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Leadership Contact Us Locals AFT.org News News Press OFT’s Blog Resources Resources Professional Development Share My Lesson, Ohio Legislative Action Legislative Updates Membership Member Benefits Retirees Actions & Events Take Action Events 1 2 3 Discounted Online Graduate Courses for OFT Members Only Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), Ursuline College and Virtual Education Software (VESi) have partnered to offer OFT members access to online courses available for graduate credit. Learn more today! Congratulations to Our 2019 Tom Mooney Memorial Scholarship Winners! The Tom Mooney Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in December 2006 to honor late OFT President Tom Mooney’s legacy in public education and union work, and to help others pursue his passions for social justice and political action. Congratulations to our 2019 winners: Lily Pedrotti and Kaitlin Richards. Thank you to all participants in OFT’s 2019 Summer Bill Pasztor Union Leadership Institute! The OFT Bill Pasztor Union Leadership Institute offers members workshops to expand and improve their union leadership skills. Thank you to this year’s participants! 1 2 3 DeVos Tour Highlights Trump Administration’s Attacks on Public Schools CLEVELAND, Ohio — Today, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos stopped in Cleveland to visit the public MC² STEM High School and EDWIN’s Leadership and Restaurant Institute as part of her Back to School tour. According to press materials from the Department of Education, the focus of DeVos’ tour is promoting her Education Freedom Scholarships proposal, which is another attempt by the Trump Administration to funnel public money into private religious and for-profit schools. more Ohio’s Biennial Budget Results in Missed Opportunities for Students and Communities OFT President Melissa Cropper released the following statement on Ohio’s biennial operating budget, HB 166, that was signed by Governor DeWine today: The budget that was signed today is marked by missed opportunities to fix our broken and unconstitutional school funding formula, to close reckless tax loopholes, and to end school takeovers that disenfranchise local communities. Our members have been calling for increased funding for wraparound services in our public schools for years, and we appreciate that Governor DeWine and the legislature made that a priority in this year’s budget with $675 million in additional spending. However, our school districts still need a fair and equitable formula that allows them to know what their funding levels will be so they can make the investments needed in their districts. We look forward to the continuing work that Representatives Cupp and Patterson are doing to fund our future with a new school funding formula. more Weingarten: Educators must save democracy Teachers have always had power,” AFT President Randi Weingarten told the crowd at the TEACH opening plenary Thursday afternoon. We need to own our power. And we need to build our power so we can move our agenda—for our students and our families; for safe, welcoming and well-funded public schools; for affordable higher education; healthcare that is a right, not a privilege; a living wage; a decent retirement; a healthy climate and a strong democracy.” more OFT President Melissa Cropper: Legislature Should Stop Using Budget to Pass Policy The policies that shape education for Ohio’s children are too important to be rushed through as add-ons to the state budget, especially when there is so little support for those policies that they have been unable to advance out of committee, as is the case with the Senate’s expansion of EdChoice vouchers,” said Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper. more Best economy ever? In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest column in the New York Times , she writes that, despite President Trump’s claims that we have the best economy ever,” his policies are harming working and middle-class Americans, many of whom are struggling just to get by. Our political and economic systems are so weighted toward the wealthy that opportunity will only come through the power of collective action,” she writes, using the surest vehicles to increase opportunity for ordinary Americans”—public education, labor unions and voting. Read the full column . Tell your legislators to Fund Our Future with equitable and adequate school funding. Contact your legislators today and tell them to Fund Our Future. more 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next › last » Search Search Email Signup ’); // Member login User ID * Enter your user ID. Password * Enter your password. Register Here Forgot password? Forgot user ID? 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