Publication for Members of Central OEA/NEA • Scott DiMauro, President

March 2011

By now you have, no doubt, read about all the reasons why Senate Bill 5 is bad news for public employees. We educa-tors, along with state and local fi refi ghters, police offi cers, and other public servants, are under attack. We are being blamed for problems we didn’t create and targeted for “reforms” that will silence our voices in decision-making and weaken our professions.

As damaging as this bill is for educators, it’s worse for our students. Taking away collective bargain-ing rights means taking away the ability to negoti-ate for needed classroom resources and professional support for teachers and other school employees. Weakening the union gives control of educational deci-sions to bureaucrats and politicians.

This will almost certainly lead to less pay, dimin-ished healthcare benefi ts, greater pension costs, and weakened job security. Worse, we’re on the verge of losing a meaningful voice at the bargaining table, a voice over our working conditions and our

President’s Message: Fighting for the future, today

students’ learning condi-tions. In short Senate Bill 5 will cause an erosion of our profession, a race to the bottom.

Like you, I didn’t go into education for the money, prestige or union support. I became a teacher be-cause I wanted to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people and help shape a brighter future for our country. I’m angered that we have become scapegoats for economic woes not of our own making. While we all know shared sacrifi ce will be needed to balance the state’s budget, I fear the extreme approach taken by Governor Kasich and many majority party legislators will diminish our ability to attract the best and bright-est to the classroom in the future. Too many politi-cians and business leaders want to make it easier to move teachers through the “factory model” of educa-tion. How can that possibly be good for our students? How can our communities possibly be helped by this? What on earth does this do to create jobs?

Ultimately, if we were to stand idly by, attacks such as this one will undermine the very system of public education that has been the hallmark of America’s greatness.

As diffi cult as the fi ght over collective bargaining has been these past few weeks, it has also given me hope for our future. Never before in my 20 years of teaching have I seen so many friends and colleagues standing so strong. Your phone calls, e-mails, and letters may not have killed Senate Bill 5 yet, but the mes-sage is being sent loudly and strongly that we care too much about our stu-dents and the public educa-tion system to let our voices be silent. Standing with tens of thou-sands at the Statehouse and across our com-munities has made

me exceedingly proud to be a member of this union and has given me hope that our best days are still ahead of us.

It’s not yet clear where this fi ght will take us. Whether it’s to another showdown in the legislature, a refer-endum at the ballot box, or the streets of our commu-nities, I’m confi dent that we’ll be in it together, and we will prevail. Our profes-sion and our students’ fu-tures are depending on it.

strong. Your phone calls, e-mails, and letters may not have killed Senate Bill 5 yet, but the mes-sage is being sent loudly and strongly that we care too much about our stu-dents and the public educa-tion system to let our voices

Standing with tens of thou-sands at the Statehouse

Erin Salzer and Adreinne Bowden during a rally on SB 5

By Central President Scott DiMauro

COMMUNIQUÉ

March 2011

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March 2011

As Central OEA/NEA’s newest team member, I’d first like to introduce myself. Russell Hughlock. Pleased to meet you!

One of the toughest challenges we face as an organization of over 21,000 people is how to communicate effectively. That’s the size of a not-so-small town and just like a town, we have a diverse group of people who make up our membership.

To meet that challenge, we must build a modern communications system for all our members. It’s crucial that our voices, and the voices of those who support what we do each and every day, are heard. Today’s news travels fast. We’ll travel faster.

But first we recognize that communication is a two-way effort, so we’d like to hear from you! There are a few things you can do right now.

If you use Facebook, join us at www.facebook.com/CentralOEANEA. We update this page constantly with news, information, photos and a running commentary

Welcome to the future!By Russell Hughlock, Central Coordinator

of Communications and Organizing

of interesting articles and links. We invite you to share your thoughts and ideas to get this conversation going. Invite your colleagues, friends and family to join our page, too.

Second, as we brave these gathering storms of malcontent arrayed against us, you can keep an eye on www.jointhefuture.org. This is going to be the launching off point for an ongoing effort by Central OEA/NEA to promote public education and those who serve with dedication each day. Yes, that would be YOU! Be one of the first to see the new site at the Representative Assembly.

Finally, if you want to just drop me a line, you can always do so by e-mailing me at Russell@jointhefuture.org. I look forward to taking these steps into the future with you.

Russell, a Brit and electrical engineer by profession, spent the last four years working for Richard Cordray as his Director of Research and Development; he also founded Ohio’s largest political blog, The BuckeyeStateBlog.

Treasurers’ AlertBy Mark Meuser, Central OEA/NEA Fiscal Manager

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 requires virtually all nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations to file an annual Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF. This includes local educator associations.

Before 2006, small organizations were not required to file. This is no longer true. Failure to file for three consecutive years will result in the automatic revocation of the organization’s tax exempt status. This means that the organization could have to file a federal tax form, pay income taxes, and possibly incur significant penalties.

If local treasurers are not sure of their filing status, they should check with their accountants immediately. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Pension Protection Act could result in serious consequences.

Published six times a year as a service of

CENTRAL OEA/NEA, INC.947 Goodale Blvd.Columbus, OH 43212

Scott DiMauro, PresidentDiana Ball, Vice PresidentKevin Griffin, Executive Board Liaison

Editors Ann Eblin, Judy Furnas & Carla NollFiscal Manager Mark MeuserProduction Patti DeglerPhotography Mary Jo ArmstrongDesign Pam McClung

Voice 614-222-8228Fax 614-222-8218E-mail Communique@centraloeanea.org

Volume 39, Number 5 • March 2011

COMMUNIQUÉ

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown was the

Keynote Speaker at the Central Winter Leadership Conference.

With more than 100 participants, Justice Brown addressed the

group of Central members on the importance of teachers and edu-

cation support professionals in shaping opportunities for children. She recounted stories of her own teachers who encouraged her to

reach beyond her own limitations to become the first in her family

to go to college.

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“What’s past is prologue.” William Shakespeare’s words were never more relevant than in the cur-rent fi ght to preserve public employee collective bargaining rights. Sharing their perspectives on bar-gaining battles of the late 1960s through the early 1980s, three panelists offered lessons from the past to help 120 local lead-ers understand what led to the passage of Ohio’s Collective Bargaining Law and what’s needed to keep it. The panel discus-sion was held on March 4, during Central’s annual Leadership Development Conference at the Quest Conference Center.

Panelist Debbie Thomp-son, a 36-year high school teaching veteran and cur-rent secondary vice presi-dent of the Lancaster Edu-cation Association, walked the line during a 68-day strike in Logan, Ohio, in 1978. Ninety-eight percent of Logan’s teachers and support staff stuck to-gether to win due process rights and the right to bar-gain their contract. Debbie and her colleagues set up classes in nearby churches and businesses for fami-lies who refused to cross the picket line. Standing together, resisting harass-ment and intimidation tactics, the members of the Logan Education Asso-ciation ultimately prevailed by winning community support.

They couldn’t have done it alone. “Our OEA represen-tative was so helpful,” said Debbie. She recounted the story of being taken to jail on a trumped-up charge of harassment.

After Debbie was frisked by a local police offi cer, the OEA UniServ consultant stepped in and exclaimed, “If you take her, you need to take me, too!” Soon, dozens of members and their supporters were linking arms together and being taken to police head-quarters en masse. When authorities were forced to admit no laws were broken, all were released. Sticking together in good and bad times was the key to their success.

After beginning his teach-ing career in Northeastern Ohio at a salary of $4,500 in 1965, Denny Roberge eventually became a fi eld organizer for OEA, sup-porting dozens of locals through crisis situations throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He retired as a political advocacy consul-tant in 1992. In the panel discussion, Denny empha-sized the power of organiz-ing. “You have to fi nd out who the power brokers are in your community and fi gure out how to infl uence them.” This is true not only at the local level, but at the state level in work-ing with the legislature as well.

The third panelist, Don Wilson, was also a veteran of local organizing efforts, leading the Parma Educa-tion Association through two strikes in the early 1970s. He later served as OEA President in 1980 and from 1982 to 1988, lead-ing the state organization during its greatest achieve-ment—the passage of the bargaining law in 1983. He pointed out that in the years prior to 1983, Ohio averaged nearly 60 public employee strikes per year. Today, strikes are rare. (The last educator strike in Central Ohio was 22 years ago, in Groveport.)

Wilson echoed Roberge on the importance of organizing, adding that training members on how to communicate with their colleagues, neighbors, and legislators is also essential. Education is an inherently political profession, and it is only through effective, sustained political action that the right to bargain was won.

The list of rights won through collective bargain-ing is long. Sick leave, healthcare benefi ts, class size limits, planning time protection, confl ict resolu-tion procedures, personal leave, life insurance, sever-ance pay, and support for professional development are just a few examples. More signifi cant than any particular contractual benefi t or right is having a meaningful voice at the table as decisions about working and learn-ing conditions are made. The struggle to win that voice was hard-fought and wrought with confl ict. Debbie, Denny and Don remind us all not just how valuable these rights are, but what we need to do to keep them.

Past as Prologue: Understanding the Struggle Over Collective Bargaining Offers Lessons for Today’s Fight Over Senate Bill 5

Panelists at the Presidents Plus One meeting on Friday, March 4, from left: Denny Roberge (OEA-

Retired Staff), Debbie Thompson (Lancaster EA), and Don Wilson, Past President of the OEA.

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March 2011

The Central OEA/NEA In-struction and Professional Development Committee presented Proceed Until Apprehended: Members Taking Control of the Pro-fession at the Central OEA/NEA Winter Leadership Conference on March 5.

This presentation reflects the shift in focus of the IPD committee from the offerings of Central Day to offering presentations and resources in support of members and locals as we address the issues that are facing the teaching profes-sion today.

The committee provided participants with an aligned message to debunk the 4 Big Lies:

1 Public Schools are Broken

2 Teachers are the Prob-lem

3 Unions are to Blame

4 Charter Schools are the Answer.

Professional Efficacy in the Teaching ProfessionBy Kevin Griffin, Communications Committee Chairperson

Research based facts and expert analysis were utilized throughout the presentation. What we know is:

1 Public schools educate ALL students;

2 Quality teachers are es-sential, but factors outside the control of teachers have a major impact on student learning;

3 Unions promote posi-tive learning environments for students; and,

4 Charter schools per-form poorly in comparison to neighborhood public schools. IPD Committee members, Chairperson Barry Alcock (South-Western EA), Dona Givens (Dublin EA), Mary Kennedy (Hilliard EA), Patty Nyquist (Dublin EA), Nancy Smith (Worthington EA), and Wil Vickery (Chillicothe EA), further educated at-tendees on how to counter the attacks on the teaching profession. The IPD team is ready to take this show on the road as we continue to build professional ef-ficacy.

Upcoming Events

For Retired Members

The OEA Retired Spring Regional Conference is being held May 18, 2011, at Heidelberg University, Wickham Great Hall, 310 E. Market St., Tiffin, OH.

To register complete the registration form at the bottom of the Conference flyer and send a check for $20.00 payable to the Ohio Education Association by Wednesday, May 11, 2011 to OEA Westerville Office, 5026 Pine Creek Drive, Westerville 43081, (800-686-4632).

You can view and download a copy of the Conference flyer on Central’s Web site at www.centraloeanea.org. The Conference flyer can be found by clicking on the “Quick Link” Document Library at the left of any page of the Web site. Once at the Document Library, click on Conference Related Information to find and view the document.

OEA Minority Leadership Training Program

The OEA Minority Leadership Training Program is scheduled on June 10-11, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin, Ohio. The training will commence on Friday evening and conclude late Saturday afternoon. To register, type this link into your browser http://www.regonline.com/MinorityLeadership. For additional information, contact Demetrice Davis at OEA via e-mail at davisdem@ohea.org or by phone at 800-282-1500.

OEA Women’s Caucus – NEA Women’s Leadership Training Workshop

The OEA Women’s Caucus is hosting the NEA Women’s Leadership Training on June 17-18-19, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Columbus/Dublin, 600 Metro Place North, Dublin. For additional information contact Joni Watson, Chairperson OEA Women’s Caucus via e-mail at joniRW@aol.com. Registration will close on May 15, 2011.

From left: Dona Givens, Patty Nyquist, Wil Vickery, Barry Alcock, Mary Kennedy, and Nancy Smith.

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At its meeting on March 8, the Central Executive Board approved an emer-gency Local Initiative Grant of $6,000 to help students in the Elgin Education Association “get back to learning” as quickly as possible.

The grant request, sub-mitted by Elgin Local President Tanyce Addison, highlighted the loss in one elementary school of all supplies, resources, and equipment due to heavy rain and melting snow.

“Since February 27, 2011, the Elgin West Elementary School has been flooded,” wrote Addison. “Over 18 inches of water sat in each classroom, and due to the

high moisture, even areas not flooded have been deemed a loss due to the contamination. Replacing these supplies, resources, and equipment will be a hardship on the commu-nity since many homes were also destroyed in the flood.”

“The Local Initiatives Grant was established in 2009 to help local asso-ciations in need of special assistance,” said Central President Scott DiMauro. “I can’t think of a better way to help the teachers, students, and community in this area.”

Central Board Approves Emergency Funds to Help Elgin Education Association Members

Central Representative Assembly Scheduled for April 9, 2011

Central OEA/NEA’s annual Representative Assembly (RA) will be held at Worthington Kilbourne High School, 1499 Hard Road in Worthington, on April 9, 2011. All local delegates elected to the OEA Representative Assembly (May 6-7) are delegates to the Central RA.

The agenda will include elections of representatives to the OEA Board of Directors, a Central Area Representative, and the ESP Representative on the Central Executive Board. Also on the agenda will be endorsement of OEA Statewide candidates, the adoption of the 2011-12 Central budget, a collection for the OEA Fund for Children and Public Education, debate on any business items presented by the delegates, and a discussion and debate on organizing strategies related to protecting collective bargaining rights and funding for public education.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and close promptly at 9:30 a.m. President DiMauro expects to call the Assembly to order at 9:00 a.m. Coffee and doughnuts will be available at 8:00 a.m., and a buffet lunch will be served to all delegates and guests at noon.

The following positions will be filled by election at the Central OEA/NEA RA on Saturday, April 9, 2011. For each, the representative’s term of office begins September 1, 2011, and ends August 31, 2014.

Central Unit 2 – currently held by Adrienne Bowden

Central Unit 4 – currently held by Sandra Bell-Duckworth

Central Unit 7 – currently held by Barry Alcock

Central Area 5 Representative – currently held by Kevin Griffin

Central Education Support Professional Representative – currently held by Sandra Overturf

Nominations for the above positions will be taken from the floor of the RA on April 9. All positions have declared candidates. We encourage interested and enthusiastic members who are qualified to serve in one of these leadership positions to run for office at the RA.

Public-sector Strikes in Ohio

80

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

‘80 ‘85 ‘90 ‘95 ‘00 ‘05 ‘10

No

Data

1984 data covers April 1 - Dec. 31; 1993 data covers Jan. 1 - June 30. Beginning with July 1, 1993, all data reported by fiscal year, July 1 - June 30.

The State Employment Relations Board keeps track of the number of strikes by government workers across the state each year. The current collective bargaining law was passed in 1983.

March 2011

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March 2011

Growth and Development Grant Applications for the spring application period are due by April 19, 2011. Growth and Development Grants offer fi nancial support to locals that wish to become more effective associations. Maximum grant awards from $2,000 (for locals with up to 100 members) to $5,000 (for locals with over 800 members) are available, and Central OEA/NEA has budgeted $50,000 for this award program. Priority in awarding grants is given to fi rst time applicants, but all locals are encouraged to apply.

This application period is especially designed for locals that wish to conduct activities or projects that would occur in August, September, or October of 2011. Since the fall application period deadline is mid-October, and any activities from August, September, or

Growth and Development Grant Applications Due April 19, 2011By Andre Prenoveau, Central Projects Manager

October would already be completed by the application deadline, Central OEA/NEA Finance Committee established the spring application period so that locals could get funding for start-of-the-school year projects.

Of course, a local may submit an application that covers projects for the entire year, or submit one in April and one in October.

More information, including a listing of the characteristics of an effective local, and the application form can be found on the Central OEA/NEA Web site: www.centraloeanea.org.

If you have specifi c questions, contact Andre Prenoveau, Central OEA/NEA Projects Manager at pm@centraloeanea.org.

Incentive Award checks of $50.00 to $250.00 have been distributed to all locals that participated in the program during the fi rst half of the 2010-2011 school year. Locals received $50.00 for at-tendance at each of the following: the Fall Area Meeting, the November All-Area Meeting and Delegate Briefi ng, and attendance/voting at the OEA Fall Representative Assembly. Locals also had the opportunity to receive $50.00 each for participat-ing in two “selectable” activities: the OEA Local Presidents’ meeting and the OEA Treasurers’ Work-shop.

Congratulations to the following locals for earn-ing the full $250.00 for the fi rst half Incentive Award: Amanda-Clearcreek EA, Gahanna Jefferson EA, Hill-iard EA, Pickerington EA, Springfi eld City ESP/SE-USS, Tolles EA, Tri-Rivers EA, and Union Scioto EA.

Many locals have already earned $50.00 for the second half of this year by attending the Winter Area Meetings. All locals will be able to earn at least $50.00 for attendance at each of these upcom-ing events: Spring Area Meeting, Central OEA/NEA Representative Assembly, OEA Spring Representa-tive Assembly, and by

Mid-Year Local Association Incentive Program Award Report

having a local constitution in compliance with OEA. The selectable events offered during the spring include the Presidents Plus One dinner meeting, the Central/Central Ohio Re-gional Coordinating Council Winter Leadership Confer-ence and OEA Lobby Days. The maximum number of “selectable” events that a local may earn a $50.00 award for is two.

While the maximum num-ber of ten events/activities can earn a local $500.00, that amount will be dou-bled if a local conducts a drive for the Fund for Chil-dren and Public Education and has a member partici-pation rate of 14%.

Second-half incentive checks, which will include the doubling factor for the Fund for Children and Pub-lic Education participation for all of the year’s event participation, will be mailed in mid-June.

Although there are no forms to submit for the Incentive Awards, registra-tion on the Central Web site is mandatory for all events in order to receive the award. If you have any specifi c questions about the Incentive Award Pro-gram, please contact Andre Prenoveau, Central OEA/NEA Projects Manager at pm@centraloeanea.org.

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OEA is planning to host Educator Lobby Days on the following dates: March 29; April 5 and 12; May 10 and 24; and, June 7, 14, and 21.

Educator Lobby Days are held at the OEA Headquar-ters Building, 225 East Broad Street in Columbus. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. with a short briefi ng prior to heading to the Statehouse to lobby your legislators.

Registration for all Lobby Day sessions is available on Central’s Web site at www.centraloeanea.org. Registration can be found under Political Action Initiatives (including Lobby Days).

OEA hosts Educator Lobby Days

Central OEA/NEA Political Action Coordinators will be handling arrangements for Central members who attend any of the OEA Educator Lobby Days, including making appoint-ments with legislators in your area, and we will treat you to lunch at a nearby restaurant. If you register on Central’s Web site, you do not need to register with OEA. We will take care of notifying OEA of your attendance.

Educators and Ohio’s stu-dents face critical challeng-es this General Assembly. At stake are school fund-ing, key education reforms, collective bargaining, and pension benefi ts. Now more than ever you must make sure your voice is heard!

Political Action Coordinators

Area 1—Joy BockFairfi eld & Licking Counties(H) 740-964-7071 (S) 614-571-5120joy.bock@centraloeanea.org

Area 2—Tanyce J. AddisonDelaware, Marion & Union Counties(H) 740-499-3102 (S) 740-528-2320tanyce.addison@centraloeanea.org

Area 3—Jim TempletonChampaign, Clark & Logan Counties(C) 614-332-3734jim.templeton@centraloeanea.org

Area 4—Mark Milless (Senior PAC)Greenfi eld Ex. Vlg., Fayette, Madison,Pickaway & Ross Counties(H) 614-837-9256mark.milless@centraloeanea.org

Area 5—Tom BeckFranklin County(H) 614-436-3357 tom.beck@centraloeanea.org

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Central members protesting Senate

Bill 5 in front of the Statehouse.

More than 110 people attended the Central/CORCC Winter Leadership Conference. The Presidents Plus One meeting on Friday night was closer to 120.

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In this issueWelcome to the Future! 2

Treasurers’ Alert 2

Past as Prologue 3

Professional Effi cacy in theTeaching Profession 4

Upcoming Events 4

Central Approves EmergencyFunds 5

Positions Up for Electionat Central Representative Assembly 5

Growth and Development GrantApplications Due 6

Mid-Year Local AssociationIncentive Program Award 6

OEA Hosts Educator Lobby Days 7

Central OEA / NEA

Central Representative Assembly

Growth & Development Grant Applications

Past as Prologue

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCOLUMBUS, OHPERMIT No. 204

CE NT RA L O EA/NEA, Inc.947 Goodale BoulevardColumbus, OH 43212

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Professional Effi cacy

April 9 Central Representative Assembly

April 19 Growth & Development Grant Applications Due

April - May - June Educator Lobby Days

May 4-5 OEA Representative Assembly

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