When Ohio lawmakers began signaling their intention to break their promise to finish fully and fairly funding our public schools in the latest state budget, a lot of Ohioans were left feeling disappointed and downtrodden. Jessica Harper was left feeling mad. The Jackson City Education Association President turned that anger into action, bringing together her fellow educators and community members from around the region for a big rally for public school funding in the spring. Now, as the fight for fair school funding continues in the new school year, Harper is not backing down.

LEADING OUR UNION |Click here to check out Jessica Harper's column in the June-July issue of the Ohio Schools magazine.

MID-CAREER EDUCATORS UNITE | While Jessica Harper is on the cusp of entering the mid-career range in the education profession, other mid-career educators are coming together now within the Ohio's New Educators (ONE) department to ensure all Ohio educators in the second decade of the career have the support they need to thrive. 

• Check out our episode on the mid-career pilot program from earlier this season. 
• Sign up to take part in a world cafe in early November for mid-career educators and education support professionals at all stages of their career here. 

 
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Featured Public Education Matters guest: 

• Jessica Harper, Jackson City Education Association President
  • Jessica Harper is beginning her tenth year in the classroom in the Jackson City School District, where she serves as the president of the Jackson City EA.  Jessica recently began her first term on the OEA Board of Directors and is also on the Southeastern Ohio EA Executive Committee as the Jackson County Representative.  Her overall goals as a leader in her local are to keep membership numbers steady, become more visible to the public so educators can gain support from the community, and strengthen the local union by continuing to foster effective communication and activism.  

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About us:

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

This episode was recorded on August 26, 2025.