Publication for Members of Central OEA/NEA • Scott DiMauro, PresidentWinter 2013

COMMUNIQUÉ

On-the-ground organizing wins.Much has been written in recent weeks about the factors that led to President Obama’s successful re-election. More significant than the incessant “air war” of television commercials and the media coverage of conventions, debates and campaign rallies is the role on-the-ground organizing plays in achieving success. Our members were involved in tens of thousands of door knocks, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations that helped the President carry Central Ohio. As we face growing challenges to our profession in the coming months, we know we’ll need to learn from our 2012 experiences to step up our organizing efforts a notch or two.

Reflections for the New Year From Your Central OfficersBy Scott DiMauro and Adrienne Bowden

Making us proud.Hats off to Central members Maureen Reedy, Donna O’Connor, and Tanyce Addison for their extraordinary efforts to win election to the Ohio House and Senate. Even though they fell short, they made us proud in pushing a positive pro-education agenda. We hope to see Maureen, Donna, Tanyce and other members continue to put themselves forward as candidates for office again in the future.

Thinkgerrymandering isn’t a problem?Considering that 56,000 more Ohioans voted for Democratic House candidates than Republican House candidates, one has to wonder how the GOP won 60 seats compared to only 39 for the Democrats. Gerrymandering is simply unfair and bad for democracy. Even Issue 2

opponents admitted we have a broken system. It’s up to us to keep pressure on our elected leaders to fix it now, and not wait until the next decade to solve this problem.

Stepping up forpublic education.

No candidate can win without having the resources to get their message out to voters. That’s why the OEA Fund for Children and Public Education (FCPE) is so essential when electing pro-public education candidates to office.

Central was once again recognized at the OEA Representative Assembly for being the top district in the state in supporting FCPE on a per-member basis, resulting in more than $133,000 in total contributions last year. Sixteen individual Central members earned awards for their personal commitment to the Fund, including Tim Skamfer (Gahanna-Jefferson EA), Nancy Smith (Worthington EA) and Wil Vickery (Chillicothe EA), who each attained “Hall of Fame” status with $6,000

in donations during their careers.

Keep an eye on Michigan.On December 6, extremists crammed a so-called “right-to-work” bill through the Michigan House and Senate in just seven hours, with no hearings or public input. If the bill stands, Michigan will become the 24th state with such a law on its books. Think Senate Bill 5 was unfair, unsafe and bad for our communities? So-called “right-to-work” legislation is even worse. We don’t know how or when the shoe might drop in Ohio, but don’t doubt for a second that moneyed interests in this state would like an opportunity to push their extremist agenda here.

Expecting a constitutional school funding system? Think again.Remember how the Supreme Court ruled Ohio’s school funding system unconstitutional four times? Apparently, some members of the legislature have forgotten that Article VI, Section 2 of the Ohio

The “lame duck” period between the November election and January swearing-in ceremonies pro-vides us an opportunity to reflect on the events of the past year and look ahead to opportunities and challenges. Here are a few of our observations:

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Winter 2013

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Volume 41, Number 2 • Winter 2013

COMMUNIQUÉPublished four times a year as a service of

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

Scott DiMauro, President

Adrienne Bowden, Vice President

Kevin Griffin, Executive Board Liaison

Russell Hughlock, Coordinator of Communications and Organizing

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

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

 

 

www.strongschoolsohio.comwww.facebook.com/StrongSchoolsOhio

@StrongSchoolsOH : Text SSSC to 51555

Do you have a transitional leadership plan for your lo-cal Association? Have you taken steps to prepare your new leaders for a smooth transition into their new office, so their first day in office will be better than your first day?

One way to plan for our Association’s leadership succession is by training new leaders and provid-ing seasoned leaders with the continual training and resources needed to do their jobs effectively. The Central Emerging Leaders Program was established to be one of those resource tools. The Emerging Lead-ers Program provides Cadre members with a structural overview of the Association at the local, district, state and national level, as well as personal leadership skills. Participants learn about the roles of each Association level, and receive informa-tion about various resources and the support offered to

our members and locals at each level. Participants will reflect on their current leadership skills and work on additional skills: commu-nication, organizing, political action, and advocacy. This program is designed with two tracks to allow us to target specific resources based on Association expe-rience and need.

Track One is designed for new Emerging Leaders’ members who have little to no Association experi-ence. The program will provide these members with an introduction to the Association, leadership skill development, and growth opportunities within the As-sociation.

Track Two is designed for new local officers, mem-bers in leadership positions with fewer than 5 years in the Association. The goal of this track is to assist new local leaders with mentor-ing in their new leadership

Preparing Our Members for Future Leadership: Central Emerging Leaders Program

positions and giving them a deeper understanding of the Association and the resources available to help their local as well as their students and community.

The 2012-2013 Emerging Leaders’ Cadre began in October. The eight Cadre members have been intro-duced to the Association structure, FCPE and district

communications. Hands-on training sessions have kept our Cadre highly engaged in Association activities throughout the year. Mem-bers have donated several hours to Campaign 2012 phone banking and canvass-ing for Member Candidates, attended Area meetings, OEA Representative As-sembly and a variety of local activities.

(In order from left to right) Karen Lee (Westerville EA), Mark Brugger (Westerville EA), Cathy Monteiro (Westerville EA), Geoff Mize (Westerville EA), Erin Barr (Big Walnut EA) and Misty Dutiel (Lakewood EA). Not pictured: Melissa Robey and Richie Hines.

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The campaign was kicked off late in August with a poster contest. The poster contest was open to all students, K-12, in school districts serviced by Central OEA/NEA. The theme was “Bullying is everybody’s problem! How can we pre-vent it, detect it, and report it?” The goal was to select one winner from each of the three age groups: grades K-2, grades 3-6, and grades 7-12, as well as one overall winner.

Little did the committee know what a task it would

Community Outreach Committee Does Its Part To

become! On the day of judging, the committee walked into a poster filled room, with 1,627 entries from 24 different local school districts.

The judging was a chal-lenge, but several hours later, the winners were selected. Congratulations to our three winners: Emma Hawk (Heritage Elementary, River Valley Local Schools), Hanna Smith (Central MS, Licking Heights), and Shelby Maier (Northeastern HS, Northeastern Local Schools). Shelby was our

overall winner and her poster idea became the title and face of our campaign.

The committee members were also busy making plans for the Anti-Bullying conference, held on Decem-ber 8 at the Central OEA/NEA headquarters. The day began with a session on topics such as how to use literature in the classroom to discuss the sensitive topic of bullying, information that educators should know about anti-bullying laws, and how to make students’ bullying stories count. Also considered were anti-bullying programs at Diley Middle School in Pickering-ton and at Ohio University.

Todd Walts, CEO/Founder of Campus Impact, rounded out the morning with a key-note presentation in which he stated that bullying has three clear components. The behavior is Aggressive, has an imBalance of power, and is Continuous. This is what he referred to as the ABCs of Bullying.

He went on to explain that the behavior is not accidental, but is an intentional overt or covert act to cause verbal, emotional, and/or psycho-logical pain in another person, including verbal, emotional and psychological pain. The imbalance of power could be physical, social status (popularity), sheer numbers, intellectual, or other means that cause the target to not respond. The behavior is con-tinuous either by one person continually getting bullied or by a person who continues to bully different people. Gener-ally, if the imbalance of power is absent, the behavior is usu-ally a conflict and should be handled as a conflict.

The afternoon session was kicked off with the award cer-emony for our three poster contest winners. All three young ladies and their fami-lies were on hand and the winners were quite excited to receive their brand new iPads in front of about 70 confer-ence participants.

Two breakout sessions fol-lowed and included topics such as the dynamics of bullying, how to bully-proof your classroom, and One Leg at a Time Initiative, a program that many Worthing-ton local schools have been implementing. All in all, the day was tremendously suc-cessful. Each participant was able to take back a plethora of new information to share with colleagues, as well as 6 hours of CEUs. The confer-ence was free of charge for the participants, thanks to Central OEA/NEA.

Last February, the Community Outreach Committee decided to launch an anti-bullying campaign. From that point on, the committee worked to put the plan in motion and finally, on December 8, it came to fruition.

“Stop the Bull”

Emma Hawk Hanna Smith Shelby Maier

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The Ohio Education Association held its fall Representative Assembly December 1, 2012 at Veterans Memorial in Columbus. The theme of this year’s RA was “The Power of Our Profession.” Campaign 2012 OEA member candidates, including CENTRAL OEA/NEA members Tanyce Addison and Donna O’Connor joined President Pat Frost-Brooks onstage. The members spoke of their campaign experiences, the lessons learned, and the importance of having our voices as educators and support personnel heard at the Statehouse.

The Power of Our ProfessionAdrienne Bowden, Vice-President. Central OEA/NEA

OEA Vice President Bill Leibensperger presented the Legislative Committee report and provided delegates with the committee’s recommendations for future OEA policy. Delegates adopted the legislative policies and the systemic policy agenda of OEA.

Tim Myers, OEA newly elected Secretary-Treasurer, presented the financial report showing that OEA had finished the year under budget. Our members received an update on how the federal budget cuts known as the “fiscal cliff” threaten to remove $147 million in school funding. OEA members are encouraged to take the NEA “Kids Not Cuts” pledge. Please visit educationvotes.nea.org/kidsnotcuts for more information.

Due to the unprecedented attacks on education, educators, and support personnel, delegates

adopted New Business Item 1. The goal of this NBI is for OEA to be proactive and strategic when preparing members for a potential anti-collective bargaining constitutional amendment initiative. This new business item directs OEA to create a task force to develop a strategic organizing and messaging plan to defeat any potential so called “Right-to-Work” legislation.

This also provides an opportunity for OEA to inform members about the issues of “Right-to-Work,”which won’t save jobs, stop cuts, create more jobs, or defend public services as the RTW proponents would like the public to believe; but it will devastate our profession. A comprehensive plan will be presented at the next OEA RA.

Delegates overwhelmingly voted (NBI 2) to join forces with the Strong Schools, Strong Communities campaign. This is a citizen-driven, non-partisan

movement dedicated to informing and engaging Ohio citizens about the excellence and achievement in public schools. See our piece on page 2.

The delegates adopted NBI 3, directing OEA to offer a set of collective bargaining recommendations and model language to local Associations, on how they can shape teacher evaluations in their contract. As was the case with NBI 1, Central members played a key role in introducing the proposal and winning near-unanimous support from the delegates.

Carol Correthers was endorsed for the active seat on the STRS Board of Directors for a second term. Jim McGreevy and Bob Stein were endorsed for the retried seats on the STRS Board of Directors. Robin Jeffries (Columbus EA) was elected to serve on the National Education Association Board of Directors filling the vacancy of Jerry Oberhaus.

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As a new delegate to the OEA Representative As-sembly this year, I was very impressed. I attended the Central All-Area New Delegate meeting prior to the Representative As-sembly. The presenters,

A First-time Delegate PerspectiveBy Tricia Sanders, Pickerington Education Association 7th Grade Language Arts TeacherPickerington Locals Schools- Lakeview Junior High School

Adrienne Bowden and Amy Grittani, provided the new delegates with an abbrevi-ated run‐down of the RA expectations. This was EX-TREMELY helpful! The ses-sion explained everything from registration, the RA agenda, and voting, as well as what was required of me (ID and yellow registration paper from the mail). Had I not had this information, I would have been confused about what I witnessed and experienced that day at the RA.

I felt the formality of the OEA Representative As-sembly was well planned. The business meeting created a certain pride for those of us as teachers. Our current president, Pat Frost-Brooks, was very organized in running the RA and inspir-ing in her message to all delegates. The on-floor and secret ballot voting process-es were run very well. The explanation of what was being voted on was clearly explained, and the actual process went smoothly.

Overall, I am very eager to stay involved in my local, the Pickerington Education Association, and our state Association (OEA) in what-ever capacity I can. I have been teaching for 19 years in the Pickerington Local School District. Education is changing so rapidly that I feel it is my responsibility to stay informed in order to bring back information to my local so that those in my district can be as informed as possible.

Stay Engaged!

You can contact your Area Political Action Coordinator for more details on any activity listed above.

Ways to keep politically active after the election.

Campaign 2012 season has come and gone. As a District, Central members spent countless hours working at phone banks, canvassing, hosting 10-mintue meetings at their buildings, working for levy campaigns, and at the election polls. Our energy and dedication was high! Our efforts resulted in some great successes and a few close defeats. Although the elections are over, it does not mean our work is completed. We need to stay committed, focused and, active!! We need to foster relationships and keep the lines of communication open with our legislators. We need to ensure that our voices, as educators, are heard from the Statehouse to the White House.

There are a variety of ways to stay active:

• Become a Political Action Liaison (LPAL) for your local

• Become a member of ACES (OEA’s cyber lobbyist program)

• Take the NEA’s “Kids Not Cuts” pledge

• Contact your legislative representative about the potential budget. Share your budget-cut stories

• Take part in OEA’s Member Candidate Training Program in January

In Case You Missed It

www.jointhefuture.org/blog

www.facebook.com/jointhefuture

www.twitter.com/JointheFutureOH

Answer these three questions:1. Does your local association have 225 members or less? 2. Would you like to have a member of your local be a delegate to the world’s largest business meeting?

3. Would you like to have a member of your local be able to experience the democratic process at its best?

Small Local Grants Available for Atlanta NEA

Stay up-to-date on all the latest state education policy and news with Join the Future’s daily news clip service: www.jointhefuture.org/education-news

Here are some of the top stories published by Join the Future that you might have missed over the holidays

Teaching As Team Sporthttp://www.jointhefuture.org/blog/1064-teaching-as-team-sport

Charters And Their Supporters Failing Our Kidshttp://www.jointhefuture.org/blog/1023-char-ters-and-their-supporters-failing-our-kids

How Should Educators Interpret Value-Added Scores?http://www.jointhefuture.org/blog/1080-how-should-educators-interpret-value-added-scores

instead want to promote a “money follows the child” scheme in the upcoming budget to funnel even more money into failing for-profit charter and private schools. (Charter schools occupy the bottom 113 positions among the 936 Ohio school districts rated last year.) Pursuing such a policy would be a direct assault on public education and on

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every student we serve.We hope you had a rest-ful holiday season. Given the issues on the 2013-14 legislative horizon, we will need to hone the organiz-ing strategies we learned in the 2012 campaign. Stay tuned.

If you answered yes, your local should apply for an NEA Small Local Grant to help with the funding of a delegate to attend the 2013 NEA Representative Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sheila Clements (Teays Valley EA) and Jim Scott (Tolles EA) attended the 2012 NEA Representative Assembly in Washington D.C. Sheila said, “What really impressed me was the energy of the 10,000 plus delegates.” Hearing from different regions/states gave her a better perspective on the education issues common to all, and getting to know other local leaders from Central OEA/NEA has helped her in her role as a local leader.

Jim said, “The sense of pride in our profession and the common values of putting students first is very evident at the RA.” Listening to the floor debates showed that teachers and ESP’s try to give students the best pos-sible educational experience and to make a difference in the lives of those students.

What must your local association do to get partial to full funding (last year the stipend amount set by NEA was $1695) for a delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly?

First, conduct a local election as soon as possible to select a delegate. Second, submit an online application via the Central OEA/NEA website. Early submission is preferred.

Go to the Central OEA/NEA website www.centraloeanea.org for more details and to submit a grant application.

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Local Presidents Plus Guests Schedule for Friday, March 8

Crowne Plaza, Columbus-Dublin600 Metro Place North, Dublin, OH 43017

5:30 p.m. Registration6 p.m. Dinner6:30 p.m. Panel Discussion plus Q&A9 p.m. - 11 p.m. Hospitality

Organizing for ChangeA panel discussion on how to organize for change, from the grassroots level to statewide and national campaigns.The panel discussion and open forum will be moderated by Cen-tral OEA/NEA President Scott DiMauro. Invited panelists include the following:

Greg SchultzOhio State Director, Obama for America

Chris GlarosManaging Director and Gen-eral Counsel, Children’s Defense Fund

Organizing for Change…

Schedule for March 9

Crowne Plaza, Columbus-Dublin600 Metro Place North, Dublin, OH 43017

7:30 - 8:25 a.m. Registration & Breakfast8:30 - 8:45 a.m. Opening Session9 - 10:10 a.m. Session 110:20 - 11:30 a.m. Session 211:35 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch and Keynote1 - 3 p.m. Session 33 - 3:15 p.m. Closing Session

RegistrationTo register, log on to central’s website at www.centraloeanea.org and click the events link. Registration for Friday is separate from the Saturday sessions. Use the information below to plan your day Saturday. Registration will remain open through March 1. Online registrations are required for local associations to re-ceive the $50 credit under the Central Local Association Incentive Program.

Hotel AccommodationsA block of rooms is being held until Friday, February 15, at the Dublin Crowne Plaza Hotel. If you wish to stay overnight on Friday, March 8, you must make your own room reservation using your personal credit card. Call 614-764-2200 or 866-372-5566 and tell them you wish to reserve a room in the Central OEA/NEA block. The rate for Central members is $99 plus tax. If you live at least 30 miles from the hotel, you are eligible for a reimburse-

How Organizing Can Tip the Scales in Favor of Public Education

Winter Leadership Conference, March 8-9, 2013

Jennifer SconyersCommunications Director, Ohio Organizing Collaborative

Pete HackemanSenior Campaign Specialist at NEA

ment of $50 from Central OEA/NEA. You must submit your original hotel bill showing your credit card payment. Shared rooms must be split between two credit cards. No local associations will be reim-bursed for any hotel expenses.

Each of the following sessions will be provided during Sessions 1 & 2 on Saturday 9, 2013

Understanding the 3rd Grade Reading GuaranteeA session covering recent legislation and its impact on educators

Using NEA Member Benefits as an Organizing ToolGet the most out of your association membership. This session will highlight a host of ways offered through NEA.

Organizing Against “Right to Work”A session on how to organize to defeat any so-called “right to work” initiative

Organizing a Successful FCPE DriveBy becoming politically active, we don’t guarantee ourselves success in public policy debates, but it does guarantee us a seat at the policymaking table and allows us to tell our story.

Organizing Local ElectionsFrom association elections to the school board, how to organize for change.

Organizing a Successful Levy CampaignLearn what it takes to engage your community in a successful levy campaign

Understanding OTES Legal Issues The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) is looming large. This session provides some of the legal answers to the questions you may have.

The following sessions will run parallel on Saturday during session 3.

Organizing for OTES BargainingA Brief Presentation on OTES Bargaining followed by association level breakouts to discuss OTES bargaining with your LRC

Organizing for ESP MembersHow to build rapport with your diverse membership, with a special emphasis on organizing around privatization, will be the focus of this session for ESP leaders and members. The importance of involve-ment in local levies and elections, followed by an open forum to discuss best practices and experiences will also be included.

If you have any questions, please contact Carla Fultz via email at carla.fultz@centraloeanea.org

In this issue2 Preparing Our Members for Future Leadership:

Central Emerging Leaders Program

2 Strong Schools, Strong Communities

3 Community Outreach Committee Does Its Part to “Stop the Bull”

4 The Power of Our Profession

5 A First-time Delegate Perspective

5 Stay Engaged!

6 Small Local Grants Available for Atlanta NEA

6 In Case You Missed It

7 Organizing for Change... Winter Leadership Conference

Central OEA / NEA

Stay Engaged!The Power of Our Profession

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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“Stop the Bull”

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Winter LeadershipConference

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Jan. 28 5:30 – 8 p.m. Area 3 at Robert’s on Miami, Urbana

Jan. 31 6 – 8 p.m. Area 2 at Tavern 42, Delaware

Feb. 7 6 – 8 p.m. Area 4 at J.R. Hook’s, Circleville

Feb. 12 6 – 8 p.m. Area 1 at Shaw’s Restaurant, Lancaster

Feb. 13 6 – 8 p.m. Area 5 at OSU Golf Course, Columbus

Mar 8 5 – 9 p.m. Presidents Plus at Dublin Crowne Plaza

Mar 9 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Winter Leadership Conference at Dublin Crowne Plaza

Apr 27 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Central Representative Assembly at the Worthington Kilbourne High School