Ohio Federation of Teachers
Ohio House’s version of budget cuts back on proposed funding to science of reading
The science of reading remains in Ohio’s proposed operating budget, but the House cut back on the amount of money that would be allocated toward funding the implementation. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget — which was introduced earlier this year — included $64 million for science of reading curricula, $43 million each year for the […]
Will teacher shortages become another chronic problem facing education?
Education advocates, and even those teaching the next generation of educators, are concerned that a teacher shortage may become a chronic problem, even as pandemic-related interruptions fade away. When the General Assembly came back into session after the November election, the biggest effort brought into the lame duck session was a bill that would overhaul […]
All in for Ohio Agenda looks to transform education, voting rights, health, safety, and taxes
Earlier this month, Ohioans of all walks of life gathered outside the Statehouse because we’re sick and tired of what’s happening inside it. Inside, extremist, and unaccountable lawmakers have been pushing policies that would target trangender kids, muzzle teachers and determine when and how we start a family. Meanwhile, some of those same lawmakers are […]
Ohio Governor joins 17 other governors in fighting federal charter school limits
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is standing with nearly two dozen other governors in fighting against a proposed federal rule limiting charter school creation. The new rule would be a change to the U.S. Department of Education Charter School Program, and would require charters to prove that a school district they want to join is “over-enrolled” […]
Redistricting: Education funding hangs in balance with unbalanced districts
The redrawing of legislative maps has an impact on where you go to vote and who to call at the Ohio Statehouse, but it also determines the support students get when they go to school, and what teachers can and can’t do in their classrooms. So say members of teachers unions and education advocates across […]
Police, teachers org urge more training for armed teachers
The Fraternal Order of Police and the Ohio Federation of Teachers both stood in opposition to a bill that would allow for personnel to be armed in schools. As they did for a previous bill that didn’t make it through the legislature, the state’s FOP chapter said school resource officers are the smarter option, rather […]
Advocates, legislators want more from governor’s education budget
With no changes planned for the state education funding formula included in Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget, education advocates and some state legislators are left wanting more. “The devil is always in the details,” said Scott DiMauro, head of the Ohio Education Association, in a statement after the release of the budget. “Education spending must […]
Teachers unions push DeWine to support schools without ‘coerced preconditions’
Eight teachers’ unions throughout the state are pushing Gov. Mike DeWine to rethink his timeline for school reopening and vaccine distribution. In a joint statement distributed by the Ohio Federation of Teachers and signed by the presidents of the unions in Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown, the leaders expressed disappointment with […]
Teachers unions urge veto on school funding bill
Two of Ohio’s top teachers unions are asking the governor to veto a new education bill just passed by the legislature. The Ohio Senate and House passed Senate Bill 89 last week after it spent months in a conference committee being revised and developed into a bill that, among other things, focuses on the private […]
Special education top of mind as pandemic learning continues
Special education teachers face their own challenges in the time of remote learning, even as hybrid models are beginning at K-12 schools throughout Ohio. Like other teachers, the immediacy of the school shutdowns in March left Laura Haines and other special education intervention specialists scrambling to come up with a plan. “We had to go […]
An SOS (Save Our Schools) to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman from education groups
Editor’s Note: This is a joint commentary from Lois Carson, president of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, and Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. On Thursday, March 12, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Ohio schools would be shutting down physically and four […]
Community learning centers will help school districts cope with COVID-19 disruption
Earlier this month, Gov. Mike DeWine announced $355 million in budget cuts for K-12 education for the last two months of this fiscal year. While these cuts are mitigated by federal funds under the CARES Act, the majority of Ohio school districts will lose funding overall. The public education community is bracing ourselves for even […]