2011-2012 Member Resource Guide A special supplement to OhioSchools OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION EVERYDAY HEROES changing lives, making a difference OEA MEMBER RESOURCE GUIDE 2 Your OEA leadership team 3 OEA district associations 4 OEA Board of Directors 6 OEA field office information 9 OEA headquarters information 10 Attorney Referral Program 2011-2012 Association-approved attorneys participating in the two free 30-minute consultation sessions 12 Your OEA dues dollars at work Services provided by your OEA dues OEA—One voice, Services for OEA members now more than ever 14 Every school year offers new possibilities for learning, Key services offered to members designed to help at work discovery and academic growth. This year, as you explore and at home new possibilities, you will also discover the exceptional value and benefits of your OEA membership. 16 Benefits of OSEA and OEA-Retired Now more than ever, you are speaking out, taking pride membership in the quality of your work, serving as strong advocates at the state, local and national levels and speaking with ONE 18 NEA Member Benefits programs VOICE! Our ONE VOICE is a sign of our solidarity, strength and influence. As I met with many of you and services throughout Ohio last year, I witnessed you doing awesome Helping members make smart financial decisions things and uniting to achieve goals as never before. You stood up against challenges to our collective bargaining 20 OEA awards and scholarships rights, our voter rights and our right to speak out about conditions in our schools and colleges, as well as the rights 21 Materials available to local presidents of our students. Information to assist in leadership functions and familiarize This brings me to a crucial date during this school year: you with OEA operations and services November 8—Election Day. That is the day on which we must all make sure we register our right to overturn Senate Bill 5, a dramatic attack on the collective bargaining rights 22 OEA and NEA Representative of our members. On this day, we will need every one of Assembly deadlines and information OEA’s Everyday Heroes to stand up and be counted. And we will certainly need to support levies in our local school 25 OEA member Susan Otten’s winning communities. art selected for 2011-2012 OEA In our work, even in tough economic times, none of membership materials us is alone. OEA’s partnerships with NEA Member Benefits (www.neamb.com) and Access Development (www.memberweb.com) offer financial services, discounts and valuable educational opportunities for all of us, including NEA Member Benefits’ member assistance program for members facing financial difficulties. Please take advantage of these fine programs. Thank you for all you do—both in your role as professionals and in your work with the Association— and please remember to keep listening, keep learning and, most of all, keep leading! Patricia Frost-Brooks OEA President What it means to be united Every day OEA members face the all-too-real challenges of our new political environment— state and local budget cuts, Senate Bill 5, repeat school levies, anti-tax and anti-public education campaigns from groups like COAST, CARE and the Education Action Group, and new charter and voucher schools. The assault on public education has encour- aged more members than ever before to be involved and to take action. Although we can’t make the attacks against public schools and education employees go away, we can make sure that we are organized and mobilized. Working together, we have made great progress in convincing Ohioans about the dangers of these attacks. We can win this fight if all OEA members are engaged and speak out. As we move forward, staying united is more important than ever. It means working together to advocate for students. It means organizing to represent our profession. And it means supporting each other in a difficult time. When you are an OEA member, you share in our collective strength and voice. Through our union, we join together to support Ohio’s students, schools and communities. What are the benefits of OEA membership? n Professional and skill development n Legal assistance n Reliable communications resources n Financial benefits and discounts n Leadership development and opportunity How do we stay united? Become a member. And take an active role in the critical ongoing fight for educators' rights and in the fight to maintain the many benefits of membership. We have built a strong tradition of educa- tion, one that Ohioans know holds the key to our state's future. Our children are the very people we should be investing in, not hurting by taking away the resources they need to learn. In this unprecedented fight, there is power in our union. The voices of 128,000 OEA sisters and brothers—and the voices of thousands of our union sisters and brothers throughout Ohio—are one. photos by Susie Lehman, Julie Newhall, Michele Prater, Tim Revell and Brent Turner, BLT Productions, Inc. 1 Your OEA leadership team Patricia Frost-Brooks William Leibensperger James Timlin Larry E. Wicks Patricia Frost-Brooks, a William Leibensperger is in his Jim Timlin is in his second Larry E. Wicks joined OEA teacher in the East Cleve- second term as OEA Vice three-year term as OEA as Executive Director in land City School system, is President. Bill testified against Secretary-Treasurer. December 2008. SB 5 on OEA’s behalf, and con- serving her second term as Previously he served as a Larry serves as chairperson tinues to represent members’ OEA President. Before being longtime local president, of the eight member interests to politicians on both elected OEA President, she chief negotiator and English executive committee for sides of the aisle. His years served as OEA Vice President teacher in the Howland We Are Ohio, the coalition of experience and expertise for six years. She also School District. spearheading the Citizen on issues related to collective served on the OEA Board of Veto of Senate Bill 5. He bargaining, teacher evalutation As Secretary-Treasurer, also serves on a NEA work Directors for 16 years. and professional development Jim has served in many group developing a She has led the Association is known and respected by capacities such as chair national education message and its members through public policymakers. of the Executive Director and as a member of the many complex and challen- Search Committee, the Bill chairs the OEA Legislative state affiliate task force on ging issues facing public MRDD Task Force, and Committee and oversees OEA the Diversity Task Force. the fiscal health of NEA education. Among these political action and legislative state affiliates. have been Senate Bill 5, programs. He is an FCPE Jim has dealt with the House Bill 1, the American Legacy Award Winner. health care issue as a A native of North Dakota, Re-investment and Recovery member of the Health Care Larry taught high school Bill served as OEA Secretary- Advocates for STRS, the social studies in northern Act, Race to the Top, the Treasurer from 2000-2006, reauthorization of the SERS Health Care Preser- Minnesota, chartered a where he led efforts to make vation Task Force, and the local association after only Elementary and Secondary OEA stronger by putting into Education Act (ESEA), the Advisory Committee of one year teaching and place systems for allocating the School Employees election of members to the Association resources more served as its president. state retirement systems, Health Care Board. Jim efficiently and effectively. Bill also is serving as chair of He joined union staff work the election of pro-public served on the NEA Board of the Business/Support/ as UniServ Director in education candidates at the Directors representing Ohio in Administration Board of Rochester, Minnesota, the state and national level, and 2006-2007. youngest UniServ director Member Resource Guide st Directors Core Function Ohio’s membership as a 21 Bill has been a member of the Committee. in NEA’s program. Based Century Skills Partner. on his success in Rochester, OEA Board of Directors for 22 Jim continues his commit- the Wyoming Education Patricia represents the OEA years, chairing various Strate- ment to focusing on on several NEA groups and gic Planning workgroups. He maintaining the fiscal integ- Association appointed him committees, including the also chairs the Healthcare & rity of the OEA, focusing executive director. NEA Dropout Prevention Pension Advocates for STRS, on health care issues and In 1987, Larry returned to Task Force, Collective a coalition of employee, focusing on re-establishing Minnesota as executive Bargaining Professional employer, and retired stake- the OEA as the respected director of the Minnesota holders working to ensure Development, ESEA Advisory authority on issues affecting Education Association. Committee, Coalition for retiree health care and a secure public school employees. pension for members of the In 1998, he worked with Public Education, Transfor- system. Jim believes OEA must leaders of MEA and mational Dialogue for Public do everything possible to Minnesota Federation Education and Support Ohio An English teacher for 24 preserve education fund- of Teachers to create the Schools. Additionally, she years, Bill has served as a ing as well as the economic nation’s first-ever merged serves on the boards of the reader and consultant for security of OEA members. state education union the Advanced Placement Ohio Appalachian Educator As an officer he supports recognized by both national Institute, Education Voters Program of The College a strategy of organizing Board and as a member of education organizations, and Education Commission and mobilizing staff and the National School Reform the National Education As- of the States.