Public Education Matters

Rep. Justin Pizzulli (R-District 90) draws on his experience growing up in Appalachia to guide his work in the Ohio House. In his work on the Primary and Secondary Education Committee, he has been proud to be a strong advocate for the needs of Ohio's rural public schools, especially. And, he has continued to stand up for public education and educators across Ohio, and against attacks like Senate Bill 83, despite huge pressure from his colleagues in the General Assembly. OEA members are recommending Rep. Pizzulli for re-election because of his record as a pro-public education, pro-labor leader. As Rep. Pizzulli tells us in this episode, he's focused on the big picture for Ohio.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE REP. PIZZULLI STANDS | Visit www.justinforohio.com to learn more about Rep. Pizzulli's campaign for re-election and where he stands on the issues.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE | Election Day is November 5, 2024. Now is the time to make your plan to vote, whether early in-person at your county board of elections location beginning October 7th, absentee by mail, or in-person on Election Day at your local polling location. Check your voter registration and find your local polling place at VoteOhio.gov

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK | OEA members have been weighing in on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape the future of OEA's podcast. More feedback is always welcome! Please email [email protected] or complete the podcast survey here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Ohio Rep. Justin Pizzulli, R-District 90
  • State Representative Justin Pizzulli was recently appointed State Representative for the 90th Ohio House District, which encompasses all of Scioto and Adams Counties, as well as parts of Brown County.  His priorities are protecting the sanctity of life, protecting Ohioans’ second amendment rights, and promoting economic growth and prosperity.
  • Outside of his role as State Representative, Rep. Pizzulli works as a realtor in Wheelersburg and as a Class 1 Commercial Freight Conductor in Portsmouth. He also has a packed resume of campaign and management experience. His previous experience and current careers allow him to bring a unique perspective to the table as an elected official and better represent the people of the 90th House District. 
  • Rep. Pizzulli lives in Franklin Furnace and in his free time, he is probably enjoying a movie.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on September 5, 2024.

About one in every 100 Ohioans is an OEA member. That is a lot of power to shape the future of public education in our state if we use our united voices at the ballot box to support the best pro-public education, pro-labor candidates on Election Day. Rep. Joe Miller is a former teacher who is steadfast in his support of public education, and the OEA members say he is the best person to represent District 53 in the Ohio House in the next General Assembly. In this episode, Rep. Miller shares his goals for supporting public education in his next term.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE REP. MILLER STANDS | Visit www.joemillerforohio.com to learn more about Rep. Miller's campaign for re-election and where he stands on the issues.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE | Election Day is November 5, 2024. Now is the time to make your plan to vote, whether early in-person at your county board of elections location beginning October 7th, absentee by mail, or in-person on Election Day at your local polling location. Check your voter registration and find your local polling place at VoteOhio.gov

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK | OEA members have been weighing in on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape the future of OEA's podcast. More feedback is always welcome! Please email [email protected] or complete the podcast survey here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Ohio Rep. Joe Miller, D-District 53
  • State Representative Joe Miller proudly serves Lorain County, where he grew up and attended Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst. After working his way through Lorain Community College and earning his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Bowling Green State University, Joe furthered his education with two graduate degrees from Ashland University: a Master of Education and a Master of Arts in American History and Government.
  • Joe's diverse professional background spans both public and private sectors. He has experience as a teacher and coach in, an Associate Director of Planning at a design build firm, and a general manager in a print production office—roles that provided him with deep insights into the challenges facing Ohio businesses.
  • Motivated by the events of September 11th, Joe returned to education, teaching at both high school and college levels. He is also a certified USGTF Professional Golf Instructor, an OHSAA Basketball Official, and an active volunteer in his church and community. Joe lives in Amherst with his wife Kelly, also an educator, their two sons, Joseph and Jordan, and their bulldog, Heisman.
  • As a dedicated advocate for quality education, job creation, renewable energy, and veterans' support, Joe is committed to driving meaningful change. He champions a new, equitable school funding model that involves local stakeholders and meets the needs of 21st-century learners.
  • Throughout his tenure representing the Lorain County in the Ohio House District, Joe pushed for legislation that revitalized the local economy, promoted green energy, honored veterans, and reinstated local control in Lorain City schools. He has been a vocal leader in the fight against the opioid crisis and a staunch defender of women's rights and reproductive care. Joe Miller envisions Ohio as a leader in innovation, job creation, and sustainability—a prime place for working and raising a family.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on August 28, 2024.

Ohio's public school educators work hard for their money. It's no surprise that a lot of educators have said they're interested in learning more about how they can get the most bang for their buck to save more of what they've earned. In this episode, Guy Kendall-Freas delivers the deals, and shares the details about the NEA Member Benefits savings OEA members can't afford to miss.

SAVE MONEY | To check out all of the deals and services that are available through NEA Member Benefits for OEA members and their families, visit neamb.com today.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK | OEA members have been weighing in on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape the future of OEA's podcast. More feedback is always welcome! Please email [email protected] or complete the podcast survey here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Guy Kendall-Freas, NEA Member Benefits 
  • Guy Kendall-Freas is an Affiliate Relations Specialist for NEA Member Benefits where he has been employed since 1996.  A former special education teacher, Guy was also a union leader in his local, district and state Association during his 12 years in the classroom. In addition, he served the Ohio Department of Education in various capacities, including serving on the Committee charged with Revision of Rules for Special Ed Services and as one of the first practicing teachers trained as Entry Year Teacher Assessors.  Working from the NEA Member Benefits Regional Office in Mansfield, Ohio, Guy serves members and locals in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on August 21, 2024.

Ohio's State Board of Education plays a critical role in the professional live of public school educators, and retired educator Rhonda Johnson says she is just the person to do the work of the Board, representing District 7. In this episode of Public Education Matters, Johnson tells us more about the journey that led her to this campaign, from learning in segregated schools as a child to leading the Columbus Education Association as its president to her ongoing mission to bring more young people of all backgrounds into the education profession.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE | Election Day is November 5, 2024. Now is the time to make your plan to vote, whether early in-person at your county board of elections location beginning October 7th, absentee by mail, or in-person on Election Day at your local polling location. Check your voter registration and find your local polling place at VoteOhio.gov

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK | OEA members have been weighing in on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape the future of OEA's podcast. More feedback is always welcome! Please email [email protected] or complete the podcast survey here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Rhonda Johnson, Running for Ohio State Board of Education, District 7
  • Rhonda Johnson is a retired teacher and OEA-R member who has worked tirelessly in the education community for more than 40 years. From 2014--2019, she served as the Education Director for the City of Columbus and ex-officio member of the Columbus Board of Education.  
  • During Rhonda’s tenure as a teacher in Columbus City Schools, her love and passion for education led her to be a committed advocate for teachers through numerous leadership positions with the Columbus Education Association (CEA). Among them were Vice President and President, serving members in those offices for two decades.
  • During her presidency, Johnson was a successful and active voice for Columbus teachers and students, both locally and nationally. During her leadership, CEA achieved a number of major educational reform projects, and the union remained in a competitive negotiating position. Johnson represented CEA and the City on numerous boards, councils and panels. She been recognized repeatedly for her work. 
  • A native of Tuscumbia, Alabama, Rhonda received a Bachelor’s degree at Alabama A&M University and a Master’s Degree from The Ohio State University in Business Education. 

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on August 20, 2024.

US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has always been a champion for public education and educators. His daughter, Liz Brown, has had a front row seat to see her dad's leadership and commitment to Ohio's schools, workers, and families throughout her life. And, coming from a family of educators, Liz has carried on the family mission of making lives better in her own career. As Liz Brown explains on this episode of Public Education Matters, Senator Brown will continue to fight for the dignity of workers and a brighter future for all of us when he is re-elected this fall.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE | Election Day is November 5, 2024. Now is the time to make your plan to vote, whether early in-person at your county board of elections location beginning October 7th, absentee by mail, or in-person on Election Day at your local polling location. Check your voter registration and find your local polling place at VoteOhio.gov

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE SEN. BROWN STANDS | Go to www.sherrodbrown.com to check out Sen. Brown's website and get more information about his campaign. Click here to read why OEA members are enthusiastically recommending Senator Sherrod Brown for re-election to continue his pro-public education, pro-labor work in the US Senate. Click here to watch Senator Brown's full interview on NBC4's The Spectrum that was referenced in this episode of the podcast.

Among his many priorities during his time in Washington, Sen. Brown has:

• Fought to make sure Ohio educators can retire with dignity by passing the Social Security Fairness Act which would ensure teachers, first responders, and other public sector workers and their families receive the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned.
• Secured millions to expand high-speed internet access for students and families across Ohio.
• Introduced the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act to quadruple the amount educators can deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses.
• Led the fight to help educators become homeowners so education can remain a sustainable career path that can attract the best talent to serve our state’s students.
• Introduced the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act to help students succeed by helping schools and districts implement wraparound supports – including medical, mental, and nutrition health services, mentoring and youth development programs, technical assistance and continuing education courses.
• Spearheaded the passage of the SMART Act to reduce excessive testing that robs students and teachers of valuable instruction time.
• Secured nearly $300,000 to support training programs that prepare Ohio educators to teach life skills.
• Worked to level the playing field between workers and corporations to protect the right to organize and expand overtime pay for workers.
• Taken on Ohio’s private for-profit schools that take funds away from public schools and fought for charter school accountability.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Elizabeth Brown, Sen. Sherrod Brown's daughter, YWCA Columbus CEO
  • Elizabeth Brown became President and CEO of YWCA Columbus in 2023, with more than 15 years of experience in non-profits, government, and public policymaking, including as President Pro Tempore of Columbus City Council and as Executive Director of the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network, a statewide collective impact project to improve women’s economic security through public policy.
  • During her years on city council, Brown spearheaded laws to protect reproductive healthcare, provide paid family leave, defend residents against threats of deportation, support low-income families through COVID disruptions, erase medical debt, and increase access to early childhood education opportunities. She also commissioned an overhaul of tax incentive policies which resulted in the city’s first affordable housing and living-wage requirements. She has additional prior experience in economic development, AmeriCorps service, and state government.
  • At YWCA Columbus, Brown steers the 138-year-old non-profit’s front-line work in housing, childcare, emergency shelter, and social justice training, all while serving the organization’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
  • Originally born in the Berwick neighborhood of Columbus, Brown was raised in Granville, Ohio. She is a proud public school graduate and a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia University. She and her husband Patrick Katzenmeyer live near Columbus’ University District, along with their three children Carolyn, Russell, and Maribell.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on

The Ohio Education Association's podcast is back for a new season, and back to shorter weekly episodes to make sure we're delivering the most impactful conversations to our listeners. In the Season 5 opener, OEA President Scott DiMauro provides valuable insights on the key issues facing public education in Ohio as the new school year begins, including educator shortages and the growing trend of new hires who are not new educators, plus the importance of political engagement, school funding challenges, the power of union organizing, and more.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms. Click here for some of those links so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK | OEA members have been weighing in on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape the future of OEA's podcast. More feedback is always welcome! Please email [email protected] or complete the podcast survey here.

Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President
  • Scott DiMauro, a high school social studies teacher from Worthington, was elected President of the OEA in 2019 after having served as vice president for six years. Over his 34-year career as an educator, Scott has worked to provide students the critical thinking and decision-making skills they need to be successful citizens in our democracy while advocating for students, educators, and strong public schools at all levels of his union.
  • Scott’s priorities as president have included strengthening local affiliates, enhancing professional supports for members, and elevating the voice of educators in public policy to ensure all students are given access to a high-quality education that inspires their creativity, imagination, and desire to learn. As OEA President, he helped lead a successful coalition effort that resulted in the historic passage of the Fair School Funding Plan along with an increase in the state minimum teacher’s salary as part of the most recent state budget bill.
    Scott has facilitated OEA’s Board and leadership team in educating and organizing members to advocate for social, racial, and economic justice. That priority has framed OEA’s advocacy on school safety, resistance to attacks on educators’ freedom to teach and students’ freedom to learn an honest education, and a comprehensive strategy to attract and retain caring, qualified educators—both licensed and support professionals—in every community across Ohio.
  • As vice president, Scott was proud to guide the OEA Commission on Student Success to lay out a comprehensive vision for high-quality education for all students and lay the groundwork for positive implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in Ohio. He also led an initiative to increase student access to breakfast in high-poverty districts and served as national spokesperson for the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom. At the national level, he currently serves as president of the National Council of State Education Associations.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents nearly 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on August 14, 2024.

Ohio's system for creating legislative districts is broken. When new maps are drawn every ten years, the party in power can manipulate the lines so they can hold onto their power by picking and choosing the voters they want to pack into their own districts, rather than letting Ohio's voters have a real voice in the statehouse or on Capitol Hill. It's time to change that. And the Citizens Not Politicians ballot initiative will change it by ending gerrymandering in Ohio once and for all, if it's approved by voters in the fall. As retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown tell us in the Public Education Matters Season 4 finale, there's a good reason the citizen-led initiative has so much bipartisan support. We also hear from OEA President Scott DiMauro about the important role OEA members can play in this year's elections to help shape the public education landscape in our state.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AMENDMENT | The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment will end gerrymandering by empowering citizens, not politicians, to draw fair districts using an open and transparent process. It will:

• Create the 15-member Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of Democratic, Republican, and Independent citizens who broadly represent the different geographic areas and demographics of the state. 
• Ban current or former politicians, political party officials and lobbyists from sitting on the Commission.
• Require fair and impartial districts by making it unconstitutional to draw voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician.
• Require the commission to operate under an open and independent process. 

Click here to get involved in the campaign or to read the full amendment for yourself.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms. Click here for some of those links so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

Featured Public Education Matters guests: 

• Maureen O'Connor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio (retired)
  • On Jan. 1, 2011, Maureen O'Connor became Ohio's first female Chief Justice. She initially joined the Supreme Court on Jan. 1, 2003, becoming the 148th Justice and giving the Court its first- ever female majority. Maureen O’Connor is the tenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the first woman to lead the state judicial branch of government, a Cleveland State School of Law graduate, and a member of the Cleveland State Law School Hall of Fame. 
  • Chief Justice O’Connor is the recipient of numerous awards from local bar associations to statewide and national organizations. Among them is Ohio State Bar’s highest honor, The Ohio Bar Medal, for ‘unusually meritorious service to the legal profession, the community and humanity.’  She is the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history. 
  • Chief Justice O’Connor has led significant reforms and improvements in the Ohio judicial system and is a leader nationally. Her commitment to modernization of the courts across the state is unmatched. Since 2015, she has endowed Ohio local courts with almost 40 million dollars to add and enhance technology. This funding has increased access to justice for litigants, defendants, and the public. The foresight of providing funds to local courts for technology made Ohio a leader in its ability to continue to administer justice through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 
  • Chief Justice O’Connor has worked to improve fairness in the judicial system. She was selected by her peers in the Conference of Chief Justices to co-chair the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices in 2016. The Task Force issued a report that provides judges, lawyers, and court personnel guidance in the law related to fines, fees, and bail as well as best practices. In Ohio, she has advocated for reform to ensure people are not held in jail prior to resolution of their case simply because they cannot afford bail. She strongly advocated for the creation of a statewide criminal sentencing database and the implementation of a uniform sentencing entry to establish standardized data for felony sentencing. She believes that judges, lawyers, and the public will benefit by being informed about the pattern of criminal sentencing in Ohio and the need for uniformity to insure a fair justice system across the state.  She created a task force on conviction integrity to look at policies and practices to determine equity, fairness, and advise the judiciary and the legislature. 
  • From 1985 to 1993, O’Connor served as Magistrate, Summit County Probate Court. From 1993 to 1995, she served as Judge, Summit County Court of Common Pleas, and was elected as administrative judge of the court. Serving in local and trial courts, she learned that many of society’s most difficult problems are manifested in the legal issues that come before the courts. 
  • As chief justice, it became clear that the emerging opioid abuse and its impact on court dockets needed a more collaborative response across state lines. An eight-state initiative to combat the opioid epidemic was created in which information sharing and best practices were not constrained by state boundaries. She has increased the role of specialized dockets, to bring community resources together to provide an opportunity for a second chance, where warranted. 
  • She holds trial courts in esteem for the challenging work they do and the opportunities they create. Chief Justice O’Connor left the Summit County bench to serve her community as Summit County Prosecuting Attorney from 1995 to 1999 and was honored by Cleveland State University with the Distinguished Alumnae Award for Civic Achievement and received numerous other awards. In 1999, she was elected with Governor Bob Taft to serve as Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. After 9-11, she became the state’s first liaison with the newly formed U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. As Ohio’s leader in Homeland Security, she chaired the State of Ohio Security Task Force and the State Building Security Review Committee. 
  • Chief Justice O’Connor joined the Court in January 2003, was re-elected as an associate justice in 2008 and elected twice as Chief Justice in 2010 and 2016. She was unopposed for reelection as chief justice in 2016. 
  • Since her retirement in December of 2022, she has been a leader for the effort in Ohio to amend the Ohio Constitution to create a redistricting commission with members selected from the citizens of our state. There will be no politicians or lobbyists eligible for appointment to the commission. The goal is to end gerrymandering and establish fair districts for both the Ohio Legislature and our congressional districts. The amendment will b...

Westerville Education Association member Pablo Chignolli believes everyone has a story to tell. His story is shaped by his experiences after immigrating to the United States from Peru as a young adult. The hardship and discrimination he faced then led him on a journey to foster cultural awareness and inclusivity. Now, as a Spanish teacher at Westerville Central High School, he has teamed up with another teacher to help immigrant students in their school tell their own stories and find their own voices. Mr. Chignolli discusses their new book of memoirs powerful conversation with Ohio Schools editor Julie Newhall. We also dive into plans for the 2nd annual Summer Celebration of Diverse Readers, which is offering East Cleveland students the chance to learn from the voices of diverse characters and diverse authors at a huge book giveaway event in early June.

GET THE BOOK | Click here to find "THE ONES AMONG US: Memoirs of Culturally Diverse High School Students in America" on Amazon.

SEE THE ART | Following the release of "THE ONES AMONG US," Otterbein University art students and Westerville Central High School photography students created portraits of the twenty students who share their stories in the book. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Arts Council are hosting an interactive gallery display featuring those portraits at the Deer Creek State Park Lodge through July 1, 2024. Click here for more information about the art exhibit.

READ THE STORY IN OHIO SCHOOLS | Pablo Chignolli's story will be featured in the June/July issue of OEA's magazine. You can read the digital edition here. 

JOIN OEA AT THIS YEAR'S SUMMER CELEBRATION OF DIVERSE READERS | June 1, 2024, from noon - 3 p.m. at the Chambers Community Empowerment Center (14305 Shaw Avenue, East Cleveland, OH 44112). All are welcome for this huge community event featuring free diverse books, free food, free family activities, and community resources. FULL DETAILS: www.ohea.org/diversereaders

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• Pablo Chignolli, Westerville Education Association member
  • A Spanish teacher in Westerville City Schools, Pablo Chignolli immigrated to the United States from Lima, Peru, in 2003. His arrival in the United States marked the beginning of a journey full of linguistic and cultural challenges. Mr. Chignolli navigated those hardships and issues with discrimination as he pursued a bachelor's degree in Latin American Cultural Studies, with a minor in Andean and Amazonian studies from The Ohio State University. He then went on to earn a master's degree in World Language Education. Upon graduating from that program, Chignolli became a teacher in Reynoldsburg City Schools before moving to a job in Westerville City Schools a few years later. Mr. Chignolli collaborated with fellow Westerville Education Association member Deb Jones, who teaches English Learners, to spearhead the creation of the "The Ones Among Us: Memoirs of Culturally Diverse High School Students," which was published in 2024. 

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. Katie often jokes that her children are walking petri dishes because they are always bringing one kind of 'bug' or another home from preschool and daycare. As you can hear in this episode, Katie was battling yet another one of those illnesses while recording the interviews for this episode. Katie believes she has a good chance of developing an unstoppable immune system by the time her kids are both in elementary school. 

This episode was recorded on May 15 and May 28, 2024.

As public employees, OEA members pay into - and count on - public pensions to provide an adequate retirement when they leave our public schools. But, as OEA Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hill explains, the explosion of vouchers using public tax dollars to pay for private school tuition in Ohio is creating a very concerning threat to the future sustainability of Ohio's public pension systems. We also hear from the campaign manager behind the ballot initiative to raise Ohio's minimum wage about the impact of that move on some Ohio educators and the families of the students that nearly all Ohio educators serve.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to subscribe on Google podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

GET INVOLVED | To learn more about the One Fair Wage campaign and to sign up as a volunteer, click here. 

Featured Public Education Matters guests: 

• Mark Hill, Ohio Education Association Secretary-Treasurer
  • Mark Hill began his career in public education in 1988, first as a middle school math teacher with Columbus City Schools and later with Worthington City Schools. Mark served as President of the Worthington Education Association from 2010-2018 and has served as a member of the OEA Board of Directors. Mark served as chair of the OEA Resolutions Committee as well as numerous committees for Central OEA/NEA. Mark was also elected to serve two four-year terms on the STRS Board from 2010-2018, serving as Chair and Vice Chair of the Board for each of those terms.
    Mark’s experience in leadership was shaped by the crises of Senate Bill 5 and pension reform. The SB5 attack on collective bargaining took place in Mark’s first year as president of Worthington EA, and he led his local association to participate in the statewide repeal effort. In the same year, as the STRS pension fund faced a solvency crisis, Mark worked with the rest of the STRS board to bring long term sustainability to the pension so that its members could count on a secure retirement.
    As Secretary-Treasurer, Mark has continued to advocate for a budget that reflects OEA priorities including supporting locals, organizing members to support public education, providing professional resources for members, and advocating for high-quality education for all students regardless of race or economic circumstances.
    Mark led the Board of Directors to adopt policies that make it easier for locals to recruit members and to ensure OEA has a streamlined process to hire quality staff to consult with locals. Additionally, Mark provides Local Treasurer’s Training differentiated by experience, and offers locals advice on financial reporting, membership enrollment, and issues with local elections.
• Mariah Ross, One Fair Wage Ohio Campaign Manager
  • Click here to learn more about Mariah's professional experience on LinkedIn

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.

This episode was recorded on December 2, 2023, and May 2, 2024.

In Ohio, students learning in school districts that are separated by just a few miles may feel like they are living in separate worlds. But these students have far more in common with each other than they may think, and together, they can take on some of the toughest questions in our society. Olentangy Teachers Association member Derek Burtch explains how his non-profit organization Erase the Space is helping to facilitate those connections. We also hear from India Strother, a Columbus school counselor, who has spent this school year honing her connection-building skills, among many others, as OEA's NEA Fellow.

GET YOUR STUDENTS INVOLVED | To learn more about the Erase the Space program or to sign your class up to participate in an exchange, click here.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to subscribe on Google podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.

Featured Public Education Matters guests: 

• Derek Burtch, Olentangy Teachers Association member, Erase the Space co-founder
  • Derek Burtch is the co-founder of the educational nonprofit Erase the Space and current English teacher at Olentangy High School. He is in his 16th year teaching high school English, including 6 years at North Union High School and 7 years at Olentangy Liberty High School--where Erase the Space was created and cultivated in partnership with Amelia Gordon and South High School in Columbus. Erase the Space engages students living in the segregated metro area of Central Ohio in democratic discourse across their segregated school districts through classroom learning exchanges. These exchanges are curated to engage students in conversation about shared social issues in order to move towards collaborative imagining of solutions. Derek is also one of the founding members of NExT Hub at Otterbein, a center for teachers to collaborate across districts in antiracist and liberatory efforts to support and provide solidarity for teachers engaging in acts of disruption across the Central Ohio area. His published works can be found in The English Journal, Theory Into Practice, and in the book of compiled essays titled The Ethics of Digital Literacy.
• India Strother, Columbus Education Association member, NEA Organizing Fellow
  • India Strother started her journey in education as an ESP in Warrensville heights city school district. From there, she continued her journey in education and graduated from The University of Akron with a master’s in education with a concentration in school counseling. India comes from an along line of educators who made working in education a proud family tradition. In 2022, she was awarded the OSCAR award from The Ohio School Counselor Association. As a counselor, India loves meeting the needs of her students social, emotional, and academic needs so they can meet their potential and fulfill their dreams.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
• Like OEA on Facebook
• Follow OEA on Twitter
• Follow OEA on Instagram
• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents about 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Public Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May 2020, after a ten-year career as an Emmy Award winning television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children. 

This episode was recorded on April 17, 2024.