Public Education Matters

"The idea was to develop a plan that was fair for all of Ohio's children, fair for all of Ohio's districts, and fair for the state of Ohio."

Featured guest: 

• Former State Rep. John Patterson (D-Jefferson)
  • Dr. John Patterson represented Ohio's 99th House district from January 1, 2013 until December 31, 2020, when he left office due to term limits. Patterson earned his bachelor's degree from Marietta College, his master's degree in political science from Ohio University and his Ph.D. in education from Kent State University. Patterson taught U.S. history at Jefferson Area High School for 29 years prior to his retirement in June, 2012. He has also instructed undergraduate courses at Kent State and  taught at the graduate level for Gannon University. While at Jefferson Area High School, Patterson served as the Model United Nations advisor, and coached girls basketball, boys baseball, golf and, for the last 12 seasons of his career, boys’ cross-country. He was very active in the Jefferson Area Teachers’ Association, serving as chief negotiator for his union. Patterson is now a member of OEA-Retired.

In this episode:

• 2:00 - The Fair School Funding Plan as House Bill 1 and the four DeRolph cases that determined Ohio's current school funding formula is unconstitutional.
• 3:00 - Consulting with experts around Ohio to determine how much it actually costs to educate a student
• 4:25 - How experience in the classroom informs understanding of the issues and helps Patterson explain the challenges to fellow lawmakers.
• 5:45 - Calculating an accurate base cost
• 6:35 - Incorporating the "categoricals" -- the increased costs of providing transportation, educating English Language Learners, gifted students, special needs students, and more -- into the comprehensive Fair School Funding Plan formula.
• 7:10 - Determining a local district's fair share of the costs, taking into account that a community's property wealth on paper may not accurately reflect its citizens' ability to pay higher property taxes. The Fair School Funding Plan incorporates a 60-40 split between property wealth and income levels to determine local capacity.
• 10:00 - Providing direct funding for vouchers and charters under the Fair School Funding Plan, rather than deducting resources from local public school districts.
• 11:15 - The years of work to develop the Fair School Funding Plan in partnership with State Rep. Bob Cupp (R-Lima), who now serves as Ohio House Speaker
• 13:00 - "We realized that the formula was absolutely broken."
• 14:00 - The Fair School Funding Plan passed the Ohio House with overwhelming bipartisan support in late 2020, but the Senate failed to consider it before the end of the legislative session. Patterson's reaction: "Disappointed, because we came so close to the peak...But on the other hand, it is so complex"
• 15:00 - Navigating the obstacles and the unexpected wrinkles that had to be accounted for in a comprehensive school funding plan
• 16:00 - "When it came to December and that vote was there, we knew we really should have been working the Senate at the same time, but we just didn't have the resources nor the time to do all of it."
• 16:30 - Patterson's continued work, post-legislature, to get the Fair School Funding Plan passed
• 17:00 - The Fair School Funding Plan's importance to entire communities, not just schools
• 18:00 - How funding schools post-pandemic should lead to a renaissance in rural communities where people will be able to work from home and access the best educational programs for their kids
• 20:00 - Bringing Ohio's young people back home
• 21:00 - Fair school funding is finally within our reach

• "According to the State Constitution, this is a shared partnership between the local government and the state government to educate all of Ohio's kids, but where we have fallen short is to determine what the local share is."

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in late February, 2021.

New episodes are published every Thursday morning.

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About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents more than 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 a 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. 

Connect with us:

• 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

Featured guest: 

• Rob Niedermeyer, innovation teacher, Reynoldsburg City Schools
  • This is Mr. Niedermeyer’s eleventh year teaching.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Education from Ashland University. 
  • Niedermeyer developed the STEM Middle at Baldwin Road Junior High Sustainable Outdoor Innovation Learning (SOIL) Lab.  The SOIL Lab was the district’s first middle level, science-based elective course that focuses on sustainability, urban agriculture, and eliminating food insecurity.  Niedermeyer is now launching a new engineering and design class at Reynoldsburg’s Hannah Ashton Middle School (HAMS) Innovation Lab makerspace.  In the Innovation Lab, he pushes students to become producers, not just consumers.  Students use the tools on hand to develop solutions to real problems within their own community.  Niedermeyer believes that real problems are more important to learning than isolated content standards, and works with his team to develop authentic learning experiences for students through a transdisciplinary  problem based learning (TPBL) model.
  • Because of his commitment to authentic learning experiences for his students, Niedermeyer was named the Columbus Parent and ThisWeek News’ 2019 Middle Level Teacher of the Year Award winner, 2020 State Board District 9 Teacher of the Year, and 2020 Ohio Teacher of the Year State Finalist. 

Check it out:

• Click here to see photos of Niedermeyer's Innovation Lab makerspace at Hannah Ashton and Soil Lab at STEM Middle, as well as some of the projects his students have been working on.

In this episode:

• 1:45 - Makerspace basics: Traditional shop class tools with a high-tech twist
• 2:20 - Designing for others and creating projects that liven up the school space
• 3:15 - Teaching life-long 'soft skills' 
• 4:00 - Focusing on the design cycle with digital tools
• 4:45 - The 'Aha' moment in hands-on learning through remote and hybrid education models.
• 5:40 - "The kids who are working at home, I am then their hands here."
• 6:30 - Re-thinking best practices in light of the COVID curveballs for a hands-on class
• 7:25 - The successes and failures figuring out how to make virtual hands-on learning work
• 8:30 - The unexpected opportunities created by teaching in a pandemic: Communication and collaboration
• 9:30 - Creating the Urban Agriculture and Environmental Science Lab (aka the Soil Lab) at STEM Middle
• 10:45 - Letting students design the Soil Lab 
• 11:45 - Teaching the problem solving and critical thinking with hands-on lessons in the Soil Lab
• 12:40 - The role of agriculture in Reynoldsburg students' lives
• 13:15 - Shaping students' world views through urban agriculture and growing food for those in need during the pandemic
• 14:30 - Awards and recognition: Building on the new connections to improve experiences for students
• 16:30 - Looking ahead to the future of the Innovation Lab at Hannah Ashton

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in February, 2021.

Featured guest: 

• Howard Fleeter, economist & Ohio Education Policy Institute consultant 
  • Dr. Howard B. Fleeter received his BA from Northwestern University and a Ph.D in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.  He was a faculty member in the School of Public Policy and Management at Ohio State University from 1989-1999, where he taught courses in Public Sector Economics, Public Finance, and State and Local Government Finance.  He was a four-time recipient of the School’s “Faculty of the Year” award for excellence in teaching.  Fleeter was also a faculty member in the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1999-2001, where he taught courses in the Economics of Education and School Finance.  His research has focused on state and local government finance, education funding and education policy, and applied microeconomics. He joined Richard Levin and William Driscoll as a partner in the research and consulting firm Levin, Driscoll & Fleeter in 2002.   Dr. Fleeter has extensive experience working with policymakers and stakeholders on issues of education and human services finance, tax reform and analysis, state budgeting, economic impact analysis, and other related policy issues. 
  • Learn more about Dr. Fleeter's public policy research firm: https://www.fleeterandassociates.com/

In this episode:

• 0:40 - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's executive budget
• 1:30 - FY 20 & FY 21 funding formula frozen at FY 19 levels
• 2:15 - The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on school funding
• 3:50 - Understanding the DeRolph decision
• 4:30 - Ohio's constitutional guarantee for a system of common schools
• 5:00 - The inherent inequities of funding schools through property taxes
• 6:00 - The adequacy issue: "You need some sort of objective standard that every kid is going to get a reasonably high-quality education"
• 6:30 - The different costs of educating different students
• 7:30 - Effectively not having a school funding formula in place right now: "We've taken a bad situation and made it worse."
• 8:55 - Calculating the "base cost" per student
• 11:20 - Over-reliance on local property taxes
• 12:00 - How do you construct a school funding formula that complies with the Ohio Constitution?
• 13:00 - The Fair School Funding Plan, introduced as House Bill 1 this legislative session
• 15:00 - The plan for computing the state and local share based on property wealth and local income
• 16:00 - The Fair School Funding Plan's history as House Bill 305 and its future in the current budget process
• 19:00 - School funding in the Ohio Senate

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in February, 2021.

Featured guest: 

• Taraja Shephard Allen, school counselor, Columbus City Schools
  • This is my ninth year as a school counselor in Columbus City Schools. I love being a school counselor because I have an opportunity to help my students become the best versions of themselves. I love working in CCS because I believe in being an integral part of my community. I am a proud CCS graduate from Linden McKinley High School. I obtained my undergraduate degrees from Ohio University and my Master’s in School Counseling from the University of Dayton. I believe in advocating for our professional rights on a local, state and national level.  Thus, I am an active dues paying member of my local union CEA. I also serve on committees for OEA/NEA. As none of us can do this work in isolation, I am supported by/support my colleagues through networking, leadership and engagement activities as a member of Ohio New Educators. Above all, I am a proud mother of three amazing, beautiful and talented children who are being educated in our public schools by hardworking teachers.
  • Taraja was named Junior Achievement of Central Ohio's 2020 Educator of the Year

In this episode:

• 1:25 - Junior Achievement's work in Columbus City Schools
• 1:55 - Preparing students for the world of work and beyond
• 2:25 - Reaction to receiving Educator of the Year honor
• 3:25 - Transitioning to working with high schoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 5:15 - Prioritizing safety while facing the emotional challenges of not having school buildings open for students
• 7:15 - Practicing self-care
• 8:15 - Being compassionate to yourself to be a better educator
• 10:00 - Creative solutions to reach students during the pandemic and gauging the impact
• 12:25 - Giving credit to the students who are thriving in the virtual learning environment and to the students who are struggling
• 14:05 - Connecting with parents through Zoom 
• 15:05 - The remote learning skills that will translate to adult working skills for students in the future
• 17:00 - Taraja's passion for school counseling and teaching "soft skills"
• 18:55 - "We won't always be in this pandemic, but I don't think we'll ever quite return to the way life used to be, and I hope that's for the better."
• 20:30 - Inspiring others

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in January, 2021.

Featured guests: 

• Betsy Baker, Gahanna Jefferson Education Association crisis spokesperson
  • A proud Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools graduate, Betsy Baker has taught for nine years in the Gahanna Jefferson district in central Ohio. She teaches Geometry and AP Calculus at Gahanna Lincoln High School. Baker served as a liaison between Gahanna Jefferson Education Association members and the community during GJEA's strike in October, 2020.
  • Connect with the Gahanna Jefferson Education Association on Facebook.
• Karissa Wooddell, Switzerland of Ohio Education Association crisis spokesperson
  • A sixth year teacher, Karissa Wooddell currently serves the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District as an Intervention Specialist in the District Behavior Unit at Powhatan Elementary School. Switzerland of Ohio, a sprawling rural district in southeastern Ohio, is largest geographic district in the state. Wooddell acted as media spokesperson for the Switzerland of Ohio Education Association throughout their negotiations with the school board, which ultimately led to a full agreement in late-December, 2020.
  • Connect with the Switzerland of Ohio Education Association on Facebook.

In this episode:

• Gahanna Jefferson Education Association's successful strike for safety, equity, and student success
  • 1:45 - GJEA bargaining and strike timeline
  • 3:15 - Safety issues at the center of the crisis
  • 4:40 - The dangers of live-streaming to students under the proposed model and what went wrong
  • 6:20 - Addressing COVID-19 health and safety concerns in the contract negotiation process
  • 6:40 - Reflecting on the days on the picket lines 
  • 8:45 - Community support for the striking teachers
  • 9:20 - Reaching a tentative agreement
  • 10:15 - The road to becoming GJEA's spokesperson

• Switzerland of Ohio Education Association's crisis negotiations lead to a contract agreement after members voted to authorize a 10-day strike notice, if needed
  • 12:25 - Negotiating a contract amidst the challenges of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • 12:50 - Weighing the thought of not being in the classroom against the need to reach a fair contract agreement for the good of the students
  • WTOV9 covered a community rally December 10, 2020, that apparently marked a turning point in negotiations. See the full news stories referenced in this episode here and here. 
  • 13:45 - The power of community support for SOEA
  • 15:15 - Negotiating competitive salaries to attract and retain the most qualified educators for Switzerland of Ohio students
  • 16:20 - Reaching and ratifying a fair contract deal

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in January, 2021.

Featured guest: 

• Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President
  • A high school social studies teacher from Worthington, Scott DiMauro was elected President of the OEA in 2019 after having served as vice president for six years. Over his 30-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 democratic society. He has likewise advocated for students, educators and strong public schools at all levels of his union. 
  • Connect with Scott on Twitter and Facebook

In this episode:

• 1:10 - Reflecting on the lessons learned through 11 months of educating students amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic 
• 3:55 - The education inequities exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic
• 5:00 - OEA's Putting Education First policy: Rest, Restart, Reprioritize, Resource (Find the full details here)
• 9:00 - Prioritizing teachers and school employees for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio
• 10:05 - The continued importance of masks, social distancing, and sanitizing procedures in schools. The vaccine is not a panacea. 
• 11:35 - Ohio's newly relaxed guidelines for when students must quarantine
• 15:15 - Tackling Ohio's unconstitutional school funding formula
  • Here's what OEA had to say when the Fair School Funding Plan passed the Ohio House of Representatives with overwhelming bi-partisan support. The bill was ultimately blocked from consideration by the Ohio Senate.
• 17:40 - The future of school funding legislation in Ohio and the upcoming state budget cycle
• 18:15 - Legislative priorities in 2021: Standardized testing, Ohio's broken school report card system, and the state's takeover law

Connect with us:

• 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 more than 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 a 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. 

This episode was recorded in January, 2021.

Stay tuned for our first full episode - "Education in the Age of COVID-19" - launching January 28, 2021.

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents more than 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 a 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. 

Connect with us:

• 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

New episodes coming weekly!