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Members of the media may contact OFT Communications Director Neil Bhaerman at 412-266-4899 (cell).
Press
OFT Survey of 2,321 K-12 Teachers and Staff Show Factors Driving School Staff Shortage
The Ohio Federation of Teachers released results today of a statewide survey of more than 2,300 K-12 educators and school support workers. The survey was focused on the factors that lead to teacher and staff turnover and on potential solutions to increase retention in Ohio’s K-12 schools.
OFT Member Pat Davidson Elected to STRS Ohio Board
“Congratulations to Pat Davidson, a teacher in the Berea City School District, on his victory. Pat has been an active member of OFT’s statewide retirement issues committee and is dedicated to using his time and expertise to advance retirement security for active and retired educators in Ohio. Pat’s focus is on pushing STRS to make the changes needed to restore benefits to active and retired members.
KIPP Columbus Educators Win Union Vote
COLUMBUS — Today, a strong majority of educators at KIPP Columbus voted to form their union, KIPP Columbus ACTS (Alliance for Charter Teachers & Staff) in a secret ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The vote followed a months-long union busting campaign by KIPP Columbus’s administration. The union includes approximately 130 teachers, intervention specialists, social workers, teacher fellows, student life coordinators, and paraprofessionals who work at the four schools on the KIPP Columbus campus (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High).
Workers at Worthington Libraries Ratify First Union Contract
Worthington, OH — Librarians and other workers at Worthington Libraries voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract. The union members held their vote on Monday and Tuesday, March 20 and 21. The Worthington Libraries Board of Trustees also voted to ratify the agreement during their Board meeting on Tuesday evening. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including paid leave, job security, and competitive wages.
Public Education Supporters Respond to Governor DeWine’s Proposed Biennial Budget
Ohio Organizing Collaborative Co-Executive Director Molly Shack, Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert, OFT President Melissa Cropper, and OEA President Scott DiMauro released the following joint statement:
“No matter where they live or what they look like, all of Ohio’s kids deserve a public school that inspires their creativity, unlocks their potential, and nurtures their dreams. But according to the EdWeek Research Center, Ohio is among the least equitable states for education resource distribution in the country. While we recognize Governor DeWine’s commitment to continuing implementation of the Cupp-Patterson school funding formula, also known as the Fair School Funding Plan, we are calling on Ohio’s lawmakers to take bold action and implement full funding for that plan."
KIPP Columbus is Using Public Education Funding to Delay and Oppose Union Vote
Columbus, OH — The administration at KIPP Columbus, a campus of four charter schools that serve students from pre-K through the 12th grade, has declined to recognize KIPP Columbus Alliance for Charter Teachers and Staff, the union that was formed by a supermajority of eligible educators. Instead, they have hired an anti-union legal team and have filed a frivolous legal challenge that seeks to delay and stop a secret-ballot union election. KIPP Columbus is a private entity that relies on public education funding, including $15 million for the 2020-2021 school year.
Educators and Staff at KIPP Columbus Charter School Petition for Union Recognition
Columbus, OH — Today, teachers and staff at the KIPP Columbus charter school called on their superintendent and board of directors to voluntarily recognize their union after they presented signed union cards from an overwhelming majority of teachers, paraprofessionals, intervention specialists, social workers, and student life coordinators. The organizing campaign is led by educators from all four schools (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High) at the KIPP Columbus campus.
Grandview Heights Public Library Voluntarily Recognizes Union
GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS, OH — Yesterday, the Grandview Heights Public Library voluntarily recognized the union that was recently formed by librarians and library workers. The union’s official recognition was the result of the library declining to request an election after signed union cards from an overwhelming majority of library employees were submitted to library management and the State Employee Relations Board on August 30. The library’s decision saves months of delay and unnecessary legal expenses that would have occurred if the library refused to recognize and forced workers to hold an election. It also allows both sides to immediately begin the bargaining process and work together on a fair contract for librarians and library workers.
School Report Cards Demonstrate Need for Whole Child Approach
OFT President Melissa Cropper released the following statement on the Ohio Department of Education’s 2022 Report Cards: “These report cards demonstrate something that teachers and school staff have observed: our students need more support to fully bounce back from the pandemic and remote learning disruptions in the last few years. While we believe the report cards could be more useful if they were less dependent on standardized test scores, they are helpful in determining where there are gaps that need to be addressed."