The memorandum below was sent to Ohio House members asking for a co-sponsor of the “Ohio Workplace Freedom-Public Sector” bill. There is also a request being made for a private sector companion bill. This so-called workplace freedom bill is no more than right to work (for less) legislation. CEA will update you on developments as they occur.

“ParentsPstcrd_040910.jpg” by Flickr user Carolyn_Sewell.

After much hoopla and a continuing understanding of what Gov. Kasich proposes to offer schools next year, Supt. Gene Harris is recommending that we retain the eight-period day in middle and high schools. We thank her because these types of cuts would devastate the academic program, especially the middle school unified arts program and high school electives. Experts in medicine, psychology and education concur: Physical activity and participation in the arts improves academic performance.

We realize this means that changes are coming to the Article 211 calendar. Human Resources will not be able to post positions by the contractual deadline of the first work day in April. Even though this is inconvenient for our bargaining unit, it is a small price to pay when jobs are restored. CEA will agree to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to change some of the dates in the Article 211 calendar. These are the new dates proposed:

April 11-15: Staff members are notified of administrative reductions

Apr. 11: 211 training for district offices, 8-10 a.m.; and Regions I and II elementary and middle schools, 1-3 p.m.; Northgate

Apr. 12: 211 training for high schools, 8-10 a.m.; and Regions III, IV and V elementary and middle schools, 1-3 p.m.; Northgate

Apr. 19-24: Round 1 postings

Apr. 25-30: Round 1 interviews

May 10-14: Round 2 postings

May 15-20: Round 2 interviews

May 29-30: Job fairs

One of the recommendations is to reduce a class period in middle and high schools. This means a seven-period day starting next school year. Is this the best the administration can do? When they implemented this strategy seven years ago, it had a devastating effect on the academic program and minimized opportunities for our students.

A seven-period day limits availability of space in schedules, hinders students from academic excellence and reduces the teaching force, especially in elective areas. A student’s plan to attend a career center may be out of reach. Students may not meet requirements to get in to some colleges and universities requiring more than the minimum that would be offered in our high schools.

In middle schools, the best part of the day for many students is participation in unified arts. Research shows that an increase in physical activity and participation in the arts result in improved academic performance. We can expect a rise in discipline referrals and a decline in student attendance and achievement when these programs are cut.

We understand that reductions need to be made. However, the administration’s goal of not impacting the classroom is far from met. The CEA and OAPSE units have been hit particularly hard. From 2008-2012, CEA lost 26 percent of its bargaining unit, with OAPSE losing 19 percent. During that same period, there has been a mere 3 percent reduction in central office administrative positions.

Currently, there are 108 central office administrators. What do all these administrators do? Are their jobs more important than, say, a kindergarten teacher’s? You decide. We call on 270 East State Street to cut themselves as deeply as they intend to cut us.

Cutting the middle and high school day by a period is not the only cut the superintendent is proposing, but this certainly would be the single largest cut in the budget. History tells us these cuts are not the only ones that will affect CEA bargaining unit positions this spring. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

To view the recommended budget reductions, go to http://bit.ly/ccs14cuts.

“As a community, we should encourage, promote and replicate the best of what works in education. We must support success and replace failure.”

This is just one thing Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said on Feb. 21, delivering his State of the City address at South HS.

Mayor Coleman does not want to run the school district. He does want to help us connect with community leaders, families and others who care about our kids, so we can work together to improve outcomes for them.

He talked about a number of city initiatives. But the impact of his report centered on education. You can read his speech at http://mayor.columbus.gov/.

Here are some sound bites:

About preschool: “We need the private sector, non-profits, faith-based organizations, along with the state and federal government to help us fund and deliver this essential foundation of a quality education.”

About technology: “Most Columbus schools have only three to five computers per classroom. This is clearly inadequate.”

About excellent schools: “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough good schools in Columbus. When you combine Columbus City Schools and charter schools, only 5 percent of schools earn an ‘A’ rating. That means only 2,800 of 65,000 students go to excellent schools. Meanwhile, five times as many students attend failing schools-both district and charter. This is unacceptable and needs to change.”

Here’s what he covered:

Operational efficiency: “We must use the Columbus City Schools operations review to find more efficient ways to deliver district services.”

Teacher and principal excellence: “We must make it a priority to attract and retain the best teachers and the best principals for our schools.”

Quality Pre-K: “We must make it a community priority for every child to have access to Pre-K education, regardless of income.”

Closing the digital divide: “We must give teachers and students direct, individual access to classroom technology, beginning at the middle-school level.”

Encouraging successful schools: “We must encourage and replicate good CCS schools and, ultimately, replace the ones that consistently fail; and we must embrace and recruit high-quality charter schools and find a way to close the bad ones.”

CEA applauds the mayor for speaking out on these important issues. He is concerned about the future of our city, and much of its success is tied to education. That is why he, along with Council Member Andrew Ginther, formed the Columbus Education Commission. This is a community-wide commission designed to provide feedback and recommendations. CEA President Rhonda Johnson sits on the CEC. Keep reading your Voice for reports from the commission’s meetings.

Should you look for other jobs? CEA says: Do what is best for you and your family.

A recent memo from Supt. Gene Harris outlined the problem: The school board has delayed a request for a tax increase until the fall, and with no additional revenue, cuts of $25 million or more will be necessary to balance the budget.

We are hoping that attrition due to retiring baby boomers will spare us. But this may not be possible. We have heard that the governor’s budget includes education increases, but now we learn that they are minimal. Harris writes, “CCS Treasurer (Penelope) Rucker advises that we have budget reductions in place beginning July 1, 2013.”

We appreciate that administrators and board members have been deliberating carefully. They have gotten feedback from teachers, classified staff and administrators. But it certainly seems that layoffs are imminent. Harris adds, “We are again looking at nearly every aspect of the district, including school and department budgets, curricular and extra-curricular programs, staffing, school schedules, facilities and maintenance, materials, supplies, services, etc…. We have no choice…failure to act now would potentially result in devastating consequences for our staff, our students and the district the following year.”

Administrators are set to decide by May 15. But we say, just give us the bad news now. Should I look for another job? Should I work this summer? Should I buy a house? Will I be able to pay for day care? Do what is in the best interest for yourself and for your family. Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

We will keep you informed of developments as they occur.

“Dollar” by Flickr user Images_of_Money.

CCS Supt. Gene Harris broached the subject of budget cuts in a presentation to the Board of Education at the Tuesday, Feb. 19, meeting. Despite projections that say the district will stay in the black until the end of next school year, the board is responding to the treasurer’s October 2012 call to cut $25 million from next year’s budget to pad the district’s bottom line. Uncertainties surrounding how much CCS will actually receive from a new education funding formula over the next two years further complicate the district’s finances.

Dr. Harris’ brief presentation included a general overview of what she termed “Reduction Considerations.” The areas, initiatives or departments that could be affected include: mothballing closed schools, departmental reductions in custodial services, human resources and information technology staff, removing a period in the day at the MS and HS levels, transportation, reducing financial services in the treasurer’s office, VCAP, library media, credit flex, unified arts, ROTC, TOSAs, student support services, athletics and non-school based administrators.

When asked by a board member what was being considered for reductions, Dr. Harris responded, “Everything is on the table.” She did indicate her desire to shield the classroom from as much of the reductions as possible. The superintendent also stated that focusing on learning and efficiency during the budget process could result in expansion of district-provided Pre-K, adding reading specialists in elementary schools and eliminating splits at the elementary level.

In May, the board will receive the proposed budget. A vote is expected on Tuesday, June 18. Keep reading The CEA Voice for important budget-related updates.

Infinite Campus: Nearly 90 percent of members surveyed use Infinite Campus. They overwhelmingly responded that the training was ineffective and that this new information system has made their jobs harder.

iPods: Of the elementary members who responded that they used iPods to test their students, two-thirds indicated the training they received was ineffective. Nearly 90 percent responded that testing took longer than the CCS-estimated time of ten minutes per student. More than 50 percent indicated they were a week or more behind on the reading pacing guide. More than 98 percent experienced technical difficulties. Half of the users lost student testing data, and more than two-thirds were unable to recover what was lost.

Hardware: Nearly 90 percent said CCS computers are slower to boot, login and launch an application than their own personal computers. More than two-thirds said it took six minutes or more to start a CCS-provided computer. Of the 2,640 student classroom workstations identified, a total of 505 were reported as non-functional. Twelve percent said they had no student workstations in their classrooms. One-third of those who contacted the district to replace or repair their hardware were still waiting for a response.

Software: Respondents identified more than 40 improperly functioning software titles. Nearly half of the members experienced problems using CCS-provided software. Less than half of those members contacted CCS for help. Forty-three percent of those who contacted CCS for help said that their software issue was fixed.

At the Joint Labor-Management Committee meeting, CEA also presented members’ responses to the survey’s open-ended questions, which filled more than 140 pages. Superintendent Harris directed Interim Chief Information Officer Michelle Van Dyke to investigate the survey’s findings. John Stanford, along with Van Dyke, will report back to the team at our next meeting, hopefully, with a response that fixes these long-standing problems.

To download a PDF version of the report presented at the Joint Labor-Management Meeting, enter the members-only download area of the CEA website at http://bit.ly/cealogin.

Paula Garfield was honored with the Outstanding Member Award. Garfield, a special education teacher at Beechcroft HS, worked tirelessly for the repeal of Senate Bill 5. She collected more signatures for SB 5’s repeal than any other individual in the state of Ohio.

CEA Vice President Sally Oldham received the Builder of the Association Award. As a faculty representative, long-time member of the Board of Governors, PAR consulting teacher, CEA staff consultant and Vice President of CEA, Sally has fought tenaciously for the members of the Columbus Education Association throughout her entire career.

Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Jan Bell, Debby Huffman-Mirib and Michele Mays. Jan serves on the CEA Board of Governors representing District 1, is a teacher representative on the PAR Panel, a delegate to OEA and NEA and has served on numerous CEA committees. Debby has been a Faculty Representative, a delegate to OEA and NEA and Chair of the Bargaining Team since 2007. Michele has been a delegate to OEA and NEA, served as Secretary of CEA for many years, and, as Chair of the Elections Committee, is responsible for running Association elections.

The Friend of Education Award went to WCBE for its continuous support of Central Ohio’s cultural and educational landscape. The station is home to CEA’s “Teacher Talk,” hosted by Sue Misiak, a former CEA member. Sponsored by the CCS Board of Education, WCBE was cautioned in 2011 not to air episodes of “Teacher Talk” that dealt with SB 5. WCBE aired them anyway, adding a disclaimer before each episode to appease the legal department.

The Innovator in Education Award was presented to Dr. Valarie Kinloch of The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology. Dr. Kinloch has been a vital partner with CEA through her efforts with the transformational service-learning project, “Bringing Learning to Life.” More than 60 CEA members and hundreds of CCS students have participated in the program over the last two years.

On behalf of the retirees of 2012, Dean Fowls (Northgate) presented a very surprised CEA President Rhonda Johnson with a class gift of $3,500. The funds will be used to award two scholarships at next year’s banquet. Fowls challenged future retirees to continue the tradition.

To see pictures from this event, go to CEA’s Flickr page at: http://bit.ly/cea2012awards.

Outstanding Faculty Representatives

Each year, the CEA District Governors select faculty representatives to be honored for their hard work and dedication during the year.

We salute the following FRs for their service:

2012 retirees
CEA congratulates all of our members who are retiring this spring. The following individuals were honored at the CEA Awards Banquet:

CEA scholarship recipients
For more than 30 years, CEA has honored and supported students with scholarships at the banquet. We congratulate this year’s winners and their CEA-member parents:

I have lived and breathed Columbus City Schools for 39 years. I have seen ditto machines that left you marked with blue ink, mimeograph machines and copiers that collate and staple. I have lived through the 1975 strike, desegregation, “schools without schools” and a trucker strike that made traveling the freeway next to impossible. I have played record players, tape players, reel-to-reel movies, tapes and CDs in the classroom. I wrote on chalkboards and whiteboards but was not lucky enough to have a SMART Board.

Things have certainly changed for teachers through the years. I remember having to teach art, music and physical education to my class because levy after levy failed, and there were no specialists. I will admit that I taught crafts instead of art. I played games in physical education. I did better in music because it is a passion of mine. Empowered by CEA, I joined forces with my colleagues, and we built a coalition to bring back specialists in those areas.

CEA Vice President Sally Oldham speaking at CEA’s SB 5 Town Hall meeting. In her hand is a copy of the very first CEA Master Agreement.

I have enjoyed every minute in the classroom with my kids. They were mine and still are today. I always warned them when they moved on to middle school that I knew teachers everywhere. I would come over to see them if I found out they were not doing their best. I loved reading to them, sharing an author and tempting them to pick up a new genre of reading. What fun! We learned together.

As a Peer Assistance and Review Consultant, I realized what a big world CCS really was. I had an intern at Cedarwood and traveled way down Parsons and stopped because I had thought I was out of Columbus. I made it after I called the school to get reassurance that I was going the right direction.

As a consultant at CEA, I was mentored by Rick “The Hammer” Logan. Later I was urged to run for CEA Vice President by some persistent friends.

You have supported me as Vice President for six years. I am humbled by your support and the great honor you gave me. I represented “you,” the greatest teaching force ever. “You” are my friends, my colleagues and my teaching buddies. I know you are in good hands. CEA is strong because of each one of you.

Thank you, and I will miss you all.

“This November, voters can take the power out of the hands of the politicians and put it back where it belongs—in the hands of the people, and OEA is proud to join this effort,” said OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks, speaking about the Voters First initiative.

“Together we can stop the politicians, and we can do it now—in time for the 2014 elections.” Following President Brooks’ message, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown addressed OEA delegates on the first day of the RA.

“More than anything, public education made this country successful,” said Sen. Brown. “I’ll tell you, my voice might not be the prettiest,” the gravelly-voiced Senator told the crowd, “but because of you, it will be the strongest one fighting for education.”

RA delegates soundly approved a new business item that allows OEA to begin organizing and representing private and charter school teachers. “The new policy is consistent with OEA’s principles, including the belief that all employees have the right to representation and bargaining,” said OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks.

By an overwhelming majority, the OEA Representative Assembly voted to approve a one-time dues assessment of $22. It will help fund the effort to gather petition signatures and to support the Voters First initiative to amend the Ohio Constitution on redistricting and reapportionment.

Additionally, delegates and management staff contributed an all-time record of more than $45,000 to the OEA Fund for Children and Public Education. The Capital District contributed more than $13,000 to the fund.

Even though Ohio’s registered voters are a 50–50 split of Democrats and Republicans, 80 percent of the newly redrawn electoral districts favor one party.

This situation doesn’t seem as dire or immediate as what we faced during SB 5, but the consequences will be much, much worse. In the Ohio House, there is a possibility that seven more pro-SB 5-type representatives could be elected and pass legislation that could be implemented immediately. We would end up like Wisconsin with no chance for a repeal process. And in Ohio, we have no recall provision for removing politicians.

In order to get a fair redistricting process on the ballot, we must collect 385,000 signatures. See your FR to sign the petition and to protect your vote. Call Judy Nelson at CEA at 253-4731 to obtain your own petition to circulate.

Remember, this is a non-partisan issue. The gerrymandered electoral districts affect Republicans and Democrats alike. This amendment is about making sure that your vote counts.

There have been plenty of red flags. The big one is lack of administrative support in discipline. CEA has tried to work with the administration to address staff complaints but to no avail. On last year’s School Climate Survey, nearly 70 percent of teachers in that school disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, “Students at this school behave properly in the classroom.” More than 60 percent of the teachers surveyed disagreed with the following statement, “Students at this school behave properly when they are not in their classroom.”

It is a tragedy that will reach far beyond just this one building. As Round 2 transfer requests roll in, we expect to see the staffs of other schools pack up their supplies; and the students won’t be far behind. Parents will want to know why all of the teachers are leaving. The real reason is inept leadership. However, they will suspect that these schools are not safe—the main reason our families opt for charter schools.

Teacher turnover is not a positive consequence for our students. We in American education know this from experience. When ODE identified SIG schools, we considered the models of school reform. Reconstitution was among the least favorable. It takes years to heal from the fallout, and reconstituted schools are more likely to close. Who’s caught in the middle? Our students.

We issue this prediction—and we hope it doesn’t come true: If our district administrators cannot improve leadership in our buildings, they will have far more to deal with than a stack of grievances. They will have building principals assigned to nearly empty school buildings, with a revolving door of teachers, students flocking to charter schools and more buildings ripe for closure.

In 1812, Mass. Gov. Elbridge Gerry redrew his state’s electoral boundaries to benefit his political party in future elections. Some of Boston’s redrawn districts looked eerily like a salamander, and a cartoon that ran in a local newspaper derisively dubbed those districts a “Gerrymander.”

Last year, the Ohio Apportionment Board redrew the boundary lines for the 132 seats of the Ohio General Assembly and the 16 U.S. Congressional seats. This event should have been an open, non-partisan process. However, what took place was gerrymandering, pure and simple.

After holding secret backroom meetings, using a national political consultant and paying two top Republican staffers nearly a quarter-million dollars, Ohio’s electoral map was gerrymandered beyond recognition.

The end result was a political map that benefitted politicians, ensuring their party’s candidates would be elected without competition. Bizarre districts zigzag across Ohio and skip across Lake Erie, dividing cities and counties. More than 80 percent of the electoral districts aren’t competitive. This means your vote won’t count in the next election.

If the current map stays in place and one more Republican is elected to the legislature, they can place Constitutional amendments on the ballot and bypass the referendum process. If seven more Republicans are elected to the legislature, any law that is passed will be “veto-proof” and can be implemented immediately as “emergency” legislation. Imagine this scenario when SB 5 was passed.

Voters First, a coalition of more than 25 Ohio non-partisan organizations led by the League of Women Voters, is circulating petitions to amend Ohio’s Constitution.

This amendment would create the Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Committee, a twelve-member group that would decide the boundaries of electoral districts. The committee would be comprised of four Republicans, four Democrats and four voters with no party affiliation. Politicians, lobbyists, corporations and other special interest groups could not be members. The committee would eliminate backroom deals and ensure open, honest and competitive elections.

Right now, we need your signature and petition-circulating skills to obtain the 385,000 signatures required to get this amendment on the November ballot. We need to make sure that the voters choose their elected officials instead of letting the politicians choose their voters.

We need you to sign and to circulate petitions. Call Judy Nelson at the CEA office at 253-4731 to take action now.

The plan includes creation and assimilation of additional charter schools, closing or reconstitution of failing schools and flexible business practices that would give administrators the authority to override policies mutually negotiated over many years.

Gov. Kasich asked the State Board of Education to support the Cleveland Plan. We don’t know what the official language will look like, but it won’t be good. The plan will:

* Allow the Cleveland district to share money with charter schools
* Create a new teacher evaluation system that considers additional factors and weakens seniority
* Start the collective bargaining agreement from scratch
* Allow administrators more flexibility and independence to deal with staffing and financial matters, including determining contract duration, terms and non-renewal criteria

CEA President Rhonda Johnson told NBC 4, “All this is a sampling of Senate Bill 5. I think the way to go about changing schools and changing the culture is working with the teachers’ union and with the teachers in the school district, not working against them.”

Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, told the station: “This whole idea of a fresh start contract where you just throw away the existing contract and start with whatever the administration hands to you, and say accept this or don’t, that’s Senate Bill 5 all over again.”

Cropper has said teachers want to collaborate to improve Cleveland schools, but they have been shut out, even though the Cleveland Teachers Union has been collaborating with the Cleveland schools on peer review and teacher mentoring, has deferred $25 million in pay increases and has supported the transfer of teachers and the reconstituting of schools.

Cleveland teachers already have great ideas for improving student achievement. For instance, their New Generation School would place intense focus on reading and math in third and fourth grades.

Teachers want to see their students succeed, but big business in Cleveland is holding students hostage, hoping to force teachers to do what they want or force the district into receivership, in order to take away teachers’ rights.

We need your help to fight back. Tell legislative leaders not to pass this SB 5-like plan. Instead, urge the mayor to sit down and talk with teachers, listen to their ideas about how to improve student achievement and collaborate on new ideas. Go to www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm to contact your state legislators.

We said back in 2007, when 183 Title I safety net teachers switched their focus to science and math—placing a greater burden on regular classroom teachers for specialized reading instruction—that students would suffer. Five years ago, our president, Rhonda Johnson, said, “Everyone knows that the math and science tests are essentially reading tests. Continue to provide intensive reading instruction, introduce complex vocabulary and provide intervention. The math and science scores will rise, too.”

But there is still a problem. The interview process for these positions has been centralized, and we believe this is wrong thinking. Instead of letting building interview committees work with their principals to consider the best candidates for their buildings’, our central administration is taking the process to Northgate. Afterwards, building principals will be asked for their “consideration” of finalists.

Everyone learns in Classroom Management 101 that you don’t need to keep the whole class in for recess just because a few students misbehave. Maybe we have examples of cronyism in the district, but most building administrators work well with their interview teams and select the most appropriate applicants.

Maybe it’s time for principals to organize and speak out. Although technically this new interview arrangement does not violate the CEA Agreement, we believe that it sends a negative message to principals that they don’t know how to choose the best people for their buildings.

Selection of these specialists is important, and we should not exclude building leaders and colleagues who understand what their students need. Given that academic success is directly related to reading ability and that nearly 40 percent of high school graduates do not have the sophisticated reading skills employers expect, we must be inclusive, if not for ourselves, then for future generations.

• Property taxes remain the chief way we pay for our schools.
• Unfortunately, the amount of taxes collected for school districts does not increase when property values increase, nor do they increase to cover the rising costs of education services. It takes approval from the voters to collect taxes at a higher rate.
• More is expected of us in the classroom every year; but, without the funds, that will make these mandates impossible.

Not all the programs we cherish are funded by the state. It is up to us to maintain the high quality of art and music programs, to address classroom overcrowding and to provide additional supplies and experiences that give our kids the education that prepares them for life.

Show you care about the future: Vote YES on Issue 8 for South-Western City Schools and YES on Issue 10 for Westerville City Schools. Remember, education is the means through which our children and grandchildren (ours and our neighbors’) will grow into productive citizens.

Respect, by Flickr user ibtrav.

CEA received a call from the news media last year about our academic progress. When we picked up the paper to look at the articles, we were pleasantly surprised. They cited Columbus’ achievements: “By disciplining itself and focusing its efforts, that city’s school district was able to improve its graduation rate from an anemic 59.9 percent in 2002–03 to 77.6 percent in 2009–10.”

The articles quoted board President Carol Perkins as saying, “We came together on goals, and everyone could see that we were not that far apart…Everyone saw the need to do it.”

That paper was not The Columbus Dispatch. It was The Buffalo News in New York.

The Buffalo News praised CEA’s partnership with the school district for helping to raise test scores and graduation rates. “One of the components of the dramatic improvement in the Columbus, Ohio, school district was its partnership with the Panasonic Foundation,” stated editorial columnists, referring to a third-party consultant brought in to help negotiate a solution to the district’s problems.

The Buffalo News quoted CEA President Rhonda Johnson commenting on the difference cooperation with the board and administration made in Columbus: “Before the Panasonic Foundation, we were killing each other.”

Our question is: Why aren’t we receiving these kudos from our own media? At every turn, they have focused on the negative. Even when we begin to make progress, reporters write that the changes are too little. We should be doing more. We spend too much money. Rarely do they look at the big picture or look behind the scenes.

The Buffalo News editorial capped a series about the Buffalo schools’ problems and praised the efforts of the Say Yes to Education Foundation, which is bringing to the district a plan to increase high school and college graduation rates. The series pointed to successes in other districts, including Columbus, and hoped for the same results.

We thank The Buffalo News. It acknowledges that our strategies are working, including “establishing a system of feeder schools (that) helps middle schools and high schools prepare for the students they will be receiving.” And “a system of ‘vision cards’ (that) not only helps the district to set goals, but to measure, monitor and adjust as needed.”

We deserve the credit. The reality is that working together—successfully—is no small feat. It took months of meetings and years of hammering on our mutual shortcomings until we found a way to agree. It’s monumental.

Columbus City is the largest school district in Ohio. We serve students from diverse economic backgrounds and from an array of personal circumstances. Our union is the largest. Yet we and the school board have achieved a unity of purpose rarely seen in districts a quarter of our size.

We commend The Buffalo News for holding us up as the model we truly are. At least someone from among the news media realizes it.

"Gold top 10 winner" by Flickr user sam_churchill.

2011 was a year like no other; it brought us Senate Bill 5/Issue 2, a new two-year contract and much more. Here are the 10 most-read posts from the CEA blog in 2011.

10. Greg Mild, proud member of TBS

9.    Courtney Johnson, proud member of TBS

8.    A pictorial history of CEA’s 280 day fight against Senate Bill 5

7.   Make them see red

6.   SB 5 Action Resource Center

5.   Brace yourself for attacks

4.   District creating couch potatoes

3.   Speaking out against Issue 2: By Ezetta Nicole

2.  HB 191: Tourism v. Teaching

1.  Governor’s office invites Ohio teachers to a meeting and stands them up

On the first day of testing,
my students gave to me
an unfinished TRC.

On the second day of testing,
my students gave to me
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the third day of testing,
my students gave to me
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the fourth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the fifth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the sixth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the seventh day of testing,
my students gave to me
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the eighth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Eight encore classes,
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the ninth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Nine urgent emails,
Eight encore classes,
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the tenth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Ten brand new students,
Nine urgent emails,
Eight encore classes,
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the eleventh day of testing,
my students gave to me
Eleven shortened specials,
Ten brand new students,
Nine urgent emails,
Eight encore classes,
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC.

On the twelfth day of testing,
my students gave to me
Twelve long sleepless nights,
Eleven shortened specials,
Ten brand new students,
Nine urgent emails,
Eight encore classes,
Seven long staff meetings,
Six PD workshops,
Five pacing guides,
Four erasers,
Three flash cards,
Two ScanTrons,
and an unfinished TRC!

"Empty Classroom" by flickr user Max Klingensmith

A bill scheduled for a hearing in this week’s House Education Committee meeting would make significant changes to Ohio school districts’ school calendars.

House Bill 191 was introduced in early April of this year by State Representatives Bill Hayes and Bill Patmon and would change the length of the school year. It would switch how the state measures the minimum amount of instructional time from days to hours, simultaneously lengthening and shortening the school year.

Currently, Ohio law requires school districts to provide 182 days of instruction to students, which equates to 910 hours for elementary students and 1,001 hours for middle and high school students. The requirements set forth in HB 191 would lengthen the school year by requiring school districts to add 50 more hours of instruction for elementary, middle and high school students.

Conversely, HB 191 would shorten the number of days in the school year by prohibiting schools from holding classes before Labor Day and requiring them to end before Memorial Day. This would increase the length of summer break and could affect students’ summer learning loss. The legislation does exempt summer school and year-round schools from the start and end requirements.

The bill could also affect how often Ohio’s traditional public school districts close for emergencies. House Bill 36, signed into law by the governor on April 6 of this year increased the number of calamity days for school districts from three to five. HB 191 was introduced the next day and proposes to completely eliminate calamity days for traditional public school districts. However, it exempts charter schools, allowing them to use “calamity hours” given to them in HB 36.

Presently, school districts that shorten their school day by up to two hours due to a late start or an early dismissal still receive credit for a full instructional day under state law. HB 191 removes this provision from the Ohio Revised Code. If a school district decided its schools should start late or dismiss early, the hours of instruction lost would not be counted towards their state-mandated minimum number of hours of instruction under this legislation.

If HB 191 were to become law, it would take effect in the 2012-2013 school year. It would not affect teacher union contracts (including the CEA Master Agreement) entered into before the bill’s effective date. However, any contracts entered into after the bill’s effective date would have to comply with its provisions.

An Ohio Legislative Service Commission fiscal analysis of the bill shows that it will not increase costs for the state, but that schools not currently meeting the bill’s requirements “will likely incur an increase in operating costs.”

So why is there a need to lengthen the summer break of Ohio’s schoolchildren despite repeated calls from educational experts to wage war on students’ summer learning loss?

In a released statement, the bill’s primary co-sponsors gave a variety of reasons for its introduction. According to the statement, the bill would help Ohio families by allowing them to “schedule school year and summer time child-care arrangements with more ease.” The longer school break would also allow families to have “a larger time frame to schedule summer vacations.”

HB 191 specifically prohibits Ohio’s school districts and community schools from holding extracurricular events on the Friday through Monday of the Labor Day weekend. Why? The ultimate reason for the expanded school break, according to the statement is to “create a broader scope of time for Ohio’s tourism, recreation and retail industries to benefit.”

Rep. Hayes has gone on record as being inspired to write the legislation by a Buckeye Lake “boat storage guy” who lamented to the lawmaker about how the school year shuts down the economy of the state.

Since its introduction on April 7, members of the Boating Associations of Ohio, the Ohio Campground Owners Association and other tourism groups have lobbied in support of the legislation. According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance records, Rep. Hayes filed reports showing he received campaign contributions from the Ohio Tourism PAC as well as the Boat Ohio PAC within a month of dropping HB 191. Additionally, less than one month prior to introducing the legislation, Hayes reported receiving a campaign contribution from the Ohio Campground Owners Association PAC.

Boating Associations of Ohio Executive Director Ken Alvey affirmed the importance of HB 191 at a May legislative conference, saying:

“More and more schools have been opening up before Labor Day, which cuts into the boating season and takes away a number of recreational opportunities for families. When you think about all the vacation and tourism dollars at stake, it really is a big deal.”

Colton Henson, Hayes’ legislative aide expects the legislation to clear the House Education Committee and go to the floor of the House in early 2012. He reaffirmed the economic aspects of the bill when he was quoted in an article in the HudsonHubTimes.

“Many tourism businesses in Ohio count on summer as the time when they do almost all of their business,” said Henson. “Tourism is Ohio’s third largest industry. In this economic climate, we want to work together to promote our economy.”

HB 191 is scheduled for a hearing in the Ohio House Education Committee which meets Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 5:00 p.m. in Room 313.