The Ohio Federation of Teachers sent the following letter to Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber in response to his office's actions to investigate school district spending on voucher litigation. We are asking Auditor Faber to instead investigate the use of public education dollars on union-busting at Ohio charter schools.

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COLUMBUS — Today, a strong majority of educators at KIPP Columbus voted to form their union, KIPP Columbus ACTS (Alliance for Charter Teachers & Staff) in a secret ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The vote followed a months-long union busting campaign by KIPP Columbus’s administration. The union includes approximately 130 teachers, intervention specialists, social workers, teacher fellows, student life coordinators, and paraprofessionals who work at the four schools on the KIPP Columbus campus (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High). MORE

Libraries are essential infrastructure in our communities, providing information, entertainment, and public services. In order to meet the needs of our patrons and to set standards that allow us to recruit and retain highly skilled staff, librarians and library workers need a voice. We also need and deserve fair treatment and job security. That’s why library workers in Central Ohio — across multiple library systems — are coming together to build their union and have a voice at work.  Interested in learning more? Email OFT's organizing department at organize@oft-aft.org

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Worthington, OH — Librarians and other workers at Worthington Libraries voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract. The union members held their vote on Monday and Tuesday, March 20 and 21. The Worthington Libraries Board of Trustees also voted to ratify the agreement during their Board meeting on Tuesday evening. The contract makes huge gains on the issues that motivated library staff to form their union, including paid leave, job security, and competitive wages.  MORE

Columbus, OH — Today, teachers and staff at the KIPP Columbus charter school called on their superintendent and board of directors to voluntarily recognize their union after they presented signed union cards from an overwhelming majority of teachers, paraprofessionals, intervention specialists, social workers, and student life coordinators. The organizing campaign is led by educators from all four schools (Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High) at the KIPP Columbus campus.   MORE

​​​​​​​Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an aspect of a child’s education that is integral in supporting academic success. Though Ohio has developed a set of SEL standards, SEL is not a subject like math, reading, history, or science. While it may be addressed directly, SEL skills can be infused throughout the instructional day. The five social emotional competencies addressed are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and making responsible decisions. MORE