Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the issues facing Ohio's education system. Cropper also discussed some controversial bills being pushed through during the Ohio Legislature's lame-duck session and their potential impact on schools and communities.
Cropper started by addressing Ohio Senate Bill 295, which proposes closing or restructuring schools based on performance metrics. The bill's rapid progression, with language made public only a week before hearings, raises concerns about transparency and public input, she said. Cropper emphasized the dangers of removing control from locally elected school boards and transferring operations to entities with no K-12 experience.
Cropper also discussed two other bills that are raising concerns about student privacy, teachers' roles and teachers' pensions. Cropper referenced the vague terminology in Ohio House Bill 8 and the potential for increased teacher responsibilities, questioning the implications for student privacy and teacher roles. Additionally, Senate Bill 6, which limits pension investment decisions based on environmental, social and governance factors, is seen as a move that could hinder sound financial management.
Cropper also warned listeners about the challenges posed by these legislative actions, particularly the lack of public participation and the potential long-term negative impacts on education. She called for vigilance and active engagement from educators and communities to counter these developments. Cropper hopes to collaborate with elected officials to craft a proactive approach to finding solutions that genuinely improve school performance without resorting to drastic measures.
To delve deeper into these issues and hear more from Melissa Cropper, listen to the full episode of the America's Workforce Union Podcast.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
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