Public Education Matters… It’s the heart of it all
Ohio’s public schools are the beating hearts of our communities. They serve nearly all students in our state, and they are safe, welcoming spaces where every child – without exception – can receive the high-quality opportunities and supports they deserve from caring, qualified educators who are dedicated to meeting their needs. And while public education is being challenged on every front – by well-funded networks of extremists who are manufacturing curriculum controversies to take over school boards and distract Ohioans from the real needs of our students, by certain politicians in the statehouse who are continuing to twist the narrative around our schools to justify their aims of privatization for privatization’s sake, and by others – we know Ohio’s public schools are vital for the success of our students, our communities, and the future of our state. By coming together to lift up the importance of Ohio’s public schools, we lift up Ohio and create a better future for all of us.
Respect & Dignity
Educators’ professional experience and expertise are invaluable in ensuring every student’s needs can be met. Educators and students must feel safe and supported in their schools, so they can focus on the important business of teaching and learning. When policy decisions are being made that impact our public schools, educators must be trusted and empowered to work collaboratively with stakeholders to guide those decisions, whether that’s at the statehouse or in their local school districts. Educators must also be paid a living wage, with confidence that they can retire comfortably on a pension that they can’t outlive, to ensure the education profession can recruit and retain the best possible workforce to serve Ohio’s students into the future. By making sure the education profession is an attractive, sustainable career, we make sure our public schools are the best places they can be.
Supports and Resources
Every student, regardless of where they’re from, what they look like, or how much money their parents make, deserves the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. Ohio must fulfill its promise of a great education for every child by adequately and equitably funding an up-to-date Fair School Funding Plan. Public tax dollars must remain in the public schools that serve 90 percent of Ohio’s kids, and the various schemes that would take ever more of the scarce resources from our public schools to fund private school tuition must be stopped. And we must invest in the long-range prosperity of our communities and our citizens by ensuring that our public schools have what it takes to address everyone’s mental, emotional, physical, and nutritional needs, in addition to providing world class academic instruction.
United Voice
Our power is greatest when we stand together with each other and our partners to achieve our vision of excellence for our schools. Whether we are using our voices to stand up against the fringe groups who are trying to force their extreme agendas on our communities by hijacking our school boards, or to advocate at the statehouse for the teaching and learning conditions we need in all public schools, our strength is in our unity. We will not let bad actors divide us from our fellow educators or the students, their families, and the communities we serve.
