Public Education Matters

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.

Our brains crave powerful narratives. Stories help us interpret new information and shape our understanding of the world. They can also motivate us into action. That's what makes storytelling such a powerful tool for organizing within a union. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Cordi and Katie Fuller continue to share their insights and their own stories to explain. Plus, we hear from the OEA endorsed STRS candidate Sandy Smith Fischer, who shares her story about what led her to run to represent active teachers on the State Teachers Retirment System board and how those experiences will shape her work, if elected.

STRS VOTING DEADLINE: May 6, 2024, by 4:30 p.m. | If you are an active teacher who did not receive a ballot in the mail, or if you've lost your ballot, contact the Election Services help desk at [email protected] or 866-276-1506.

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OEA ENDORSED STRS CANDIDATE | Click here for more information on why Sandy Smith Fischer is running to represent active teachers on the State Teachers Retirment Board and her priorities to best serve the state's teachers in that position. 

Featured Public Education Matters guests: 

• Katie Fuller, Huber Heights Education Association member
  • Ms. Katie Fuller is a 5th Social Studies Teacher at Rushmore Elementary School in the Huber Heights City Schools District. Prior to this position, she had 7 years as a Positive Behavior Expert (PSC) Coach and Educational Consultant for grades K - 12 in the Dayton Public Schools District. In PBIS, her professional focus was education reform, the scaling up of evidence-based practices, cultural proficiency and organizational systems change.
  • Ms. Fuller is from Dayton, Ohio and has four children and a dog named Hafe’.  She is in-tune with the community, performing organizing work as one of Ohio's New Educator Member Ambassadors (ONE).  She has a profound love and passion for teaching, reaching, and inspiring people to action.
  • Ms. Fuller is a professional motivational speaker and workshop presenter and uses her powerful voice and international speaking platform to tell her life story and her “Why”.  She strives to share with people what drives education and social activism.  She encouraged her audience to find YOUR voice and tell YOUR story!!! 
• Dr. Kevin Cordi, Associate Professor, Ohio University Lancaster
  • Dr. Kevin Cordi is an Associate Professor of Education, Literacy, and Storytelling at Ohio University Lancaster where he has the honor of serving as the Middle Childhood Coordinator and the Advisor for the Aspiring Educators OEA Chapter.  According to the National Storytelling Network, he was “the first full time ;high school storytelling teacher in the country.”    He holds a Doctorate in Storytelling and Education from The Ohio State University.  He is an internationally known professional storytelling and presenter.  He has presented and performed in over 44 states, England, Japan,  Singapore, Scotland, and Qatar.  He has written book on storytelling, most recently, You don’t know Jack: A Storyteller Goes to School by the University of Mississippi Press.  Although he has studied storytelling as a discipline, he learned the art from listening to his mother tell West Virginia stories  to him and his five brothers and sisters.   He believes that story is the way we think and we can significantly change the way students learn in a positive way by including stories and storytelling in the curriculum.   You can find out more about him and his work at www.kevincordi.com 
• Sandy Smith Fischer, Streetsboro Education Association member and OEA-endorsed STRS candidate.
  • A highly experienced Intervention Specialist with over 23 years of dedicated service in the field of education, Sandy Smith Fischer is committed to supporting students with diverse learning needs, ensuring their academic, social, and emotional growth. In the early years, Sandy Smith Fischer worked as a Direct Care Worker at Rose Mary Center in Euclid, a home for children with disabilities. Sandy loved learning, and became very interested in helping the children more. She began working on the wing with non-ambulatory children and worked closely with the occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech therapist, and the psychologist in charge of behavior. The love of learning and helping others continued to grow, and Sandy dreamed of earning her degree one day.
  • Life happened, and Sandy found herself as a single mother of three, and returned to Kent State University in 1996 part time. While attending KSU part time, Sandy taught Head Start and went through the process of obtaining her Child Development Associates Degree for Portage County. During the years of obtaining her Bachelors Degree, Sandy would bring her children to her afternoon and evening classes. Throughout these times, she was also a Brownie Leader for her daughters Girl Scout troop, and would often take her children camping. Sandy graduated with her Bachelors degree in December 1999.
  • As the educational journey continued, Sandy’s Professors asked her to be part of a Master’s program grant for one year and she would graduate with her Master’s Degree. Sandy Smith Fischer continuously demonstrated a passion for fostering inclusive learning environments where every student can thrive. In 2000, Sandy Smith Fischer graduated with a Master's degree in Special Education, equipping her with the knowledge and expertise necessary to address the unique challenges faced by students with various learning differences.
  • Over the years, Sandy Smith Fischer has worked in a variety of educational settings, including public schools, extended school year programs, and specialized programs such as the Help Foundation in Cleveland. She has served students across all grade levels, from early childhood to high school, and has developed a deep understanding of the diverse needs of learners at each stage of their educational journey.
  • As Sandy began teaching in 2001, her passion for learning continued as she was now teaching an inclusion science class in 7th and 8th grade. Sandy went to countless workshops, and even took more college credits to gain a better understanding of the subject she was teaching. The lust for knowledge did not stop, Sandy took more classes to learn about Autism and other disabilities. She even began taking counseling classes to gain a better understanding of how to help more people. In 2005, Sandy...

Just about every educator has no doubt worked with "that kid." It's the student who can't sit still, who can't just focus, who seems to lash out when faced with even a minor perceived slight. Lindsay Rice was "that kid" and she knows all too well how challenging, and even sometimes traumatic, school can be for other "that kids" like her. But now, as a third grade teacher, Rice is working to share her experiences and perspectives to help other educators better support neurodiverse learners in their classes and to help bring other neurodiverse educators into the education profession.  We also hear from an Aspiring Educator who is passionate about what she's learned about the importance of play-based, strengths-based early childhood education programs. With engaging conversations and practical insights, this episode offers valuable perspectives for educators seeking to create inclusive and effective learning environments.

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: 

• Lindsay Rice, Columbus Education Association member
  • Lindsay has a Bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Science and a Master's degree in Childhood Education from SUNY Cortland. Over 11 years, she has demonstrated exceptional growth in high-poverty schools. A devoted member of ATE and NEA, she has presented for prominent organizations and authored impactful blogs for Better Lessons. Her leadership shines through the completion of NEA's Teacher Leadership Institute and ATE's Leadership Program. Lindsay served as an observer at the National Education Summit. Her unique perspective as a person with ADHD enriches her advocacy for neurodiversity. Her scholars consistently outperform predictions by 30 to 40 percentile points. She has also crafted curriculum materials and contributed to publications on trauma-informed practices. She is currently working on a book entitled When "That Kid" Becomes the Teacher. 
• Brittney McCarey, Aspiring Educator - Grand Canyon University 
  • After several years of experience in customer service roles and as a stay-at-home mom, Brittney McCarey decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in early childhood education at Grand Canyon University. She expects to graduate in 2026 and is seeking job opportunities in early childhood education, hoping to gain valuable experience and contribute her skills to a team. She is currently focusing on career development goals including participating in leadership conferences and networking opportunities, including those that brought her to OEA's Aspiring Educators division initially. She is also working to further self-care goals, including setting clear boundaries, identifying core values, and engaging in activities that promote relation and well-being.

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. 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 March 6 and March 14, 2024.

From its humble beginnings in a closet at an OEA Representative Assembly to its evolution into an important resource for all educators across Ohio, there's a lot you probably don't know about the Ohio Association of Special Needs Professionals, or OASNP. In this episode, OASNP leaders Jené Wilson and Nikki Nadasky offer five surprising facts about the organization within OEA. We also hear from Medina City Teachers Association President David Hamman about how that local was empowered to take the lead in its own professional development, and why this PD Day was such a success for the MCTA's 470 members.

GET INVOLVED WITH OASNP | The Ohio Association of Special Needs Professionals is holding its annual conference April 26-27, 2024, at the Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center. Click here to register. And, to learn more about the benefits of OASNP membership and to join OASNP by adding just $10 to your dues annually, click here.

SEE THE PHOTOS FROM MCTA'S PD DAY | If you'd like to see some of the highlights from the Medina City Teachers Association's recent Professional Development Day, please click here to see MCTA's Facebook post.

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: 

• Nikki Nadasky, OASNP Acting Chairperson
  • Nikki Nadasky has been a Service and Support Administrator for the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities for 14 years, as well as Portage County Education Association for Developmental Disabilities union president and acting Chair of OASNP. Prior to acting chair, Nadasky was vice chair and also was the group's secretary. She has worked for 23 years in total serving those with developmental disabilities and has met many wonderful people, for whom she has so much respect.  They have shown Nadasky to live life with perseverance.
• Jené Wilson, OASNP Immediate Past Chair and Business Manager 
  • Jené Wilson was with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities for 36 years, teaching pre-school and school-age students, and the last ten years as a Behavior Intervention Specialist. She has been actively involved in all levels of Association work since 1974 when her local, the Association of Cuyahoga County Employees for Special Students (ACCESS), went on strike just a few months after she was hired. Since retiring in 2009, she taught at Notre Dame College for nine years and is currently supervising student teachers at Cleveland State. She continues to be active in the association, serving on several statewide and NEOEA committees and as a delegate to NEOEA, OEA, and NEA Rep Assemblies. 
• David Hammon, Medina City Teachers Association President 
  • "This is my 31st year teaching, the last 23 years at Medina High School. I teach Honors and AP Chemistry. I have served as the President of the Medina City Teachers Association since February 2017, having previously served in the position of Vice President from 2012-2017. My wife, Christina, is an OEA member and a curriculum coach at Medina High School. I have a daughter in college and a son in high school."

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. Katie's two children are always bringing some sort of illness home from preschool and daycare, which explains Katie's 'under the weather' voice in the interview with David in this episode. She appreciates your patience and good grace while she recovered, and promises to drink a little more hot tea to soothe her sore throat before the next interview.

This episode was recorded on February 21 and March 5, 2024.

Ohio's Primary Election Day is March 19, 2024, and across Ohio, voters will be deciding everything from primary races for state legislative seats to school levies. The presidential primary, though, is usually what makes the headlines. And, at the upcoming Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention, the parties' nominations for the US presidential race are usually what gets the spotlight. But as two educators who have been longtime DNC delegates tell us, their role as delegates at the national convention is much more than that. Plus, OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing gives us the details on upcoming bowling and golf events for members and their families and friends to help the OEA Fund's work supporting pro-public education, pro-labor candidates.

JOIN THE FUN FOR THE FUND | Click through these links for more information about upcoming bowling events with OEA and OEA Districts across the state and an inaugural golf outing in central Ohio to benefit the OEA Fund. You can also learn more about the OEA Fund itself by clicking here or by listening to this episode from last season of this podcast.   

SEE HOW OHIO'S LEGISLATORS STACK UP | Click here to explore OEA's new Legislative Scorecard and to see where your legislator, and other Ohio legislators, stand on public education and labor rights issues.

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: 

• Tom Moscovic, OEA-Retired member, Elected DNC Delegate
  • "As a lifelong Democrat and Union member I know the importance of collective bargaining. I began my career as a member of Iron Worker's Local 17 and made a career change to education in my 40s. I spent 22 years in the classroom teaching Social Studies in the Willoughby-Eastlake School District in as an OEA member.  I served as President of the Willoughby Eastlake Teachers Association for 8 years. Since I retired in 2015, I have supervised student teachers at Cleveland State University in Cleveland.   I've been active in Democratic politics in Lake County for over 25 years. I am the OEA Fund State Chair for the OEA Retired members and I am currently a member of the OEA-R Advisory Council and a lifetime member of OEA-R. I have been married to my wife Paula for 53 years. We have one daughter and 3 grandsons. We have lived in Eastlake since 1972."
• Deloris Rome Hudson, OEA-Retired member, Elected DNC Delegate
  • "I am a retired educator who taught in Hamilton, OH. While there, I taught Family and Consumer Sciences and served as the president of my local for almost 20 years. I am now a Director on the OEA Board, and am a member of the South Western OEA (SWOEA) Executive Committee. Additionally, I serve as the president of the Butler County Retired Teachers Association (BCRTA) and of the South Western OEA-Retires (SWOEA-R)."
• Jeff Wensing, OEA Vice President 
  • A high school math teacher in Parma City Schools, Jeff Wensing has been a public education advocate and leader for more than 30 years. Jeff served as President of the Parma Education Association from 2012-2018 and as President of the North Eastern Ohio Education Association (NEOEA) from 2016-2018. One of Jeff’s accomplishments as a local and district leader was organizing members and the community to elect a new Parma Board of Education majority in 2017.
    Jeff has served on OEA’s Constitution and Bylaws Committee and President’s Cabinet, as Vice Chair of OEA’s District Leaders Council, and as a member of the Fiscal Fitness Review Committee and Systemic Practices Committee.
    Since his election as OEA Vice President in 2019, Jeff has continued to emphasize the importance of organizing members throughout the state. He believes the OEA must support locals in order to both maintain and grow membership.
    Jeff believes it is critical to listen to members before decisions are made, ensure communication throughout the process, and engage in full transparency. In his second term as Vice President, he has continued to focus on the OEA’s strategic issues, shared values, and the students members work with each day.

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 February 13 and February 15, 2024.

The General Assembly's recent track record on public education issues - including efforts to attack honest education, create universal voucher schemes, and remove accountability measures for the state's charter schools - have earned Ohio a dubious distinction: We are near the bottom of the list of states when it comes to support for public schools. In fact, a new report from the national Network for Public Education gives Ohio an F. We hear from the Network for Public Education Action executive director about what led to Ohio's grade and why Ohio's charter schools should be raising big flags for everyone. We also hear from Columbus EA member Jacquia Hearn about a ONE Professional Development series empowering educators to stand up to book bans in our state and country.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM | For more information about the Ohio's New Educators (ONE) professional development sessions and to register for the next Beyond the Classroom: Banned Books session on March 12th from 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom, click here.

SEE THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION'S WORK | Click here to learn more about the Network for Public Education, a national advocacy group, and the work it does to shed light on public education issues, like the rise of charter schools and private schools in the United States. Their work also includes a recent Washington Post piece looking at a problematic federal grant awarded to the Cincinnati Classical Academy, a Hillsdale College member school. UPDATE:  Click here to read the new NPE "Public Schooling in America" report.

SEE HOW OHIO'S LEGISLATORS STACK UP | Click here to explore OEA's new Legislative Scorecard and to see where your legislator, and other Ohio legislators, stand on public education and labor rights issues.

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: 

• Dr. Carol Burris, Executive Director, Network for Public Education Action 
  • Carol Burris, a retired public school teacher and principal, now serves as the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education and as Executive Director of the Network for Public Education Action, a national organization dedicated to supporting and improving public education. Dr. Burris, who has authored three books on educational equity, has received numerous awards for her leadership, including being named the 2013 New York State High School Principal of the Year. 
• Jacquia Hearn, ONE Member Ambassador
  • Jacquia Hearn is an eighth-year educator who teaches in Columbus City Schools. She is currently serving in her second year as an Ohio’s New Educator (ONE) Member Ambassador and Columbus Early Career Educators (CECE) Chair within her local. As a ONE Member Ambassador she works with the Beyond the Classroom (BTC) workgroup that provides free virtual professional development for members. Jacquia has spent the past year using her passion to get involved on a local, state and national level from becoming a active member of the Columbus Education Justice Coalition, to serving on the Human and Civil Rights Committee for OEA as a member of the Doris L Allen Minority Caucus (DLAMC) to attending her first National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly as a delegate.
      

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 January 23 and February 5, 2024.

Educators need to have a seat at the table when policy decisions are being made, whether that's in their local community or in our statehouse in Columbus. But, for many educators considering a run for public office, it may be difficult to know where to begin. That's where NEA's See Educators Run program comes in. On this episode of the podcast, we hear from Orange Teachers Association member Ship Collins about what he's taking away from his time in the See Educators Run program, whether he ends up running for office or not. We also check in with OEA's Manager of Government Relations Dan Ramos about where a bill that's better known as the Higher Education Destruction Act stands in the Ohio General Assembly and why OEA members cannot let up any of the pressure on their local legislators to block this dangerous legislation.

LEARN MORE | For more information about the National Education Association's See Educators Run program, you can read a recent NEAToday story on it, watch a video from NEA featuring educators who have been through the program, or click here for more details about the program and how you can get involved.

TAKE ACTION | Your voice is critical when it comes to fighting back against Senate Bill 83. Use this link to contact your state representative to urge them to stop this bill.

SEE HOW OHIO'S LEGISLATORS STACK UP | Click here to explore OEA's new Legislative Scorecard and to see where your legislator, and other Ohio legislators, stand on public education and labor rights issues.

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: 

• LeShun "Ship" Collins, Orange Teachers Association Member
  • For over two decades, LeShun “Ship” Collins has been empowering young minds and challenging his peers to transcend the common and accepted thought of social confines. A highly accomplished educator and innovator, Collins is leading the conversation and ultimately the transformation of social injustice by breaking down its barriers. Collins’ expertise is grounded in real-world experience. As a practitioner in health and physical education, he spent over 20 years in the school system building positive relationships and cultivating student growth. 
  • He has published two articles in the National Administrative Council Forum and The National Council of Multicultural Forum. Collins is sought after by universities and other educational institutions for his keen insight and perspective and for raising awareness of a flawed system that benefits some, but not all students. His mission to provide a voice to the marginalized and underrepresented inspired the release of “Considering Sensemaking as Artmaking in Promoting Social Justice-Oriented Work in Schools,” an article written by Collins and his colleagues and published in the University Council for Educational Administration journal.
  • To learn more about Ship's work with the Male Minority Leadership Group at Orange High School, click here to watch the Ohio School Spotlight video featuring that program. 
• Dan Ramos, OEA Manager of Government Relations
  • Dan Ramos is from Lorain, Ohio, where he attended school at St. John the Baptist and Lorain Southview High School.  After graduating high school in 2003, Dan obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, International Affairs and Philosophy from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, OH in 2007.  Through the 2008 presidential election cycle, he joined the Obama for America campaign, working to help elect President Obama in northeastern Ohio.  In 2009, Dan was hired by the Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU) District 1199 WV/OH/KY.  Initially working with SEIU as an Administrative Organizer, representing and negotiating contracts for SEIU’s state employees’ division, he became SEIU 1199’s Political and Legislative Liaison in late 2010.  In 2011, Dan worked with fellow labor lobbyists and attorneys in the effort to stop Senate Bill 5 while it was in the General Assembly, and then lead SEIU’s efforts field in Central and Northeast Ohio to collect signatures referendum and then defeat SB 5 on the November 2011 ballot.  In 2012, Dan moved to the Ohio Education Association. Dan has served as OEA’s Political Advocacy Consultant, where he was responsible for growing OEA’s member political action and legislative advocacy, increasing OEA’s PAC membership, the Fund for Children and Public Education, and assisting in OEA’s political coalitions, such as LEAD Ohio and the America Votes Coalition. In 2018, Dan Ramos moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he served as a Labor Relations Consultant for the Warren County Leadership Council, representing over 2,400 certified and classified K-12 teachers and ESPs. 
  • Dan returned to his political role with OEA in 2021, returning as a UniServ Political Advocacy Consultant and then moving into his current role as the Manager of Government Relations in May of 2022. As the Manager of Government Relations, Dan heads up OEA’s efforts to engage the Ohio General Assembly and Members of Congress to advance OEA’s legislative policy priorities, build relationships with Ohio’s elected officials, and engage members in advocacy and accountability programs.  Dan also helps coordinate OEA’s political, coalition, and electoral programs.    

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 Consulta...