Public Education Matters

OEA Locals can amplify the impact of their members' dues dollars through OEA grant programs - especially now, with the new Local Capacity Grants that are available just for completing a Local Capacity Toolkit assessment. The Tallmadge Teachers Association let the needs identified in that self-assessment drive their decisions not only to create a political action committee for their local, but also to create Action Plans to address ...

Tiffin Columbian High School teacher Chris Monsour is the first person to tell you he never thought he'd be a teacher. Now, 27 years later, he's the Ohio Teacher of the Year. In that role, he has spent the 2025-2026 school year traveling around the state and the country, representing Ohio's public school educators, lifting up the positive stories about the power of our public schools, and sharing his message about the importance of...

Although we're heading into the final weeks of the school year, learning should never stop. OEA members have the opportunity to learn from each other, improve their practice for their students, and build their skills and relationships at this year's OEA Summer Leadership Academy June 22-24 in Columbus. In this episode, we're sitting down with two OEA members who are presenting at SLA about why this is such a valuable experience for...

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8 this year, and across the country, we are celebrating the amazing educators who make a big difference for their students every day. This Teacher Appreciation Week, the host of this podcast is showing her appreciation for one educator in particular: Dr. Steve Kucinski, the high school English teacher who taught her how to find her voice and really think for herself. Twenty years after she was in ...

Ohio's public schools are facing an existential threat. If a measure to eliminate property taxes in Ohio makes it to the ballot and passes this fall, the results would be catastrophic for all of our public schools, students, communities, and local economies. Schools would close and consolidate, class sizes would balloon, programs would be eliminated, and we'd see massive layoffs of educators across the state - not to mention the de...

Public education is not partisan, but it is political. Politicians in the statehouse make decisions that impact Ohio's public school classrooms every day. That's why it is so important that our lawmakers hear directly from the educators who know what these policy decisions mean in our schools. Trotwood Madison Education Association President David Graham wasn't sure what to expect when he had a chance to talk to his state lawmakers...

OEA's grant programs empower Local associations to do incredible things for educators, students, and their communities. The Twinsburg Education Association has taken those opportunities and put that funding to work to build engagement and support. In this episode, we hear from 14 members of the TEA Grant Committee - yes, 14 guests on this episode! - about some of the amazing events, initiatives, and projects they've been able to do...

Janaya Foster used to hate afternoons in her elementary school classroom in Columbus. Too often, something would happen during lunch and recess that would leave students distracted or distressed. But, bringing yoga and other mindfulness tools into her classroom - along with rewards like treats from her grant-funded smoothie machine - has made a big difference for Janaya's students and her own wellbeing. In this episode, she shares ...

Vouchers are 'the new kid on the block' for public education threats, but the executive director of the Network for Public Education says while everyone's eyes are on vouchers, harmful charter school legislation has continued to pass nationwide, taking those publicly-funded schools farther and farther from the promise of what they were supposed to be. NPE is shining a spotlight on the charter school issues with a three-part report ...

Student loans are a fact of life for many educators who relied on that support to make their education career path possible, or who are now on Parent Plus loans to help their own children achieve their college and career dreams. But, so much has changed with the federal student loan programs over the last year, it can be really hard to keep track of what any of us need to be doing to stay on track with repayments. NEA Member Benefi...

Ohio Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (D-Parma) knows if you're not at the table, you get the scraps. After a 30-year career in a public school classroom, he's now at the table in the General Assembly, serving as the Ranking Member on the House Education Committee. He joins us for this episode for a deeper dive into House Bill 523, a bill he has co-sponsored to allow paid student teaching and remove other barriers for Aspiring Educators t...

David Grimes wears many hats. By day, he's a middle school science teacher in Westerville. He's also a leader in his local union and has spent the last two years as a community leader serving on Westerville's city council. In 2026, he added Westerville Mayor to that list. In this episode, he takes a look back at some of what he has accomplished in city government already, a look ahead at what he hopes to do as mayor, and a look aro...

As Ohio continues to spend more than $1 billion each year of public taxpayer money on unaccountable private school voucher schemes, more than 325 Ohio school districts are standing together in the Vouchers Hurt Ohio lawsuit to force the state to stop cutting those checks. In June 2025, a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge sided with the coalition on three counts, declaring vouchers unconstitutional in the state. But, the case...

The hundreds of Ohio Education Association locals across the state come in all sizes, ranging from 4,000+ members in big Locals like the Columbus Education Association to just eight members in the Bay Individual/Small Group Instruction Teachers Association (BISGITA), which represents 8 of the 9 hourly certified educators working as intervention specialists and reading specialists in Bay Village City Schools. As BISGITA President Ja...

She was the Ridgewood High School band director. He was a football coach for the Riverview High School team. She dropped her papers in the end zone. He helped pick them up. She eventually got his friend - the band director for Riverview - to have him finally call her to ask for a date. That was beginning of Bill and Cheryl Graham's love story; one that has endured through their combined 112-year teaching careers and beyond. Just in...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode was recorded and published before allegations came to light accusing Cesar Chavez of sexually abusing several women and girls, including Dolores Huertes, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez. More information and reactions to the allegations, including a statement from the Chavez family commending the courage of the survivors for coming forward, can be found here.

Nearly 100 ye...

Ohio's public schools are safe, welcoming learning environments for students of all backgrounds and abilities. But, only five decades ago, there was no guarantee that they could attend school or receive support to help them reach their full potential. That changed in late-1975 when the law that would become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) became federal law. In this episode, we take a look at what has changed...

Educators often get a front row seat to see their students realizing their potential. Those lightbulb moments when a new concept clicks are what a lot of educators say keep them going. Intervention Specialist Elena North and Occupational Therapist Maddy Schnabel recently got a front row seat to see their student, Cy, write his name for the first time - something that was possible because of the custom assistive device they designed...

In an education landscape that forces educators to prioritize getting kids to pass standardized tests, students who are already performing above grade level can easily be overlooked. But, Warrensville Education Association member Briana McDonald says we have to do better for those gifted students. In this episode, she shares her perspective about the need for high-quality gifted education programs in our schools, the challenges of ...