COMMUNIQUÉ Publication for Members of Central OEA/NEA
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Summer 2016
Adrienne M. Bowden, President
Organizing Your Summer Adrienne M. Bowden (Pickerington EA), Central OEA/NEA President
Getting Started We have all heard the saying from those outside the profession that teachers only work 8-3, Monday thru Friday, no weekends, and get their entire three months of summer off. I am not sure which teachers those people know (and especially not Education Support Professionals), because as professionals we work tirelessly all year long. Now the school is coming to a close, take some time to recharge your batteries, refuel your spirit, spend time with family, and start planning for next year! Summer is a great time to enjoy a moment to yourself and/or enjoy family. It is also a good time to start thinking about the direction of your local Association and to lay the foundation to start the upcoming school year with a bang! We wanted to provide you with some ways you can organize in the summer to position your local for a great autumn 2016.
The first step to organizing during the summer is to creating a good plan and share it with your local leadership team. Your plan should include: · Goals to engage early career educators · Goals for the number of members you want to engage and how you want to engage them · Goals for the various groups within your local (Certified, ESP, Student, Higher Ed) · Resources that will be required · Materials and messaging Once you have established a good plan, the key is to introduce the goals and benefits of your Association to early career educators and new educators to your district. Consider creating activities outside of districtsponsored events to allow one-on-one interactions with members and to create relationships with your local.
Need a common time to work as a leadership team? To help you get started, Central is hosting a Summer Leadership Conference in July. This is a great opportunity to bring your leadership team together to plan for the upcoming year. Whether you are preparing for bargaining or just strengthening your local’s capacity, this conference will provide the time and resources to assist you. See page 7 or visit the Central website for more details.
NEA has a Back to School Resources page with various resources and a Back to School Organizing Guide. Visit www.nea.org/ btsorganizing for more resources on organizing during the summer.
Central Gives Back: Helping the Residents in Flint, MI During the Central Winter Leadership Conference on March 9th, members brought in monetary and water donations to help the residents of Flint. Members donated $200 and over 25 packages and bottles of water. The donations will go to NEA members living in the Flint area. The water crisis in Flint began in April, 2014, when the city switched from using water from the City of Detroit to the Flint River. This exposed the residents of the city to extreme toxic levels of lead in their water. Most health officials believe the high level of lead exposure will lead to lasting severe health impairments to the children in the area. As the residents are dealing with the effects of the water crisis, they are grateful for the support of organizations like Central. On March 23rd, President Bowden delivered the donation to the Michigan Education Association office in Flint. The donation was presented to Karen Christian, President of United Teachers of Flint. She thanked Central for their thoughtfulness and support.
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There is still a need for items like school supplies, clothes, and hand sanitizer. Those interested in making a donation can ship items to the MEA, 1216 Kendale Blvd, East Lansing. Those interested in making a tax-deductible contribution with a check made payable to the MEA Classroom Support Fund with “flint” in the memo line can mail their donation to MEA Classroom Support Fund, Attn: Rick Trainor, 1216 Kendale Blvd., P.O. Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826.
COMMUNIQUÉ Volume 44, Number 4
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Summer 2016
Published four times a year as a service of
CENTRAL OEA/NEA, INC. 947 Goodale Blvd. Columbus, OH 43212
Adrienne M. Bowden, President Kevin Griffin, Vice President Russell Hughlock, Communications & Organizing Coordinator Editors Ann Eblin, Judy Furnas & Carla Noll Fiscal Manager Tim Skamfer Production Russell Hughlock Design Pam McClung Phone 614-222-8228 E-mail aa@centraloeanea.org
Summer 2016
What Is Public Education Partners? Jeanne Melvin (OEA-R) & Kevin Griffin (Dublin EA) Central OEA/NEA Vice President
All children deserve a quality public education and equitable public schools. Unfortunately for kids in Ohio, so-called education reform often stands in the way of this lofty goal. In recent years, traditional public schools have suffered with an unreasonable number of education policies dealing with high-stakes testing, “school choice” vouchers, unaccountable charter schools, and other mandates which compete for district resources already diminished by drastic budget cuts. Students have never been under more developmentally inappropriate and highly stressful policies than what we see in our public schools today. Because Ohio’s school children have essentially become guinea pigs for poorly developed educational legislation, a growing number of public school advocacy groups have formed all over the state to raise awareness of what’s at stake in public education. Public Education Partners (PEP) is a statewide organization that was created to connect and unite activists in this grassroots movement. PEP is a nonprofit nonpartisan group that was formed: (a) To support publicly accountable Ohio schools for all students. (b) To advocate for equitably funded public schools that offer a full and rich curriculum to all children. (c) To promote the elimination of high-stakes tests for the evaluation of students, teachers, and schools. (d) To connect various public education advocacy groups throughout the state and provide this coalition with the tools needed to effectively advocate for public education. Public Education Partners held its first public education summit, PUBLIC EDUCATION MATTERS, which provided many opportunities for public education advocates to network with one another and to learn about the issues in breakout sessions presented by fellow activists. Innovation Ohio’s Stephen Dyer and school superintendent Tom Dunn were the dynamic speakers at this event.
Summer 2016
How can YOU get involved in public education activism? • Investigate the issues, decide on a plan of action, and then follow through. • Share with others what you’ve learned. • Stay up to date on education policy-making at the Statehouse. • Contact your state lawmakers and let them know what you think. • Get to know the State BOE members and voice your opinions. • Join a public education advocacy group.
After you’ve figured it out, get involved and jump right in. Stay positive. Stay strong. Support public education! Join in, and help Public Education Partners preserve and protect public education in the Buckeye State. As Diane Ravitch, education policy analyst and president of Network for Public Education, points out, “We are many. There is power in our numbers. Together we will save PUBLIC EDUCATION. You can learn more and follow Public Education Partners by visiting www.publiceducationpartners.org
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OEA Spring RA Recap Mark Hill (Worthington EA President), OEA Board of Directors Vice President Pringle Outlines Priorities and Challenges Delegates NEA Vice President Becky Pringle outlined an ambitious three pronged agenda for NEA in her keynote speech to the delegates at the Ohio Education Association 2016 Spring Representative Assembly. Pringle set the stage by providing an imperative saying, “We are now in the fight of our lives,” to save public education, which she said was, “…the very institution that was designed to be that engine of opportunity, that great equalizer in a democratic society.”
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Vice President Pringle outlined three priorities for action, engagement and support of early educators, implementing the provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to reduce overuse and overreliance on standardized testing, and to guarantee racial justice in education. The focus on racial justice is part of an initiative passed at the 2015 NEA Representative Assembly to, “... commit NEA to leading and acknowledge being, spotlighting and addressing the societal patterns and policies of institutional racism that impose oppressive conditions and defy rights, opportunity, and equality based on race,” according to Vice President Pringle. She challenged to delegates in passing their own new business item to join NEA, “in this difficult but ethically necessary and professional responsibility to take this
from awareness to education and to action.” Vice President Pringle ended her speech by challenging the delegates to answer the question, “Are you worthy of your students?” She said our members must do more, “professionally, personally, and ethically,” to work to end the “inequity and fear and discrimination and injustice in society.” President Higgins Outlines Challenges in Ohio OEA President Becky Higgins listed a series of challenges that hinge on November’s election results, echoing the Senate Bill 5 fight to remind delegates that anti-labor laws are still being passed in other states that boarder Ohio and are still a threat to re-surface here.
(Cardinal EA) and Angela Stewart (Newcomerstown TA) as NEA Directors, and re-elected Tammy Koontz (SCOPE) as an at-large delegate to the OEA Board of Directors. - The delegates passed the biennium strategic budget report for FY 2017-2018. - The delegates passed a constitutional amendment to align OEA Board of Director terms’ expiration in the calendar year with the officers. - The delegates unanimously passed a new business items to address institutional racism -the societal patterns and practices that have the net effect of imposing oppressive conditions and denying rights, opportunity, and equality based on race.
- The delegates also unanimously passed a new business item to support a state law that prohibits discrimination on gender identity and sexual orientation. - Other new business items passed include an initiative to set up an OEA Foundation to provide grants to practicing members, for OEA to lobby the legislature to relieve students of the burden of end of course PARCC exams for the classes of 2018 and 2019, and a non-binding statement of the RA’s support for maintaining current numbers of field offices and field staff.
President Higgins highlighted OEA’s recently released report of the Commission on Student Success that calls for an end to the overuse and overreliance of standardized test scores to evaluate teachers and rate schools. The commission’s report is OEA’s program for implementing the provisions of ESSA. Other RA Highlights - Former Governor Ted Strickland addressed the delegates to thank them for the OEA endorsement in his race for election to the US Senate. - The delegates re-elected Becky Higgins as OEA President and Scott DiMauro as OEA Vice President. They also elected Kim Richards
Summer 2016
Central RA Recap David Schottner (Bexley EA), Area 5 Representative
Over 115 delegates attended the Central OEA/NEA Representative Assembly and All-Area Delegate Briefing at the Columbus Airport Marriott on Friday, April 15. This was the first year that the RA was held on a Friday night instead of on a Saturday; the compacted RA schedule and central location seemed to be popular with delegates! President Adrienne Bowden presided over the RA and reported that Central is stronger than ever, but we must continue to work hard to advocate for our students and colleagues to maintain the power of Central. President Bowden reported that Central will continue to focus on developing an organizing model to best meet the needs of members. Vice-President Kevin Griffin then shared how his district has successfully increased FCPE donations and urged delegates to use face-to-face conversations to kick off a successful FCPE drive in their own districts. The four area Political Action Coordinators presented a video by PAC Soozie Hetterscheidt of Olentangy TA, illustrating reasons why members should contribute to FCPE. The upcoming presidential election and the existence of charter schools are two issues that require our involvement in the political process. The next President could appoint up to four Supreme Court Justices, so the future of Right to Work and collective bargaining are in the hands of the voters this November. This year’s Friend of Education award was given to Bill Phillis, who has been a tireless advocate for doing what is best for students, teachers, and taxpayers. Mr. Phillis runs the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding. On behalf of OEA’s six NEA Directors, Emily Osterling reported that NEA Directors are celebrating the passage of, and are busying lobbying for the successful implementation of ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). Congratulations to Dwayne Marshall (OEA BoD Unit 3), Soozie Hetterscheidt (OEA BoD Unit 4), Jeff Caivano (OEA BoD Unit 6), Heather Miller (Area 1 Rep), Juliet Litzel (Area 2 Rep), Jim Templeton (Area 4 Rep) and Kim Cooper (Area 5 Rep) for being elected to serve in their positions by the Assembly. The delegates accepted the recommendation of the Central OEA Executive Board to take no position in the election of NEA Director #4 between candidates Andrea Beeman and Angela Stewart. The delegates also voted to endorse Becky Higgins and Scott DiMauro in their re-election campaigns for the offices of OEA President and OEA VicePresident respectively.
Summer 2016
The delegates also voted to pass two amendments to the Central OEA Constitution and Bylaws. One amendment gave clarity to the composition of the Central OEA Executive Board, and the other amendment eliminated ambiguity by stating that a member of the OEA Board of Directors from Central may not simultaneously hold an additional voting seat on the Central Executive Board.
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Relax and Stay Involved This Summer! Soozie Hetterscheidt & Diane Valentino (Olentangy EA)
Once you’ve given yourself some well-deserved R&R, summer can become the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with the ONLY advocates you have as a public school employee. These are YOUR union affiliations: NEA, OEA, Central OEA and your local association. Getting to know these organizations and what they offer can pay off in a big way. A good place to start is knowing “What’s What” and “Who’s Who.” As a member of your local association, you are automatically a member of Central, OEA and NEA. Each of these organizations will welcome your involvement in any capacity. Get started here: Central OEA/NEA www.centraloeanea.org OEA www.ohea.org NEA www.nea.org Don’t wait for information to filter down to you. It is too easy to get this information for yourself in the digital age. NEA, OEA and CENTRAL all produce newsletters and email alerts for current happenings and issues.
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Central OEA/NEA www.centraloeanea.org/docs (create an account) OEA www.ohea.org/ohio-schools NEA neatoday.org Before voting in any election...Local, City, State, Federal.... find out who the Pro-Public Education Candidates are. Many of the above sites have newsfeed and email notifications that you can sign up to receive in your inbox without having to find the web address or login. Central OEA/NEA www.centraloeanea.org/politicalaction/be-informed OEA www.ohea.org/legislative-watch NEA www.nea.org/home/61524.htm Pick a Social Media platform like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to follow these or other pro-education organizations. This is a fast and “on the go” way to stay informed. @jointhefutureOH @OhioEA @NEAToday Start an “Article Club.” This is just like a book club but is a much easier commitment for our busy schedules. Some sites, podcasts and blogs to check out: Join the Future Have you Heard Diane Ravitch EdWeek NPE (Network for Public Education)
Take the time to rejuvenate this summer while staying involved to protect public education for every student, regardless of zip code! Looking to unplug from your computer this summer? Check out these professional readings from Edutopia: Total Participation Techniques by Persida and William Himmele Super Core! By Mark Weakland Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli Digital Leadership by Eric Sheninger Corwin Connected Educator Series by Peter DeWitt www.edutopia.org/blog/summer-reading-listprofessional-development-ross-cooperhttp://www. nea.org/home/61524.htm
Central OEA/NEA Gives Back - Save the Date! The Community Outreach Committee will be scheduling monthly volunteer opportunities for members and their families. These events will take place throughout central Ohio, and many of them are open to young children and teens (with a parent or guardian). If you are interested in learning more or volunteering, please go to the following links and sign up. We look forward to seeing you out and about in the community. If you have any questions or suggestions for future volunteer opportunities, please feel free to contact Michelle Vayansky at michelle.vayansky@centraloeanea.org. In the future look for our scheduled fall and winter events. Special Olympics Summer Games: June 24-26 www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0B48A5AC29A6FE3special Furniture Bank of Central Ohio: July 28 www.SignUpGenius.com/ go/30E0B48A5AC29A6FE3-furniture MidOhio Food Bank (Sort and Stock): August 9 www.SignUpGenius.com/ go/30E0B48A5AC29A6FE3-midohio MidOhio Food Bank: Urban Farm: September 10 www.SignUpGenius.com/ go/30E0B48A5AC29A6FE3-midohio1
Summer 2016
Lessons Learned from Wisconsin: Central’s President Plus Dinner Central hosted its annual President Plus Dinner meeting on March 5, 2016, following the Winter Leadership Conference at the Columbus Airport Marriott. Attendees and their guests were engaged in an interactive panel discussion led by Central President Adrienne Bowden. The discussion focused on the importance of organizing for member engagement and steps leaders can take to strengthen their locals. The panelists included Central Vice President Kevin Griffin, OEA Vice President Scott DiMauro, Dublin EA President Donna O’Connor, retired past finance chair Sandra Duckworth, and NEA Executive Committee member Shelly Moore Krajacic from Wisconsin. Central was honored to have Shelly as a part of the panel. She shared lessons learned from Wisconsin during their failed attempt to save collective bargaining in their state. She talked about the importance of member engagement and how the death of Justice Scalia might affect the Friedich vs CTA decision. One of her most important messages to the attendees was the importance of having pro-public education legislators. Central is thankful for Shelly’s participation.
Growth & Development Grant Update Growth and Development Grants are awarded to local associations that wish to improve the effectiveness of their locals. Grant applications are reviewed by the Finance committee (Mark Hill, Worthington EA, Chairperson) and recommendations for the awards are made to the Central OEA/NEA Board. Thirteen locals were awarded over $27,000 for 2016-2017 Growth and Development Grants during the spring application period. Those locals are: Delaware City TA, Dublin EA, Dublin SSA, Indian Lake EA, Jonathan Alder EA, Licking Heights SSA, Northwestern TA, Reynoldsburg EA, Southeastern Local EA, Southeastern Local ESP, United Riverside EA, Westerville Educational SSA, West Liberty Salem EA. Congratulations to the Growth and Development award recipients.
Summer 2016
Building Dynamic Leadership Teams Is your local planning for bargaining? Working on your Constitution & Bylaws? Planning and organizing for the coming year? Or developing a plan for membership commitment and involvement? You are invited to bring a team to Central OEA/NEA’s summer conference, Building Dynamic Leadership Teams. The agenda for the conference will look very similar to that of the last several years, giving a lot of time to the local teams to meet on their own with their LRC and/or other resource people. All participants will be introduced to the OEA Local Assessment Tool for Building Local Capacity. We want to empower locals and members to work smarter, not harder with a goal for locals to walk away with a definitive actionable leadership plan. We will have resource people available to work with locals on their General Fund Analysis, member communication, lobbying, grants, FCPE drives and utilizing the OEA Assessment Tool. Once locals have registered, we will contact the local to see which of the resources the local would like to meet with. The conference is free to all Central OEA members. It will be held July 26 - July 27, 2016 at the Cherry Valley Lodge, 2299 Cherry Valley Rd SE, Newark. Registration for the conference is open on Central’s website: www.centraloeanea.org. All members attending must register themselves for the conference. Deadline for registration will be July 10th. HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS must be made by the member. To make hotel reservations call 740-7881306. Only one member per room needs to call. For reimbursement, submit voucher and receipt. Reimbursement will be made for double occupancy. We look forward to working with you this summer!
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COLUMBUS, OH PERMIT No. 204
COMMUNIQUÉ In this issue
Central OEA/ NEA
2 Central Gives Back: Helping the Residents in Flint, MI
Upcoming Events
July 26 Building Dynamic Leadership Teams Summer Conference at Cherry Valley Lodge
3 What is Public Education Partners? 4 OEA Spring RA Recap
Nov 14 ESP Appreciation Reception & Dinner at the OSU Golf Club
5 Central RA Recap 6 Relax and Stay Involved This Summer 6 Central OEA/NEA Gives Back - Save the Date!
Registrations for all events are available on Central’s website at www.centraloeanea.org
7 Lessons Learned from Wisconsin: Central’s President Plus Dinner 7 Growth and Development Grant Update 7 Building Dynamic Leadership Teams
Central Gives Back
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What is Public Education Partners?
Relax and Stay Involved This Summer
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Lessons Learned from Wisconsin
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