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

As a member of a local association within the six counties served by ECOEA (Carroll, Columbiana, Holmes, Stark, Tuscarawas or Wayne), you are automatically a member of the East Central OEA District. We provide professional development, conferences, and scholarships that are open to all members. We are supported by your dues dollars and invite you to participate in opportunities in our district and the Ohio Education Association.

The ECOEA Program Committee has a cozy winter day of financial planning lined up for you on Saturday, January 29, 2022.
Held virtually, we have speakers lined up for you on Zoom throughout the morning where you can join us in your jammies from the comfort of your home. No driving through the cold to get this important information!
Choose from the sessions that work for you!
STRS Financial Fitness-early career educator advice, planning, STRS terms, learn about your public pension.
STRS Retirement Countdown-certified members approaching the end of their careers.
Student Loan Repayment and Forgiveness-there is good news for many previously denied members with student debt!
Ohio 457 Deferred Compensation-open to all public employees (indeed, our elected officials can invest here) hear about this alternative method of sheltering retirement funds separate from a 403B. You must start saving the first day you start working for a secure retirement future.
OEA-Retired-presented at the STRS sessions, hear how you can become a pre-retired member and the benefits of OEA membership as a retired.
Registration is open now at the button below. Attend one, two, or three sessions, all at no charge. We have door prizes too!
The Ohio Education Association offers a variety of awards and scholarships to individual members and local associations to reward and recognize the achievements and hard work of members to improve public education. Use the button below to see a summary of the awards and scholarships open to all members and local associations. You can download the applications, too! It is important to honor the January 21, 2022, deadline. Apply now!
Our friend Guy Kendal-Freas of NEA Member Benefits has this information to share for our members with student loans-
2022 - A NEW YEAR WITH NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
At the end of January 2022, the “pause” on Federal Student Loan repayment ends and borrowers will resume making monthly payments they haven’t made for 23 months. But 2022 promises new hope for hundreds of thousands of NEA Members paying on Federal Student Loans.
In just one year, the Biden Administration has forgiven over $12.5 BILLION of student loans for more than 640,000 borrowers and has streamlined the process for new borrowers. For you, there may be a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME option to achieve relief under the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (TEPSLF) but YOU MUST ACT BEFORE OCT. 31, 2022, to take advantage.
NEA Member Benefits will share more information about this throughout January. To learn more, simply use this ZOOM link to join any (or all) of the ZOOM sessions below, each scheduled for one hour:  
Guy has scheduled various dates and times to meet the scheduling needs of classroom teachers. Use this link for any (or all) days and times:
If prompted, meeting ID is 865 4544 2216 and the passcode is 607541.

  • Jan. 4 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME
  • Jan. 5 from 7:00 – 8:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME and repeated from 7:00 – 8:00 A.M. CENTRAL TIME.
  • Jan. 12 from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EASTERN TIME 
  • Jan. 13 from 7:00 – 8:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME and repeated from 7:00 – 8:00 A.M. CENTRAL TIME
  • Jan. 18 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME
  • Jan. 19 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME
  • Jan. 22 (SATURDAY) from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME
  • Jan. 26 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME
  • Jan. 29 from 9:00 - 10:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME as part of our ECOEA WInter Workshop. Register with us to be eligible for door prizes and other sessions about finances!

Even if previously denied, you may now be eligible. This could be LIFE CHANGING to you! The sessions are updated as information comes in. You are welcome to attend as often as you like. Check it out!
ECOEA REP TO THE OEA-R ADVISORY COUNCIL
Read Kathleen's December News Brief for our retired members at the button below. Some important upcoming dates for our retired members are:
January 29, 2022-ECOEA Winter Workshop-Zoom
February 15, 2022-ECOEA retired members roundtable-Zoom
May 17, 2022-OEA-Retired Spring Conference-Dover
June 4, 2022-OEA 175th Anniversary Celebration-Columbus
The OEA Advocacy & Organizing Institute is coming up in early February and the plan is to be in person in Columbus at the Sheraton Capital Square.
If you are interested in attending this conference, please register on this link with OEA. The fee to attend is $100 and covers two nights lodging, all meals (except Friday evening) and all program materials.
ECOEA is offering 20 scholarships of $50 to attend, one per the first 20 locals that apply. After the January 15, 2022, scholarship application deadline, we will award any remaining scholarships to the second round of locals. Apply now for consideration for our ECOEA scholarships at this link: ECOEA AOI Scholarship Application
Under the Constitution and Bylaws adopted at the ECOEA Spring 2021 Rep Assembly, nominations for ECOEA elected terms open on January 1, 2022, and will close March 1, 2022. In order to self-nominate, a member must file a Letter of Intent with the Business Manager declaring the position they are seeking during the nominations period. No nominations will be taken from the floor of the ECOEA Spring Representative Assembly unless there were no Letters of Intent received. A secret ballot will be presented to all delegates in attendance for contested positions. Positions with only one nomination will be declared elected by acclamation. Positions that have no candidate will be declared vacant.
Elections will be held for the following three-year county representatives (term 2022-2025) and are open to any member from that respective county:
Stark County Rep #1
Stark County Rep #2
Stark County Rep #4
Tuscarawas Rep
Also up for election this year is the ECOEA Representative to the OEA Professional Efficacy Standing Committee (term 2022-2025). A Letter of Intent is required during the nominations period for this position which is also elected at the ECOEA Spring Representative Assembly. This position is open to any member in ECOEA.
The three-year term for the OEA Board of Directors, ECOEA-Unit 3, will be elected at the ECOEA Spring Representative Assembly. This is an OEA position and requires candidates to file the Declaration of Candidacy form with OEA no later than March 16, 2022. This position requires the member to be from a local within Unit 3.
ECOEA Letters of Intent can be filed electronically to the Business Manager at ecoea@sbcglobal.net or hard copy to the ECOEA office at 129 Easton St. NE, Canton, OH 44721. Please watch filing deadlines as late applications will not be honored.
Please contact the Business Manager at (330) 499-8587 if you have any questions.
Hello ECOEA Members!
 
I hope everybody is doing well today and getting ready for the Holiday Break!
 
NEA Member Benefits & California Casualty sends a HUGE THANK YOU to you and all of your members for all of the hard work and dedication you have put in this year. We really appreciate you and everything you do! I personally am in awe of you and appreciative of the sacrifices you have made to meet the challenges of educating students during these times.
 
Once again. we would like to thank you by giving you a $25 Amazon gift card once you receive a NO obligation rate comparison, please take a moment to either click the image or follow this link https://www.readyforquote.com/beth/

THANK YOU EVERYBODY for all of your time and support. You are all so wonderful!
 
Beth
  1. Diversity Grants â€” To develop and pursue instructional classroom programs or curriculum that promote diversity, tolerance, and respect for humankind.
  2. Innovation Grants â€” For the pursuit of innovative and creative practices where learning is enriched by experiences or projects.
  3. Whisper Grant for Students in Need â€” Funds provided directly to an OEA member to assist a student or group of students with an identified hardship in meeting an educational or personal need. Whisper Grants are available all year; there is no deadline.
  4. Make-A-Wish â€” In collaboration with Make-A-Wish®, the Foundation provides seed money for OEA Locals seeking to make a child’s wish come true.
Per ECOEA Policy 3.6 Access to Financial Reports-the monthly Executive Committee financial report is available to any member upon request.

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