People, Not Politicians P12
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NOVEMBER 2012 A PUBLICATION OF THE OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION People, not politicians p12 CEA members Carla Davis (with daughters Peyton and Paige) and Kevin Jackson OhioSchools VOL. 91 NO. 9 NOVEMBER 2012 COVER STORY The professional publication of the 124,000 members of the Ohio Education Association People, not politicians 12 The OEA Mission Statement: Voting YES on Issue 2 reforms The OEA will lead the way for continuous improvement redistricting—when elections are of public education while advocating for members fair, the people win and the learners they serve. OEA Board of Directors President Patricia Frost-Brooks East Cleveland Vice President William Leibensperger . FEATURES South-Western Cover photo by Bob Hern Secretary-Treasurer Tim Myers Two Visions, One Choice Elida 14 Barry Alcock, South-Western; Barb Armour, Brunswick; Diana Ball, Amanda- In elections for President, Senate and Congress, choose Clearcreek; Kevin Cain, Northwest (Hamilton); Heidi Caskey, Orrville; Barbara candidates who make education a genuine priority Catalano, Mayfield; Patricia Cohen, PATMR; Arnette G.P. Collins, Stark Co. DD; James Cutlip, Wilmington; Michael Dossie, Bellaire; Sandra Duckworth, Westerville; Matthew Durham, Washington; Joel Gleason, Clearview; Kevin Griffin, Dublin; Katie Hendrickson, Athens; Robin Jeffries, Columbus; Gary 16 Where is the Common Core going? Kapostasy, Findlay; Tammy Koontz, S.C.O.P.E; Theresa Lemus Santos, Fairless; New Great Lakes Center report raises questions on commitment Sandra Lewis, Dayton; Ivan Maldonado,Youngstown State University-ACE; Martha to new standards and costs of new tests Miller, Ashtabula ESP; Rebecca Miller, Tallmadge; Diane Norton, Middletown; Emilly Osterling, Lakota (Butler); Jeff Pegg, Warren (Trumbull); Haven Reardon, Reading; Jeff Rhodes, North Royalton; Kim Richards, Cardinal; Sophia Rodriguez, Coldwater Exempted Village; Molly Rogers, Youngstown State 19 School policy critic Diane Ravitch University; Kecia Sanders-Stewart, East Cleveland; Bill Sears, OEA Retired; Tim Skamfer, Gahanna-Jefferson; Pamela Smith, Jackson; Patrick Snee, Mentor; keynotes school preservation conference Kriston Crombie Stotik, Columbus; Bradley Strong, Mansfield; Lillian M. Tolbert, East Cleveland; Janice Vaughan, Springfield (Clark); Wil Vickery, Chillicothe; After $2.9 billion in budget cuts to Ohio schools, a broad coalition Diana Welsh, Columbus; Jeffrey Wensing, Parma; Rebecca Whited, Huber emerges to address the lack of school funding, expansion of charters Heights. and vouchers, and what it all means for funding Ohio’s common NEA Directors schools. Mary Binegar, Urbana; Dale Kain, Mayfield; Jim McClure, Mentor ESP; André Taylor, Twinsburg; Janifer Trowles, Dayton; Gretchen Washington, Sycamore. 20 Getting Our Bargain Back Staff Executives Attend the 2013 OEA Collective Bargaining Conference Larry E. Wicks, Executive Director; Susan Babcock, Assistant Executive Director—Strategic and Workforce Planning; Ric Castorano, Executive Assistant—Business Services; Joe Cohagen, Director of Business and Building Operations; Dawn Elias, Human Resources and Labor Relations Administrator; Linda Fiely, General Counsel; Randy Flora, Director of Education Policy . Research and Member Advocacy; Rachelle Johnson, Assistant Ex- DEPARTMENTS ecutive Director-Program and Director of Legal Services; Rose Keller, Manager of Legal Services; James Martin, Assistant Executive Director— Business Services; Mike Mahoney, Director of Communications and Marketing; 2 President’s Message Dana Mayfield, Executive Assistant—Strategic and Workforce Planning; Voting: Our right, our responsibility Tina O’Donnell, Manager of Administrative Services—Operations; Carol Price, Administrative Services/Conference Coordinator; Lisa Ramos, Executive Assistant, General Counsel; Ron Rapp, Director of Government Relations; Bev Sekella, Executive Assistant—Member Services; Mary Suchy, Director 3 Notebook of Membership; Jerrilyn Volz-Costell, Manager of Administrative Services— State Board of Education releases additional— Governance. but still unofficial—report card data Kevin Flanagan, Assistant Executive Director-Field, Region 3; Patricia Collins Murdock, Regional Director, Region 1; Parry Norris, Regional Director, Region 2; Jeanette Cooper, Regional Director, Region 4; Cristina Munoz-Nedrow, 4 Extra Credit Regional Director, Region 5. American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month 2012 Ohio Schools Editorial Staff February is Black History Month Julie A. Newhall, Editor Acclaimed Young Adult author Coe Booth to visit Gail Botz, Graphic Designer Susie Lehman, Production Coordinator William K. Willis High School on December 6 Crystalle Phillips, Advertising Coordinator Students celebrate Black History Month with essay contest Subscription price for public and university libraries is $18 per year. Editorial Offices—Ohio Schools (ISSN: 0030-1086) is published seven times a year: February, April, June, August, September, October, November by the 8 Making the Grade Ohio Education Association, 225 E. Broad St., Box 2550, Columbus, OH 43216. Carole Morbitzer named 2013 Teacher of the Year during E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.ohea.org. Address all advertising or editorial correspondence to Editor, Ohio Schools. surprise announcement Postmaster: Send address changes to Ohio Schools, Ohio Education Columbus Crew charges into Mount Vernon Middle School Association, 225 E. Broad St., Box 2550, Columbus, OH 43216. Postage: Student volunteers become nonprofit donors Periodicals paid at Columbus, OH. 23 Association OEA Fall Representative Assembly Candidates for NEA Director #6 www.ohea.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Voting: Our right, our responsibility he Fifteenth Amendment of exercise their fundamental constitu- the United States Constitu- tional right to cast a ballot. tion states, “The right of citi- Ohio Secretary of State Jon out-of-court settlement with Voters zens of the United States to Husted refused to re-open early First. Tvote shall not be denied or abridged in-person voting on the three days We can’t let these kinds of things by the United States or by any State before Election Day, a period dur- happen. Not now. Not ever. on account of race, color, or pre- ing which 93,000 Ohioans cast their This November, we have the vious condition of servitude....” votes in 2008. On October 16, the chance to bring common-sense In 1920, the woman suffrage Supreme Court unanimously re- reform to Ohio’s broken redistrict- movement celebrated the adoption jected Husted’s appeal to overturn ing system by voting YES on Issue of the Nineteenth Amendment ex- a lower court decision upholding 2. The Voters First Amendment panding voting rights to women. early voting. The ruling is a major ensures every Ohio voter’s right to Two measures adopted in 1965 victory for voting rights that allows fair, competitive elections by replac- helped safeguard the voting rights Ohio voters to cast a ballot when ing the current system—where of African Americans—the ratifica- it’s most convenient. politicians draw their own legisla- tion of the Twenty-fourth Amend- OEA is nonpartisan and we be- tive and congressional districts— ment barring a poll tax in federal lieve that Republicans, Democrats with an independent, nonpartisan elections and the signing of the Vot- and Independents can all support Citizens Commission that will draw ing Rights Act prohibiting literacy public education. That policy will new districts out in the open for tests for voters. never change. But I am outraged at everyone to see. In 1971, voting rights were again the level of partisanship and plots On Election Day, we can re- expanded when the Twenty-sixth to rig our political system for the elect leaders like President Barack Amendment barred states and the benefit of party over people that we Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown, federal government from denying have witnessed leading to this elec- steadfast advocates for public the vote to anyone 18 or older. tion. Often shielded by a cloak of education and public workers who Since our nation’s founding, anonymity and funded by special have expanded opportunities for all Americans have fought, and died, interest money, extreme politicians Ohioans through efforts to ensure a for the right to have a voice in gov- have upended Ohio’s political sys- stronger economy, better jobs and a ernment. My aunt was among those tem and election mechanisms. better quality of life for our com- who championed voting rights for They have anonymously funded munities. African Americans in Louisiana. billboards in minority neighbor- It’s our shared responsibility to The right to vote is precious, and hoods in Cleveland, Columbus and make this election count in Ohio by it is our duty to protect and pre- Cincinnati, warning the public of electing leaders who represent the serve it. And yet as we prepare for prison terms and fines for voter best of what our nation stands for this election, our voting rights are fraud. Tea Party activist Carol and who will fight for all of us. increasingly being attacked. Bicking has filed challenges to the Across the country, state legis- voter registration documents of Together, we’ll keep listening, latures have passed laws—under 246 Ohio State University students keep learning and keep leading. the pretext of preventing voter because they did not include their fraud and safeguarding election dorm room number. And the Ohio integrity—that make it harder for Republican Party continues to Americans, particularly African lie about Issue 2, the Voters