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.

Teachers and Intervention Specialists at Summit Academy Painesville Vote for Union Recognition

Painesville, OH – Teachers, intervention specialists, and instructional assistants at Summit Academy Community School – Painesville voted overwhelmingly for union recognition today. They are the seventh charter school in northeast Ohio and the second school operated by Summit Academy Management to join the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Cleveland ACTS) local, which is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Summit Academy Parma Teachers Ratify First Contract

Parma, OH — Teachers and intervention specialists at Summit Academy in Parma voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract today, following a nine day strike. The contract includes gains for student learning conditions, including language on class size and staffing. Union members will have a strengthened voice through a Labor-Management Committee and a binding grievance and arbitration process. The contract does not include any economic gains for teachers, but there will be an economic re-opener in the fall after the school’s enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year is set.

Teachers and Intervention Specialists at Summit Academy Painesville File for Union Recognition

Painesville, OH – Teachers, intervention specialists, and instructional aides at Summit Academy Community School – Painesville filed a petition for union recognition today. They are organizing to join the Cleveland Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Cleveland ACTS) local, affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers and American Federation of Teachers. They also delivered a copy of their petition to their principal at the end of the workday.