We will be offering 4 great courses this summer! Here are the dates and a link to the registration flyer.

Click here to find out how Mitt Romney feel about working people.  (video)

Our local along with hundreds of other organizations had endorsed a well-written resolution asking for a hard look at our federal testing requirements for students. Please follow the link, read the resolution and sign it.  http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/

Contribute to the COPE fund through payroll deduction

What options do members have concerning flu shots for the flu season?

Information about the Master Teacher program.

Read what other people are saying about our current hot issues in public Education.

If you use Prilosec then you can get the over the counter verision of it for free.  Read this article to learn how and to download a voucher.

Teachers today need to be aware of issues involving the internet - both at work and at home.

Services we provide through our local.

A petition drive seeks to place an issue on the ballot to fix the way state and federal legislative district boundaries are drawn. The new method would take the power away from politicians and put it on the hands of the people. Help gather signatures.

Across the country, students and teachers are sharing stories, joining together and taking action to create safe schools, free from stereotypes, intolerance, and hate. They’re part of a movement called Not In Our School, inspiring students of all ages to develop and share innovative ways to resist bullying and promote an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion. Visit Not in Our School for lesson ideas, videos and teacher tips. See AFT's resources to fight bullying.

Make plans now to participate in summer workshops to expand union leadership skills at the 2012 Bill Pasztor Union Leadership Institute. The conference will be held June 25-27 at the Mohican Lodge and Conference Center near Mansfield. Get discounted rates by registering by May 25.

The AFL-CIO has launched its 2012 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch site—now called CEO Pay and the 99%—which includes the most comprehensive data available on 2011 executive pay. All the data available is searchable by industry, by state and by the top 100 highest-paid CEOs.

In her latest column appearing in the New York Times, AFT president Randi Weingarten describes how the AFT Innovation Fund is providing an alternative to school reform efforts that ignore the expertise of educators and their unions. The fund supports AFT affiliates that engaged in collaborative efforts that focus on promising ideas and proven programs that can be scaled up. Read the full column.

Problems with the Cleveland Plan

Many studies over the years have documented the need for smoother transitions from prekindergarten to the elementary level. A new AFT report reinforces that conclusion—and does it in a manner that puts frontline voices at the heart of the dialogue.

The citizens of Ohio took back their state with a historic vote on Nov. 8 to repeal Senate Bill 5. The vote, which marks the first time that the collective bargaining rights of public employees have been upheld on a statewide ballot, sends a clear signal that Ohioans will not sit idly by while politicians scapegoat hard-working public employees for an economic crisis they did not create.

 

President Obama's bold plan—the American Jobs Act—is the right antidote to help solve our persistent economic problems, AFT president Randi Weingarten says.

Two longtime union activists and education reformers are assuming new roles in AFT's leadership, AFT president Randi Weingarten announced on Sept. 9.

Every day, educators and other public employees, and the services they provide our communities, are being attacked. From challenging collective bargaining rights, to undermining the quality of public education and higher education, to decimating pensions and trying to put healthcare coverage further out of reach, working men and women across the country are under assault. And if this has taught us one thing, it's that Elections Matter.

The AFT is looking for young teachers to join our Generation Y online community. This supportive network of young professionals is a place to discuss issues that affect you and your work. You can interact with other members through the forums and member pages, learn more about what is going on in schools across the nation, and find out about upcoming events and activities you can attend.

Generation Y teachers—those in their mid-30s or younger—say that to keep them in teaching, schools should be transformed into workplaces that support high-quality teaching and learning, so eager but nearly overwhelmed novices will stay in the profession and can become highly effective, according to a new report by the AFT and the American Institutes for Research.

In a March 28 speech sponsored by the Commonwealth Club, AFT president Randi Weingarten challenged those who have blamed public employees and their right to collectively bargain as a cause of their states' fiscal problems.

Workers' fundamental rights are under attack in a growing number of states. But as we have seen in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere, those attacks have inspired and motivated tens of thousands of union members to stand together for their rights. The challenge now, as AFT president Randi Weingarten put it in a recent e-mail to more than 1.5 million AFT members and allies, is to take this moment and turn it into a movement. One step in that direction is a "We Are One" Week of Action, starting April 4, that will bring together members from the AFT and other unions, along with our allies, to participate in events around the country. First, take the pledge to help make a difference. Once you take the pledge, you'll see lots of ideas for how to join in the week of action.

AFT president Randi Weingarten on Feb. 24 proposed a new way to align teacher development and evaluation to due process for tenured teachers. Weingarten laid out a three-step process consisting of clear standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, a time-limited improvement and support plan for teachers deemed to be unsatisfactory according to the evaluation standards, and a hearing process that can take no longer than 100 days, which in many cases would be even more expedient.

On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy captured and crystallized a moment in history when he told America, "the torch has been passed to a new generation." To mark the 50th anniversary of this landmark inaugural address, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created a new website filled with groundbreaking multimedia that invites young visitors to explore the JFK legacy through such core themes as public service, civil rights and innovation.

Your local union is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers, a state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. To see what OFT is doing for you, visit www.oft-aft.org.