DublinOtherLinks
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Dr. Dinah Wright Scholarship Raffle
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Thank you to the local business who have donated so far... Java Jann (2 $10 GCs), Audacious (5 $10 GCs), La Scala ($25 GC), Tucci's (3 $20 GCs) Also a huge thank you to Susan Colyer for organizing this.) |
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DEA Begins RAA and the Community Book Drive
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As part of the NEA Sponsored Read Across America program and in conjunction with the Dublin Welcome Warehouse DEA is beginning it annual book drive. Last year DEA collected over 13,000 books which were donated to Nationwide Children's Hospital. This year DEA's drive called "Share a Book, Share a Smile" will donate books to some of our own schools here in Dublin, the Dublin Welcome Warehouse, and also "Feed the Mind" a service of the Frebis Food Pantry. |
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2010 Mid Atlantic Regional Leadership Conference
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The weekend of January 23rd four DEA members attended the MARLC in Cincinnati. Pictured are Patty Nyquist, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Dona Givens, Donna O'Connor, and Kevin Griffin
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From OEA VP Bill Leibensperger re:STRS
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Defined benefit pensions such as the one provided via the State Teachers Retirement System, are the best deal for Ohio taxpayers. According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, defined benefit pensions can provide the same retirement income as defined contribution plans [cash accounts such as a 401(k)] at 46% of the cost due to economic efficiencies from pooled investment risk, higher returns, and lower fees. |
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New Master Teachers
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Congratulations to DEA members Beth Honeycutt, Maureen Baker, Jacki Ahlfeld, Amy Kowatch, Patricia Neilson, and Mandy Reutzel on becoming Master Teachers. DCS now has a total of 51 Master Teachers across the district. |
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United Way Fund Drive
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You will receive your United Way packet on Monday, November 9th. Dublin City Schools United Way campaign will run from November 9 through November 13. Please complete your donation form and return to your building secretary by November 13. |
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American Education Week
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One goal of American Education Week is to draw attention to our public schools and celebrate their successes. Dublin City School District takes pride in our many accomplishments. Over the past year we’ve been rated Excellent with Distinction, met all 30 state standards, met AYP, and exceeded Value Added measurements.
In addition to what is evaluated on the State Report Card our High Schools have been named some of the best in the country by Newsweek Magazine; our Middle Schools have received national awards for academic successes and statewide sportsmanship awards; and our Elementary Schools continue to provide a rock solid foundation for these future recognitions. |
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Press Release - BOE Endorsements
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The Dublin Educators’ Association has officially endorsed the current members of the Dublin City School Board up for re-election on Nov. 3. |
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Support Pediatric Literacy at Kroger
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Help our Reach Out and Read program at Nationwide Children's Hospital by using your Kroger Plus Card. Sign up at KrogerCommunityRewards.com. Once your account is established, choose "Edit Kroger Community Rewards" and register your Kroger Card as a supporter of organization #84925. Use you Kroger Card when you shop and a percentage of your purchase will go to the Reach out and Read Children's Literacy Program. |
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Volunteers Needed for ROR Sorting
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Central OEA/NEA is looking for volunteers on Friday, October 16th (COTA Day) from 9-12 to sort through books we collected for Children's Hospital. Please email Kevin Griffin for more info. (Volunteers must be at least 12 years old.) |
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OEA Response to Strickland's Tax Proposal
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“The Ohio Education Association commends Governor Ted Strickland for his proposal to resolve Ohio’s budget crisis. Thoughtful leaders have to make difficult decisions. OEA calls upon legislative leaders to support Governor Strickland’s recommendation to postpone the final phase of the income tax reduction.
“This option will preserve critical state and federal support of K-12 education reforms designed to move Ohio’s economy into the 21st century. Without this option, the loss of state and federal dollars will force Ohio schools to slash vital academic programs and services such as transportation, staffing, and student activities. Ohio cannot turn the corner economically without a strong commitment to public education as the bridge to the careers and industries of the future.” |
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OEA and STRS
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OEA’s View: Changes to pension benefits can have a life-altering effect on public employees. Changes of this magnitude should not be considered in a rush. The timeline laid out by ORSC did not allow sufficient time for retirement boards to reach consensus-based solutions with stakeholders. OEA believes that employees, employers and retirees have a shared responsibility for improving system funding. Changing retirement eligibility rules on those who are in the latter stages of their career is not acceptable. OEA believes employees can be afforded adequate time to plan without compromising system funding.
None of this is to imply a problem does not exist. The severe economic downturn has hit all of the retirement systems hard. As part of our due diligence, OEA engaged an independent actuarial firm to review the financial status of STRS, review proposed changes and make recommendations. This review indicated that the funding problem confronting STRS is real and severe. Prudent changes will need to be made in order to improve system funding and the security of benefits promised to current and future retirees.
OEA does not support the plan approved by the STRS Board. OEA believes that some of the proposed changes go too far and the plan as a whole places a disproportionate burden on active teachers. Under the plan, employees would pay more than the normal cost of a year of service (contributing 12.5% compared to a normal cost of 11.79%)—in essence paying for their entire benefit. Changes in retirement eligibility could be phased in over a longer period of time. Additionally, a tiered COLA benefit causes material equity issues and will lead to a “rush to the door.”
Although OEA has been part of the ongoing discussions with the STRS Board and staff through the Healthcare and Pension Advocates (a coalition which collectively represent all 400,000 stakeholders of the system), individual Board members have indicated that they are swayed by communications from individual members. Please let them know your views. |
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STRS Proposed Changes
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Here is a link to the STRS page with the proposed changes. http://www.strsoh.org/boardnews/bn_current2.html |
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Many Thanks To Our Retirees
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On April 23rd DEA held our annual Teachers' Appreciation Event. Congratulations to our retirees and thank you for dedicating your lives to helping kids.
Back Row: Ann Gates, Gwen Hollback, Lonna Osmond, Joe Lenge, Connie Montgomery, Jody Schuld, Linda Coleman
Front Row: Debby Stein, Peg Kok, Suellyn Stotts, Judy Kuck, Carla Downes, Marcia Brandt
More Pics Here... |
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STRS Elections
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OEA feels strongly that Mr. Stoll’s recent e-mail was a cynical exploitation of the emotions of educators, including a quote from dissident board member Dennis Leone, in an attempt to make them fearful about the financial future of STRS and cast a vote for Stoll. |
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DEA Collects 13,569 Books for Children's Hospital
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Thank you and congratulations to all DEA members who helped collect books for needy children. The books were delivered on Friday to the warehouse where they will be sorted and then delivered to Children's Hospital. The hospital will then distribute the books to children when they come in for check-ups. Read our press release. |
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Teacher Appreciation Event
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The DEA Teacher Appreciation Event will be on Thursday, April 23rd from 4:30-6:30 at the Dublin Marriott by Tuttle Crossing. An email will be sent shortly for registration. Many thanks to Kristi Jerger and Mary Kalix for organizing this event. |
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Child Abuse Training Letter
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The linked letter regarding the four hour mandate of Child Abuse Training in HB 276 was sent to Representative John Carney. |
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DEA Response to Guest Column
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The recent guest column by Matt Mayer, alleging that the Dublin Educators’ Association (DEA) and the Board of Education have not been accountable to the public was both mean-spirited and misinformed. |
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Teacher's Response to Guest Column
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Greg King, a statistics teacher at Coffman HS wrote this response in the comments section of the Columbus Local News website. Thanks for setting the record straight Greg. |
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Issue 76 Passes! Thank You!
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We know the importance of education. We know we don’t just teach our students to read, write, and add. We teach them critical thinking skills, how to work in groups, and how to manage their schoolwork and their lives. We teach them to say no to drugs, yes to helping others, and why they are an integral part of their community. We teach them respect and tolerance, understanding and fairness, responsibility and persistence. |
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Rally 2.0
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About 150 staff and GSC members showed up for a last minute rally on Monday the 3rd at Sells. Bailey staff and parents also had a rally at their school that day. Great job everyone!
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Teachers' Pay Criticism Unfounded
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This is a response to the Dispatch article printed on October 12th, 2008 which basically said teachers are overpaid and that voters should consider this when voting for schools ballot issues. This response was written by Scott DiMauro, President of Central OEA/NEA. Scott's response was printed, the Dispatch wrote a follow-up disputing his letter and did not post his letter on their website. However, their articles can be found there. |
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Good Schools Committee Donations
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DEA Members raised $2,518.30 for the Good Schools Committee. This money goes toward signs, mailings, fliers, etc. Thank you to all DEA members who contributed and to all the Building Reps who collected the money. |
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Public Information Request
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ODE responds to public information salary data request from Buckeye Institute
The Center for Transparent and Accountable Government at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions has made a public records request to ODE seeking certain teacher and administrator information reported to the Department through the Education Management Information System (EMIS). |
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About Membership in DEA...
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Teachers and the educational community in general face many different challenges. DEA is committed to communicating, educating, and advocating on behalf of its members. With membership comes: positive relationships with district leaders, financial services and benefits, legal protection, liability protection, professional advice from an OEA LRC, professional publications, opportunities to serve on local, state, and national committees, and a voice in association business. |
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Thank You for Supporting the Dr. Dinah Wright Scholarship
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Thank you to the following businesses for supporting the Dr. Dinah Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund.
McCormicks and Schmicks (Thx Bill Murphy), Tucci's Restaurant, Rusty Bucket, Audacious, Park your Paws Doggie Day Care, Lori Sudler, Jason's Restaurant, Dublin Village Tavern, Coldwater Creek, Dublin Marriot, and The Spa at River Ridge. |
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233% Increase in your Licensure Fees
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Congratulations and thank you for your great work in making our views known to the State Board of Education! It is safe to say that each one of them understands our concerns, as more than one thousand email letters have been sent to each member. |
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OVER 10,000 BOOKS COLLECTED
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DEA members helped collect over 10,000 books for the Reach Out and Read program. Many thanks to Kristi Jerger and Dawn Boerger for their effors in organizing this event and to everyone who donated their time and books. |
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OEA Press Release on Licensure Fees
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Columbus, Ohio - The Ohio Education Association’s 130,000 members express extreme disappointment with the unreasonable increase in teacher licensure fees from $60 to $200. |
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Keeping you Informed
 Keeping You Informed |
| Did you know teachers don't qualify for Social Security? And their spouses will only get a fraction what is owed to them? It's called GPO/WEP. |
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| Diane Ravitch, once a nationally known advocate for charter schools, standardized tests and NCLB has done a 180. She told a group of Superintendents that the nations "like Finland and Japan seek out the best college graduates for teaching positions, prepare them well, pay them well and treat them with respect,” she said. “They make sure that all their students study the arts, history, literature, geography, civics, foreign languages, the sciences and other subjects. They do this because this is the way to ensure good education. We’re on the wrong track.” NY Times Article |
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| Voices of Change - The OEA Blog |
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| From the Economic Policy Institute - The Teaching Penalty: Teacher Pay Losing Ground |
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| Patches of Light |
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| Ohio Code of Conduct for Educators |
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Find your State of Ohio Representative
Find your State of Ohio Senator |
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| Why Unions Matter |
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| HB1 faqs from OEA download |
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| Check out the revamped NEA Member Benefits site |
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| 2009 DEA Teacher Appreciation Event Slideshow |
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| GPO/WEP - Being Penalized for becoming a teacher |
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| An absolutely pathetic blog posting. |
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| HEADLINE: Charter Schools Little Better Than Others: Study. Chicagos charter high schools enroll fewer poor, special education and limited-English students; average nine more days of school a year and 40 more minutes of classes a day - yet do not perform much better than city neighborhood high schools, the new report claims. Read More... |
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| Myths and Facts about Educator Pay |
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| Welcome Warehouse - Two kind hearted employees of the Dublin School System have spear-headed an effort to collect and distribute clothing, household items and furniture on their own time. Their mission is to collect and distribute clothing and household items to families who are temporarily in need in our community. More info... |
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| HEADLINE: The Pre-Pre-SAT. Is another College Board exam, aimed at even younger students, really necessary? Read More... |
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| HEADLINE: U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders comparable to peers worldwide in math and science, study shows. Read More... |
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| HEADLINE: Charters Haven't Proved Superior. Read More... |
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Teacher Appreciation Event 2008 |
Pictures here...
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NCLB Video |
| www.notonthetest.com |
| Great Schools 2020 |
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DEA Links