• EAST CENTRAL

OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

129 EASTON ST NE
SUITE 103
CANTON, OH 44721
(330) 499-8587
ecoea@sbcglobal.net

IMPORTANT DATES:

• January 1, 2025-Deadline to apply for an ECOEA scholarship to the OEA AOI Conference
• January 1, 2025-Nominations open for ECOEA Expiring Terms and Vacancies; Spring Public Relations Grants open; Internal Organizing Grants open; Quinn Scholarship applications open
• January 25, 2025-Winter Workshop, held on Zoom, registration open now!
• February 20-22, 2025-OEA Advocacy & Organizing Conference, Columbus
• February 28, 2025-Legislative Dinner, LaPizzaria, SAVE THE DATE
• March 1, 2025-Applications close for ECOEA Expiring Terms and Vacancies; Spring Public Relations Grants; Internal Organizing Grants; Quinn Scholarships
• March 2, 2025-Ohio Fund Bowling Fundraiser, Park Centre Lanes, 2-5 PM, get ready to bowl!
• April 5, 2025-ECOEA Spring Representative Assembly, 8:30 AM, Stark County Service Center on the campus of Stark State College
• June 18, 2025-ECOEA Summer Leadership Workshop  

YOU CAN READ OUR DECEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER AT THIS LINK: https://conta.cc/3BnU7IK

 

 

Members submitted questions to our legislative guests at our annual Legislative Dinner on March 3, 2023. You can read their questions here: QUESTIONS SUBMITTED AT THE ECOEA LEGISLATIVE DINNER

 

Questions presubmitted for the ECOEA Legislative Dinner CLICK THE LINK TO READ THE QUESTIONS SUBMITTED TO THE LEGISLATORS FROM THE ECOEA LEGISLATIVE DINNER HELD FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022.

 

CONTACT LIST FOR ALL THE OHIO LEGISLATORS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17TwM7qAzogFcKNOnfYEl1mA8xbv7Litq3GDMbsltwrw/edit?fbclid=IwAR2vF0epJl48zXVCYIukXkTtJcJ9m5J7diPRD_ZfLGouN1X5HrSeNxaFgzs#gid=0
Last year’s legislative event was held on March 5, 2021, on Zoom. Our ECOEA Evening with Our Legislators featured (left to right)  Representative Don Jones, HD 95; Representative Brett Hillyer, HD 98; State Board of Education member Dr. Christina Collins, District 5, State Board of Education member Michelle Newman, District 9, and Representative Scott Oelslager, HD 48. We also welcomed OEA President Scott DiMauro and OEA Vice President Jeff Wensing. Forty-eight members and guests participated as the challenges of this past year were discussed as well as questions regarding state funding and testing. We look forward to next year’s event and being in-person once again. You can read the questions that were pre-submitted by our members or asked in the chat during the event. Presubmitted Questions

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    • QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS AT THE ECOEA LEGISLATIVE DINNER MARCH 6
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FIVE STAR LOCALS ANNOUNCED

ECOEA will recognize 12 Local Associations at the ECOEA Fall Representative Assembly on Saturday, November 9th for active participation in the ECOEA district during the 2018-2019 program year. Meeting all six of the six criteria are:

• East Holmes TA, Megan Mullet, President
• Minerva Local EA, Stuart Grunder, President
• Newcomerstown TA, Janel Travis, Past President; Steven Pritchard, President
• North Canton EA, Julie Nelson, President
• Perry Classroom TA, Kelli Green, Past President; Tony Ridenour, President
• SCEPTA, Tina Gilbert, President
• Wooster EA, Scott Miller, President

Local Associations meeting 5 of the 6 criteria were:

• • Alliance EA, Christine Heutsche, President
  • Canton Professional EA, Paul Palomba, President
  • East Canton EA, Craig Linerode, President
  • Jackson Classified PA, Brooke Harter, President
  • Rittman EA, Ed Sims, President

The Jackson Classified Personnel Association was the winner of the drawing for a $500 award for unrestricted use by the Local. Congratulations to these Locals for their active participation!

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    • FIVE STAR LOCALS ANNOUNCED

      Congratulations to the following locals for outstanding participation in ECOEA for 2017-2018. These locals were recognized at the Fall Roundtable-Legal Update on Monday, October 15th. Locals must meet at least five of the six Five Star criteria in order to achieve the Five Star Award. Congratulations to the East Canton EA whose name was  drawn as the winner of a $500 unrestricted award for use by the local. The Five Star Locals and their presidents are:

    • Canton Professional Educators’ Association; Paul Palomba, President
    • East Canton Education Association; Craig Linerode, President
    • East Holmes Teachers’ Association; Megan Mullet, President
    • Jackson Classified Personnel Association; Brooke Harter, President
    • Jackson Memorial Education Association; Susan Ray, President
    • Lake Local Education Association; Allison McGinnis, President
    • Minerva Local Education Association; Stuart Grunder, President
    • North Canton Education Association; Julie Nelson, President
    • Newcomerstown Teachers’ Association; Janel Travis; President
    • Perry Classroom Teachers’ Association; Kelli Green, President
    • Rittman Educaton Association; Ed Sims, President
    • Southern Local Education Association; Karen Marquis, President
    • Wooster Education Association; Scott Miller, President
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• YOU CAN READ THE QUESTIONS FROM OUR LEGISLATIVE DINNER HERE:
•  MEMBER QUESTIONS 2017

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• ECOEA was the recipient of the 2016 DLAMC Award for “Continued Promotion of Minority Involvement” at the DLAMC Banquet on December 2, 2016. Our thanks to the DLAMC Committee for this recognition!East Central OEA Executive Board gathered for this picture of support for Louisville Education Association, one of the 63 locals in the ECOEA district.

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ECOEA delegates attended the NEA RA in Washington DC this summer representing our locals, our district, and our state as over 7,000 delegates in the largest deliberative body in the United States debated and voted on the business of the NEA!

Front Row: Ramona Moore, Lake Local EA, ECOEA President Julie Nelson, North Canton EA, Kristi Cropper, North Canton EA

Second Row: Anne Bowles, Wooster EA, Michelle Martin Jones, Canton PEA, Roxann Long, Wooster EA, Val Heban, ECOEA Business Manager, Tamika Moss, Canton PEA, Karen Linch, Wooster EA, Cindy Endres, ECOEA Vice President, Scott Miller, Wooster EA, Carol Kinsey, OEA-Retired, Dr. Geneva Parker, Canton PEA

Missing from photo: Angela Stewart, Newcomerstown TA, Kathleen Purdy, OEA-Retired

OEA PRESIDENT HIGGIN’S SPRING LISTENING TOUR

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ECOEA LEGISLATIVE DINNER MARCH 4, 2016

Pictured above are the guests from the General Assembly and State Board of Education along with ECOEA officers at the Legislative Dinner on March 4, 2016. Over 90 members and guests gathered at LaPizzaria for dinner and conversation with the guests.

Seated: Mandy Bankert, ECOEA Secretary, Senator Scott Oelslager, OEA-R Vice Chair Carol Kinsey, Senator Joe Schiavoni

Standing: Julie Nelson, ECOEA Vice President, Senator Lou Gentile, State BOE Stephanie Dodd, State BOE Roslyn Painter-Goffi, Representative Stephen Slesnick, ECOEA President Tracy Lemus Santos

Read the questions submitted by the members in attendance.MemberQuestionsSubmittedatDinner

Congratulations to Deb McDonald, Wayne County CTC,

winner of the NEA Foundation for Teaching Excellence 

PERRY ASSOCIATION OF SUPPORT STAFF

COLUMBUS – In ballots counted today by the State Employment Relations Board, more than 200 custodians, aides, paraprofessionals, secretaries, food service workers, and other education support professionals in the Perry Local School District voted overwhelmingly to form a union affiliated with the Ohio Education Association (OEA).

 “We organized our union to gain a voice, respect, job security, and solidarity,” said Cindy Savage, an accounting secretary at Perry High School who graduated from Perry Local Schools and has been employed by the district for 25 years. “Most importantly, we now have one unified voice to advocate on behalf of the students we serve.”

 The vote was the culmination of a yearlong organizing campaign and a two-week mail-balloting period. During the campaign, the district respected the employees’ right to organize and allowed staff to decide freely whether or not to form a union. The new union, the Perry Association of Support Staff OEA/NEA, now begins the process of negotiating its first contract.

“We are looking forward to building a mutually respectful relationship with the district as we bargain a strong first union contract,” said Melody Woodson, a 14-year district employee who works as an elementary library clerk at Genoa Elementary School.

 The Perry Association of Support Staff OEA/NEA members join approximately 300 teachers and other certified staff in the Perry Local School District who are also affiliated with the OEA as members of the Perry Classroom Teachers Association.

OEA Fall Representative Assembly

ECOEA members attended the DLAMC Minority Banquet on Friday evening at the Doubletree where they heard Rev. Dr. Gloria Wade-Dillon as the featured speaker. She emphasized that every vote matters, every life matters. OEA-R member Kathleen Purdy made a special presentation to Rev. Wade-Dillon. Following the banquet, members networked and enjoyed the tunes from DJ Jim York of North Canton EA.

ECOEA was well-represented at the OEA Fall Rep Assembly on Saturday, December 5. The RA was held at a new venue–the Ohio Expo, Voinovich Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Members at the RA passed a policy motion to support a parent’s right to opt out their children from testing and inform the parent of the consequences of that action. Sophia Rodriguez of Coldwater Teachers’ Organization was elected to fill the NEA Director #2 vacancy. Newcomerstown President Janel Travis announced that her member, ECOEA Past President Angela Stewart, is a candidate for NEA Director #4. This position will be voted on at the OEA Spring Rep Assembly in May 2016.  Good luck Angela!

ECOEA delegates stopped by the ECOEA table to enter in our giveaway drawing and picked up a small gift for attending. We appreciate our delegates! Winners of the ECOEA delegate drawing were Robin Gonzalez of Wooster EA and Ramona Moore of Lake Local EA. Winner of the fundraiser drawing was Cindy Endres of Jackson CPA. Enjoy your prizes!

 

OEA President Becky Higgins

Fall Listening Tour 2015

OEA President Becky Higgins visited ECOEA for her Fall Listening Tour on Monday, November 9. Escorted by ECOEA President Tracy Lemus Santos, Becky began her day at the Wayne County JVS where President Bruce Steiner arranged for Becky to visit several classrooms. Becky and Tracy were impressed with the young nursing students in the classroom of Pam Vorkapich. These students earn their STNA license and will graduate with their LPN, ready to enter the workforce or go on and earn their RN. Equally impressive were the students in the Powerline Techologies class of Rich Grimes who were learning to wire a home for electric, phone, cable, and practicing utility pole climbing. The classroom is run like a workplace; students are empowered to make decisions. Observing the electronics classroom of Gary Wimer, students had built robots and were working on programming them.  A visit to culinary arts rounded out the tour of the building where students were making doughnuts for the bakery. What wonderful learning opportunities are available for students and adult learners in the community.

The group moved on to Wooster High School where Wooster EA President Scott Miller and High School Principal Tyler Keaner led the group through the building where they visited the Library, General Grounds student-run coffee shop, classrooms, and blended learning. The day concluded to a visit to Cornerstone Elementary which is housed in the old Wooster High School. President Higgins read to the second grade students in Heather Higgins classroom and ended the day with a meet and greet after school. ECOEA was very happy to have President Higgins visit our Wayne county members in their classrooms.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

ECOEA LEADER OF DISTINCTION RECIPIENTS

Receiving the highest member ECOEA award  were members Angela Stewart, Newcomerstown TA and Ed Sims, Rittman EA. They were recognized for their valuable contributions to our membership and the organization during the ECOEA Fall Representative Assembly. President Tracy Lemus Santos presented a commemorative plaque to each recipient and praised them for their service and commitment to the organization. The Leader of Distinction award is only presented every other year by nomination and vote of the ECOEA Executive Board. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor Angela and Ed!

UNIT SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

At the ECOEA Fall Representative Assembly held on Saturday, November 7, three $500 scholarships for continuing education for members were awarded by lottery drawing of the applicants in each unit. The Unit I winner is Jennifer Holland from the Fairless Education Association. The Unit II winner is Randall Robart from the Rittman Education Association. The Unit III winner is Allison Medley from the North Canton Education Association. Congratulations to these members as they continue their studies to grow in their profession. ECOEA is proud to provide assistance through the Unit Scholarship program.

ECOEA delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly 2015

Delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly in Orlando were (Row 1, left to right) Karen Linch, Wooster EA, Angela Stewart, Newcomerstown TA, Row 2 Ramona Moore, Lake Local EA, Llyn Simpson, Malvern EA, Scott Miller, Wooster EA, Cindy Endres, Jackson CPA, Julie Nelson, North Canton EA, Row 3 Val Heban, North Canton EA, Carol Kinsey, OEA-R, Charles Cerniglia, Wooster EA, Dr. Geneva Parker, Canton PEA, Jennifer Milligan, Jackson MEA, Tracy Lemus Santos, Fairless EA, Kristi Cropper, North Canton EA, Anne Bowles, Wooster EA