How will the state will reconcile the budget bill’s wording and Race to the Top’s (RttT) requirements so that RttT funds are not sacrificed — particularly if SB 5 is not repealed? As it stands, OEA says the budget language in HB 153 is creating widespread confusion as to what is required to comply with RttT agreements and the new state law. Continue reading → As Ohio waits for the axe to fall on public education funding, I urge our new state administrators and representatives to think long and hard before they start chopping away at the budget. As baby boomers continue to retire, many teachers being hired are young, inexperienced and cheap. This is not to say that they [...] Continue reading → It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and while it’s cold outside, the sun is shining brightly, and my spirits are lifted. It’s been a busy, yet somehow restful, five-day break. I’m thankful for the time I had to visit with friends, feast with my family, decorate for Christmas, and even do a little on-line shopping. However, [...] Continue reading → Last month, a small group of students from our middle school had the privilege of attending the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) National Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. Ten years ago, PLTW was designed to promote learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and was piloted in a dozen schools in [...] Continue reading → Post-election season commentaries in the media made much mention of a Republican “storm” or “hurricane” in Ohio as well as on the federal level. But this was not the storm; nor was it the hurricane. My friends, the perfect storm is on the radar. It is bearing down on us and will arrive in January. [...] Continue reading → As a high school social studies teacher, I walk the line with my senior students each year. It’s tough. The year-long course I teach is required by my district, and it’s all about Government. Every year, I am met with the same question from my students during election season. “Mr. Hayes, who are you going [...] Continue reading → Do you know who will receive your vote on November 2nd? Do you know the issues? Do you believe that things need to change? Before you head to the polls, it is important to know that changing governors at this time will not be in the best interest of Ohio’s public schools. Check out OEA’s [...] Continue reading → Having attended the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference and Library Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, this past week, I was disheartened to read a recent AP story on my return home by Donna Gordon Blankenship, “Libraries Fading as School Budget Crisis Deepens.” She describes in detail how school systems all over the country are [...] Continue reading → Compare the state report cards of charter and public schools in the same city, Youngstown for example, and the numbers don’t lie. Charter schools, by and large, do not educate students any more effectively than public schools in the same district. OEA research bulletin, October 2009, Dayton Daily News, 8/21/09 and 2008-2009 Ohio Department of [...] Continue reading → One of those countless Friday after-work discussions we have with our teaching colleagues has stuck in my mind for the past year. “We’re the only profession in the world,” stated a fellow teacher, “where we are judged not by how we perform, but by how other people perform.” That stopped me in my tracks. Usually [...] Continue reading →