Public Education Matters

Introduced in the Ohio statehouse on March 14, 2023, Senate Bill 83 is sweeping legislation that hands down one-size-fits-all mandates to Ohio's colleges and universities that would do real, irreversible damage to the institutions that we rely on to train Ohioans to be productive members of our workforce, if it were passed. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirkland), named SB 83 the Higher Education Enhancement Act, but calling it the Higher Education Destruction Act is a more accurate name. The presidents of YSU-OEA and the Columbus State Education Association join this episode to help explain why SB 83 must be stopped.

LEARN MORE AND TAKE ACTION | Click here to see a summary of all of the provisions of Senate Bill 83 and then click here to send a message to members of the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee asking them to oppose the bill.  

Featured Education Matters guests: 

• Mark Vopat, YSU-OEA President
  • Dr. Mark Vopat is Professor of Philosophy and the Co-Director of the Dr. James Dale Ethics Center at Youngstown State University. Dr. Vopat received his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. His area of specialization is children’s rights. In addition to his work in children’s rights, Dr. Vopat has written and presented papers in a variety of areas of applied ethics including: business ethics, children’s rights, engineering ethics, professional ethics, the ethics of boycotting, moral sensitivity, and the intersection of libertarianism and Christianity. 
• Adam Keller, Columbus State Education Association President
  • A Full Professor in the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences at Columbus State Community College, Dr. Adam Keller is an organic chemist, with a focus on undergraduate education. He is currently the PI on an NSF-funded project to increase the recruitment, retention and success of underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 4 and April 6, 2023.

Ohio's educators are invested in their students and in their communities, and across the state, many of them are stepping into leadership roles to lead their communities to brighter futures. Sherry Vaught, an 8th grade teacher in Mansfield City Schools, is hoping to do just that this fall. She's running for Mansfield mayor, and she believes her unique skills from her decades in the classroom would serve her well in the mayor's office.

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• Sherry Vaught, Mansfield Education Association member
  • Sherry Vaught is a 30+ year veteran teacher who has been teaching in Mansfield City schools since 1999.  She has experience in special education, elementary and middle school teaching.  She has served on the curriculum committee, various ODE committees and is currently the secretary of Mansfield School Employee Association and a representative to NCOEA.  She teaches 8th grade Career Connections at Mansfield Middle School at this time.  She is happily married and the parent of an adult son.  When she is not teaching, she volunteers for her church and other community organizations, enjoys vintage shopping and practices yoga.  She is running for mayor of Mansfield in the November 2023 election.  

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 March 15, 2023.

On March 24, 1997, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in the DeRolph v. State case that Ohio's school funding system was unconstitutional and the Ohio legislature must fix it. It has now been 26 years since that decision came down, meaning two entire 13 year education cycles of kids entering kindergarten through graduating high school have gone through Ohio's public schools without lawmakers making things right. Dan Heintz, a teacher in Chardon who serves on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board explains why ongoing voucher expansion schemes cannot coexist with a constitutional public school funding system in our state.

READ THE OP-ED | Click here to see Dan Heintz' piece in the Columbus Dispatch, "Teacher: Today marks 26th year of lawmakers being 'willfully negligent' of Ohio kids"

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• Dan Heintz, Chardon Education Association member
  • Dan Heintz teaches at Chardon High School. He was elected to serve on the Cleveland Heights - University Heights Board of Education in November, 2017. Overcoming a slate of far right culture warriors, he was re-elected in 2021. In his spare time, he serves on the steering committee for the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit.   

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 March 27, 2023.

On August 22, 2022, more than 4,000 Columbus teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors, psychologists and other education professionals went out on strike to win the safe, fully resourced, properly maintained schools every Columbus student deserves. The Columbus Education Association's three-day strike resulted in a contract agreement that included monumental wins for Columbus students, educators, and the community, but that contract was just the beginning. CEA members Regina Fuentes and Annelise Taggart reflect on what has happened in the six months since the strike and the work that is still ahead.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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 Education Matters guests: 

• Regina Fuentes, Columbus Education Association member
  • Regina R. Fuentes is a 24 year veteran English teacher at Eastmoor Academy High School. She has worked for Columbus City Schools her entire teaching career. Regina is also an alumni of CCS, Northland graduating Class of 1994. For the last six years she has also served in the position of Spokesperson for the Columbus Education Association and was an important voice in the 2022 teacher strike. 
• Annelise Taggart, Columbus Education Association member
  • Annelise Taggart is in her 7th year teaching Elementary Art in Columbus City Schools. She has taught under at least six different principals, at five different buildings, from four different classrooms, two different carts, and from her laptop. Annelise has served as a Faculty Representative for the Visual Art Unit of the Columbus Education Association for 5 years, previously served as a Member Ambassador for Ohio's New Educators and Chair of Columbus Early Career Educators, and proudly served for the first time this past year as a member of the core bargaining team negotiating the 2022-2025 Master Agreement. 

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 March 14, 2023.

Ohio's public schools serve 1.6 million students of all races, backgrounds, genders, and abilities, but unfortunately, that diversity is not reflected in our education workforce. Ohio University's Patton College of Education launched a program to help change that by recruiting Black males to become education majors and fostering their growth throughout their time on campus. Program coordinator Dr. Jason Rawls and Aspiring Educator member Mekhi Evans join us for this episode to talk about the difference the Brothers RISE program is making. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY THE PROGRAM IS NEEDED| Brothers RISE (Rallying to Inspire and Shape Education) is an initiative designed to strengthen public education by recruiting students, particularly African American males, into Teacher Education. While African American students make up 16.8% of the student population in Ohio, less than 1% of their teachers are African American males. African American male teachers are needed to serve as culturally relevant teachers who are able to acknowledge and support the academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical awareness of all students, especially students of color. Click here for full information.

CONTACT | If you have any questions about Brothers RISE and/or wish to apply, please contact Dr. Jason Rawls at [email protected]

Featured Education Matters guests: 

• Jason Rawls, Ed. D. - Brothers RISE program coordinator, Ohio University
  • Known for his work with Black Star, a hip hop group comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Dr. Rawls contributed production on “Brown Skin Lady” and “Yo, Yeah,” which placed him on the map among independent hip hop producers. As an Associate Professor of Instruction at The Patton College of Education at Ohio University, Dr. Rawls is now co-writing the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in a College of Education in the United States (H.O.P.E. Program). The program is a series of four courses rooted in Hip-Hop Based Education using both Culturally Relevant and Relational Pedagogy. 
• Mekhi Evans - OEA Aspiring Educator member
  • Mekhi Evans is a second-year Education major at Ohio University. Originally from Hilliard, Ohio, Mekhi is a founding member of the Brothers RISE program.

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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.

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 March 6, 2023.

Arthur Lard, the OEA endorsed candidate for the STRS Board in 2023, is a Portsmouth City Schools teacher with 31 years of experience in the classroom. He is dedicated to keeping our pensions solvent and secure. All Ohio’s educators deserve a pension they cannot outlive. As a member of the STRS Board he has been dedicated to acting in the best interests of all STRS members. Arthur joins us for this episode to explain why he wants to continue being a voice for OEA members on the State Teachers' Retirement System Board.

LEARN MORE | For more information about Arthur Lard's qualifications and his vision for the future of STRS, click here.

VOTE | Active educators can vote for the active seat on the STRS Board by phone, mail, or online. Ballots will be mailed out to eligible voters in early April. The deadline to vote is May 1, 2023.

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• Arthur Lard, Portsmouth City Teachers Association member
  • Arthur Lard is a Business Education teacher from Portsmouth City Schools who has served on the STRS Board since 2019. He has a strong background in accounting and board governance. He has served as treasurer of his local association for 23 years and was treasurer of the OEA Board of Directors for four years. Prior to becoming a member of the STRS Board, Arthur underwent extensive training on pension issues receiving the Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy on Employee Pensions from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
  • As a member of the STRS Board, Arthur has been a thoughtful advocate for Ohio’s teachers. During his time on the Board, the funding status of the pension plan has improved, making our benefits more secure. The health care plan is fully funded so that it will be there for current and future retirees. The Board has lowered health care premiums and provided rebates to retirees. This fiscal year, STRS paid a 3% COLA to retirees and, most notably, did away with the age 60 requirement for retirement eligibility.
    • Teacher in Portsmouth since 1992
    • Teaches Business Education, Financial Management, and Accounting
    • Teaches Typing and Print Shop- a combination marketing and production class that produces and sells goods to the public.
    • Earned Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy for Employee Pensions in 2019.
    • Portsmouth Outstanding Teacher Achievement Award 2006 and 2018
    • Treasurer for local association for 23 years
    • Treasurer for district association for 4 years
    • OEA Board of Directors for 4 years
    • Outstanding Local Treasurer 2010-2021

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 March 1, 2023.

School meals should be no different than textbooks or transportation services provided to all public school students; they are a basic need for children to learn in school. But, since the end of the pandemic-era programs that provided free school meals for all students in all districts, too many Ohio students are going without the meals they need. On February 20, the Ohio Education Association hosted a virtual press event on behalf of the Hunger-Free School Ohio coalition to call on state lawmakers to expand access to school meals for all. This episode contains excerpts from that panel discussion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HUNGER-FREE OHIO SCHOOLS| Click here for more information about the Hunger-Free Ohio Schools coalition's work and how you can get involved. 

WATCH THE WHOLE DISCUSSION | Click here to see the full virtual press conference that is featured in this episode, including more from the featured guests, questions from the media, and the message from Ohio House Finance Chair Rep. Jay Edwards on this issue.

READ THE WHITEPAPER| Click here to see the “School Meals Support Ohio Student Health and Learning” white paper from Children's Defense Fund-Ohio.

Featured Education Matters guests: 

• Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President
• Katherine Ungar, Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio Senior Policy Associate who authored CDF-Ohio's recent white paper on the urgent need to expand access to school meals in Ohio.  
• Lindy Douglas, Special Programs Coordinator, and Daryn Guarino, Director of Food and Nutrition for Alexander Local Schools in Athens County, where school lunch debt has more than doubled this year from pre-pandemic levels.  
• Josh Kauffman, principal at Bluffton Middle School in Allen County, where students held a bake sale to pay off their classmates’ school meal debt.  
• Meg Thompson, a parent in the Wellington Exempted School District in Lorain County whose family was denied assistance to access nutritious school meals for their children after benefiting from universal access the year before. 

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 contains excerpts of virtual press conference that was held live on February 20, 2023.

On April 22, 2023, some of the best college basketball players from around Ohio will go head-to-head against some of the best athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the country on the Ohio State Campus in Columbus. But the athleticism on display during that matchup is only a small part of the purpose for this year's Classic for Columbus event, which also promotes education, economic development and diversity, while providing a platform to potentially bring more educators of color into the profession. The Classic for Columbus CEO and President explains.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CLASSIC| Click here for the full schedule of activities at this year's Classic for Columbus and more information about how the Classic supports HBCUs and scholarships at other higher education institutions. 

GET TICKETS | OEA members can take advantage of a 'buy two, get one free' ticket promotion if they purchase tickets for themselves and their families before March 24. Use this link to get three tickets for the price of two through the Classic for Columbus site: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05005D7EA9662D43?did=oeaedu

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• John Pace, Classic for Columbus CEO & President
  • John Pace is CEO/President of Classic For Columbus (CFC) based in Columbus, Ohio. The organization's mission is to promote education, economic development and diversity while raising funds for scholarships and institutions of higher learning. Under John's leadership, CFC awarded over $430,000 to scholarship programs and HBCUs in 2022. CFC produces large-scale events that include educational, cultural and entertainment festivities that complement collegiate football and basketball events. The organization's motto is: Optimize revenue and give it away. John has been producing major events in conjunction with Fortune 500 corporate sponsors for four decades. John's career began when he was a teenager and created a music awards program that became nationally acclaimed. John sold the intellectual property rights and trademark to Anheuser-Busch, which became part of the brewery's Michelob brand launch. Over the years, John's events have contributed millions of dollars to HBCUs and other community-based initiatives.   

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 February 8, 2023.

The Ohio Children's Budget Coalition's Vision of Child Wellbeing - Season 3, Episode 23

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ISSUES | Click here to read the Ohio Children's Budget Coalition's biennial budget issue book, "Creating a Vision of Child Well-Being For Ohio," or to read any of the individual policy briefs.  

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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 Education Matters guest: 

• Matthew Tippit, Ohio Children's Budget Coalition co-leader
  • Matthew Tippit is a Policy Associate at Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio. He holds both a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Social Work from The Ohio State University and is a licensed Social Worker. 
  • Prior to his graduate work, Matthew developed an interest in children’s issues through mentorship programs and an internship within Columbus City Schools. These issues are what moved him toward policy work instead of traditional Social Work positions During and after his graduate work, he worked for the Ohio House of Representatives with State Representative Brigid Kelly where he helped draft legislation and handled constituent outreach and casework. Matthew is passionate about influencing a wide range of policies that will impact the whole child which led him to his current position at Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio. At CDF-Ohio he co-leads the Ohio Children’s Budget Coalition, manages CDF-Ohio’s KID Count Data Center and focuses on Democracy Defense policies.”

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 February 8, 2023.

Beyond the Headlines: Cleveland's Promise - Season 3, Episode 22

READ THE SPECIAL SERIES | Click here to visit the Cleveland's Promise landing page on Cleveland.com to read the individual stories that have been published in the series so far, or you can click here to see all of the stories from the first phase of the project compiled together.

OPINION | Susan Kaeser's editorial piece on January 8th explores the value of the Cleveland's Promise series in the wider education and community conversations. Click here to read her thoughts: "Cleveland’s Promise series uses observation not tests to define schools: Susan Kaeser"

SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to 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 Education Matters guest: 

• Hannah Drown, Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer reporter
  • Hannah Drown has been with The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com since 2014. During her five years as the Facebook Live news reporter, she covered breaking news, crime, entertainment and a number of other topics through on-the-scene broadcast reporting. Prior, she worked on the Cleveland’s Best team and launched a gluten-free lifestyle column.
• Cameron Fields, Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer reporter
  • Cameron Fields has written for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer since 2020, when he started as a general assignment reporter covering COVID-19, business, social justice and community news, among other topics. He graduated from Ohio University in 2019, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism. 

Connect with OEA:

• Email [email protected] with your feedback or ideas for future 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.
• 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 January 30, 2023.