Scholarship Committee

Mr. Herron still needs one or two teachers to sit on the scholarship committee meeting on Monday the 2nd, at 6:00 pm.  If you could help out let Kim Wiederhold or James Herron know asap. 

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Referendum Petition

Kim Wiederhold, Mendy Brown, and  Nicki Whitley have Referendum Petitions for anyone in Brown Co. to sign.  At this time we only have Brown Co. at this time, however we hope to have more of the surrounding counties very soon.  Get with one of us to sign anytime before or after school hours.  Also, Mendy and Nicki are available as late a 5pm if you have a spouse or family member who would be willing to sign. 

Please keep checking back to get updates and learn when we have additional counties available. 

Simply Engaged Wellness Incentive Program

 

Complete the Health Risk Assessment and get a $75 give card

You and your covered spouse may complete the Health Assessment.  You can visit myuhc.com to access the Health Assessment.  Log onto myuhc.com and them click "Health Assessment on the landing page.

Complete an online Health Coaching program and get a $25 gift card

Following completion of the Health Assessment you can visit myuhc.com to access the Online Health Coaching program.  Click "Health & Wellness" tab, then "Onlie Health Coach" link under the Personal Health Center tab to get started.

Complete a telephone-based Health Coaching program and get a $75 gift card

You must complete the Health Assessment first in order to participate in the telephone-based Health Coach program.  Once you've completed the Health Assessment, call the Optum Health Coach at  1-800-478-1057 to begin working on your personal health improvement plan.

See the handouts regarding this in HS/MS Lunch Room or ES Lunch Room

SB 5 passes - beginning referendum effort to restore collective bargaining

March 30, 2011Local leaders, please forward this critical information quickly to your members! SB 5 Passes Ohio House and Senate in one day,
in bid to silence the voice of those serving Ohio,
but signature drive for referendum fight begins soon

Dear SWOEA ,
Like many of you, I began teaching when there was no collective bargaining law. Then in the 1980s, we saw the possibility for passing an Ohio collective bargaining law. Twenty-seven years ago I rode a bus with many of my colleagues from Cleveland to Columbus to rally at the Statehouse for the passage of the bill, just like so many OEA members have done this year. Back then, we established our collective bargaining rights, just as we are fighting now to preserve them.Today, despite all our work, I witnessed the passage of Senate Bill 5. The House passed the legislation, 53-44, with five no votes from Republicans and 39 no's from Democrats. Less than five hours later, the Senate passed the bill 17-16, with the same six Republican Senators joining all 10 Democrats in opposing it. This is not what we hoped for. We fought this battle with collective action – our emails, phone calls, letters to the editor, personal meetings, rallies and interviews. Speaking with one voice, we made it clear: collective bargaining is effective and it isn't broke. My heart is filled with pride and amazement at our effort and energy. But my head is pounding due to relentless attacks on our rights, the state budget for education and our pension plans. The passage of SB 5 is not the end. We now must continue the struggle, and we can only win at the ballot box in November. Let's keep our energy levels high going forward – both for our continuing legislative battles, for the signature-gathering effort that begins soon, and the referendum campaign in the fall. All of us will take part – teachers, ESPs, students, retirees and all our college and Pre-K-12 specialists. We have pride in our professionalism and we will not allow our voices to be silenced. We must win the referendum election November 8 to prevail. To get there, we will launch an effective effort to gather 250,000 valid signatures to defeat this outrageous bill. We will start the signature drive in earnest as soon as we get required approvals for ballot language. That could take 15 to 25 days, so we cannot gather signatures until those approvals come through. But we understand that process and we are on top of it. We are already getting ready. OEA will participate in referendum kickoff activities now being planned, and we'll provide details as soon as we have them. We will begin with planning sessions on the referendum and signature-gathering logistics on April 7 with all OEA staff, and you will receive more information after that. Together with our coalition and labor partners, we believe we can build wide support for the referendum. We do not believe the people of Ohio elected public officials to cut education funding, attack educators and set off a fiscal crisis in every community across the state. In that hope, I believe Ohioans will be on our side. Thank you for everything you have done to help us on this issue, and thank you for everything you do every day for OEA, for public education and for our students. - Patricia Frost-BrooksKeep listening,
Keep learning,
Keep leading!
 <https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=262d66ecf9ba4eafa6e1b771afe68f0e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmsg6svc.net%2fcozvg%2f336720%2f53%2f114569%2f3111%2f0%2fS%2f0%2f0%2fjxgr.html> President to President is an electronic newsletter of the Ohio Education Association written for local association presidents and other association leaders. Please feel free to copy and share this information with your members. Ohio Education Association 225 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-228-4526
www.ohea.org <https://owa.scoca-k12.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=262d66ecf9ba4eafa6e1b771afe68f0e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmsg6svc.net%2fcozvg%2f336720%2f53%2f114569%2f3111%2f0%2fS%2f0%2f0%2fjxgr.html>

REFERENDUM Circulators Training Date

Kim still needs two members to do this.   Contact her ASAP if interested.

What I need from you:

•      Identify a minimum of two members from each local to be trained as petition circulators.  Ideally, one member per building would work the best. 

•       Identified members will need to be available to attend a training of trainers and circulators to take place during the week of April 11.

•        Report to me, the names of members to be trained and trainings dates available the week of April 11,  no later than Friday, March 25^th.

SB5 and Gender

The Fordham Institute recently sponsored a survey of Ohio school superintendents. When afforded the opportunity to speak out, this group generally expressed the view that labor contracts and government regulations serve as impediments to their managerial authority. Removing these barriers would allow superintendents to more completely exercise their judgment and wisdom, which, in their view would lead to a better management of resources and a measurable improvement in student achievement.
Eighty-three percent of responding superintendents were male.
Data from ODE show:
Eighty-four percent of the superintendents of Ohio’s K-12 school districts are male.
Seventy-four percent of school teachers are female.
Ninety-eight percent of male superintendents are white.
Superintendents who are black and female outnumber those who are black and male.Supporters of SB5 seek to replace a democratic and representative process with one where power is concentrated among a small group of 54-year old white males. The evidence suggests that the first item on this group’s agenda is the protection of their own economic interests.
The joint testimony of OSBA, OASBO and BASA offers strong support of SB5. The only concern expressed by this group has to do with the proposal to prohibit public employers from paying the employees’ share of retirement. Since this benefit is universally applied to superintendents and treasurers, this position is not surprising.
Only about five percent of OEA local CBAs provide for a pick-up-on-the-pick-up. Since this provision is found in mostly small school districts, it is reasonable to estimate that only one to two percent of OEA members enjoy this benefit. Moreover, only a handful of the CBAs that provide payment for the employees’ retirement, pay the full employee share. Full payment of the employee share is the industry standard for superintendents and treasurers.
In calling for the elimination of the single salary schedule for teachers, OSBA, OASBO, BASA and other supporters of SB5 are seeking to dismantle an objective and predicable pay system that has served to effectively remove gender-based pay inequity from public education. As an institutional norm, training and experienced-based pay ensures comparable pay for comparable work.
The Economic Policy Institute reports that teachers are paid less than those employed in comparable professions. However, within the teaching profession, the average pay of male teachers exceeds that of female teachers by about six percent. Among non-teacher college graduates, males out-earn females by 32 percent.
The passage of SB5 would constitute a 27-year step backward in terms of the rights of all public employees. For females, the potential harm is much greater. Advances made over a century’s-long struggle for equal rights could be undone by the single stroke of a 58-year old white male’s pen.

Tuesday March 15 Rallies

                                    We need to stand up for Ohio...Get out and support the cause at a Rally in your area.                         

Oberlin Corner of N. Main St. and W. Lorain St. 5:00pm RSVP: 732-646-1664	Akron Tri County Labor Council 720 Wolf Ledges 4:30pm RSVP: 330-612-5573
Vandalia Corner of Maple St. and E. National Rd.5:00pm RSVP: 937-461-9983	Maumee Maumee Town Square on Conant between E. Dudley and E. John 5:30pm RSVP: 202-577-4424
Strongsville Pearl Rd and Route 82 5:30pm RSVP: 440-333-7007	Portsmouth Shawnee State University Flohr Lecture Hall 5:00pm RSVP: 740-357-1202
Westerville Westerville Library 126 South State St 6:00pm RSVP: 614-323-1703	Cincinnati Fountain Square 5th and Vine4:15pm RSVP: 513-961-2272
Salem St. Paul Church 935 E. State St. 5:00pm RSVP: 330-743-1196	Jefferson East Jefferson St. & South Market 5:00pm RSVP: 440-415-2925
Steubenville 227 S. 3RD Street 5:00pm RSVP: 330-794-7570	Mansfield Main St. Town Square 5:00pm RSVP: 419-468-9836