Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week with OFT’s Melissa Cropper

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about what can be done to show appreciation for teachers. Cropper also spoke about the funding of private school vouchers in Ohio and the FTC’s final rule on non-compete clauses.

Teachers face several issues every day while educating the future of America, but now, they have to deal with more problems than ever before, Cropper said. While having a day of appreciation is great, teachers need to be heard regarding what is necessary in the classroom. Cropper talked about recent laws that created unnecessary red tape for teachers, preventing them from focusing on educating their students. To assist, the OFT is working with Educators Thriving to survey members on issues related to work-life balance, communication from administration/district officials, job satisfaction and more so they can put evidence-based improvements in place.

Ohio gave out $69 million in private school vouchers in 2008, and in 2023, Ohio funded nearly $1 billion in private school vouchers. The Fair School Funding Plan, which is in year 4 of its six-year funding schedule, has not yet been fully funded. Cropper is concerned about whether it will be fully funded with all the money going for private school vouchers. She provided statistics showing that Ohio private schools have lower standards, less accountability and worse test scores than their public school counterparts.

In April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule to ban most non-compete clauses because they interfere with workers' freedom to change jobs. During the rulemaking process in 2023, Cropper submitted testimony to the FTC about similar clauses in charter school teacher contracts. She said she found cases where charter teachers could be fined up to $4,000 for resigning and working at another school or even have their teaching license contested. Cropper said the FTC final rule is a positive step for teachers and should be used as an example of common sense lawmaking.

Listen to the show above to hear more from Cropper during Teacher Appreciation Week.