEA president, “Their determination to sustain the excellent education being provided to students in Tipp City is commendable. We look forward to standing with them as they seek to become even stronger advocates for their students.”
The new union is comprised of classroom teachers, reading specialists, counselors, librarians, school psychologists, nurses, tutors, speech pathologists, and intervention specialists,. TCEA joins more than 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who are currently part of OEA.
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
