ECOEA...the link between your local
and the Ohio Education Association

Professional development, conferences, and scholarships are open to all members.
The East Central OEA district serves OEA members in Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Stark, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties.
IMPORTANT DATES:

ECOEA welcomes members to join us for a member workshop held virtually on Saturday, January 30, 2021. While traditionally our winter finance workshop, we've enhanced this event with additional sessions for a full day of opportunities designed with you in mind.
Morning sessions are:
  • 9:00-10:00 STRS Retirement Countdown for those members nearing retirement, Tamla Cole, STRS, Asst. Director STRS Member Education
  • 10:00-11:00 STRS Early Career Financial Health, Tamla Cole, STRS
  • 9:00-11:00 Cultural Humility and Competency with Isaac Baez, Stark County Mental Health and Addiction Services
  • 9:00-11:00 SERS witn Cameron Vaughan, SERS Member Education Specialist
Keynote Speaker:
  • 11:15-12:45 Melissa McClain, Akron Children's Hospital, Secondary Traumatic Stress Through the Lens of the Pandemic
Afternoon Sessions:
  • 1:00-2:30 Nearly Perfect Interactive Lessons with Nearpod, Jake Miller, Educational Tech Specialist
  • 1:00-2:30 OTES 2.0 Update with Ellen Adornetto, OEA Education Policy and Practice
Sessions are free to all ECOEA members and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is online and will close on Friday, January 22, 2021 or when session capacity has been reached. Door prizes, Professional Development credit, and learn from the comfort of your home, join us for 1,2, or 3 sessions! You can read complete details on our website. Register today at the button below!
Quick and easy call to action for our pro-public education friends!

Hello fellow ECOEA members - Our schools have been unconstitutionally underfunded for years. Even though the Ohio Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that fact, our state legislature has failed to change the funding model. Thanks to tireless efforts from many people in education across the state, we are at a point where that could change!

The Fair School Funding Plan (House Bill 305/Senate Bill 376) has passed the house with overwhelming bipartisan support! The next step is to have it pass the Ohio Senate. This part will be difficult. 

This is where YOU can help with only taking 1 minute of your own time! Please click on this link (Contact your State Senator). When you enter your information, the link will take you to a form that you can send directly to your State Senator. Clink ā€œSEND LETTERā€ and you are done! Can you do this more than once? YES!

Still feel like you can do more to help? Send out the links to your friends and family (who live in Ohio) via text or email so they can help as well! Can they do this more than once? YES!

STILL WANT TO DO MORE?? Are you trying to get on the nice list this year? Need brownie points with Santa? Hereā€™s how you can guarantee no coal in your stocking this year: Go to the Ohio Senate website, use the magnifying glass to search for your Senatorā€™s last name and voila! You will find contact information, including a link to email your Senator directly. Reference SB 376 and write a quick note about your support. When notes are personalized like that, they carry more weight! Can you do this repeatedly? YES, PLEASE!

Are you wondering what the best part of this quick link and call to action is? The BEST PART is you can PERSONALLY be a part of helping Ohio change the way school funding is currently, to a way that is constitutional and equitable for all students across our state. Imagine the changes that will take place if it passes!

Thank you so much for your continued advocacy for our public school students!
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Andrea McSherry
ECOEA Scholarship and Grants Committee
Canton Professional EA, ELT Negotiations Committee, BLR
9 Years teaching in Canton City Schools
Currently teaching 4/5th grade math to remote students
OEA FALL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY
The OEA Fall Representative Assembly was held virtually on Saturday, December 5. Delegates heard from the Teacher of the Year Leila Kubesch, a foreign language teacher from Norwood Middle School and ESP of the Year Barb Armour, a bus driver in the Brunswick school district.
Presented at the RA was OEAā€™s Position Statement on Putting Education First in Regard to Containing the COVID-19 Pandemic that was unanimously adopted by the OEA Board of Directors on December 3, 2020. You can read the full text of the statement here.
Special guest speaker was Betsy Pringle, NEA President. The Assembly also heard from outgoing Executive Director Sheryl Mathis and incoming Executive Director Patricia Collins Murdock, as well as reports from the OEA officers.
ECOEA had 42 delegates in attendance at the virtual RA from the following locals:
  • Alliance Education Association
  • Canton Professional Educators' Association
  • Chippewa Education Association
  • Claymont Education Association
  • East Holmes Teachers' Association
  • East Liverpool Education Association
  • Education Association of Orrville
  • Fairless Education Association
  • Jackson Classified Personnel Association
  • Minerva Local Education Association
  • Newcomerstown Teachers' Association
  • North Canton Education Association
  • Plain Local Teachers' Association
  • Rittman Education Association
  • Southeast Local Education Association
  • Tusky Valley Teachers' Association
  • Wooster Education Association
Sending delegates to the OEA Representative Assembly is how your voice is heard at the state level. Locals that elect and send delegates are eligible to participate in ECOEA Public Relations and Internal Organizing Grants. Thank you to the local delegates who gave up their Saturday to attend the Zoom RA.
Different at the virtual RA, were the exhibits for internal and external vendors. ECOEA had a virtual exhibit page for our delegates where they could register for our Winter Workshop, link to other ECOEA delegates for a post-RA Zoom caucus, and find links to ECOEA on social media.
ECOEA delegates at the post-RA Zoom had an opportunity to connect with other delegates from the district and discuss the impact of COVID on their teaching conditions.
Winner of the Gavel Down Prediction was Karen LInch, Wooster EA. Stay till the End drawing winners were Tina Bradley, Canton Professional EA, Julie Nelson, North Canton EA, and Julie Holderbaum, Minerva Local EA.
FOR OUR RETIRED MEMBERS
OEA Retired News from OEA Advisory Council member representing ECOEA, Kathleen Purdy, retired from Plain Local T. A. and Past President of ECOEA.
OHIO'S NEW EDUCATORS
Veteran educators and association leaders are encouraged to give our new educators a well-deserved boost by making a video shout out. If you know an educator in their first ten years of the profession that you're proud of and would like to shout out, we'd love to have a submission from you! 
Below you can find the links to each of our social media posts:
Every week, a video shout out will be selected as a winner of a ONE prize for both the nominee and the person who nominated them (this week it's a power bank and mug to "refuel and recharge"). 
ECOEA Vacancies-
  • ECOEA Unit 1 on the OEA Board of Directors-open to any member from ECOEA Voting Unit 1
  • ECOEA Rep to the OEA Convention Planning Committee-open to any member
Please contact the ECOEA office for more information about these vacant positions.

Per ECOEA Policy 3.6 Access to Financial Reports-the monthly Executive Committee financial report is available to any member upon request.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
The ECOEA officers and staff wish the peace and joy of the season to you and your family. De-stress, unwind, relax and celebrate!
President Julie Nelson
Vice President Julie Holderbaum
Recording Secretary Juliann Doerschuk
Business Manager Valerie Heban
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Auto and Home Insurance Rep
Call Field Manager Beth Nagy
bnagy@calcas.com
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