The OAPSE/AFSCME Memorial Scholarship Committee has announced the 2021 winners. Eleven children of OAPSE members have been awarded $2,500 scholarships for the fall.

Click here to see all the winners.

The OAPSE/AFSCME Memorial Scholarship Program is available to children whose parent or legal guardian is a member in good standing of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4/AFL-CIO). Under the program, scholarships of $2,500.00 each are awarded to at least one winner from each of the ten (10) OAPSE Districts selected from the applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.

Any graduating high school senior who is a daughter or son of an active OAPSE/AFSCME member or whose legal guardian is an active OAPSE/AFSCME member and who intends to enroll in a full-time degree program in any two (2) or four (4) year accredited university, college, business or technical school is eligible to apply for a scholarship. The scholarships may be used for any field of study.

To be eligible, all information or supportive documentation requested in the application must be received by the committee by March 1 each year.

Barb Phillips has been a true believer in unions since she was a child. She was raised with the core values that workers deserve good wages, decent benefits and retirement plans that allow them to live with dignity when their working days are done.

Barb has been a member of OAPSE Local 233 at Ashland City Schools for 37 years. She joined the union as soon as she could after hiring on with the district as a bus driver — a job she still proudly does today. Ask Barb why she does it, and she’ll tell you, “It’s for the children.”

Ten years ago, when Senate Bill 5 threatened the collective bargaining rights of 400,000 Ohio public workers, Barb knew she could not stand by and do nothing. She knew that weaker unions often mean the decline of wages and benefits, but also health and safety standards and the ability to serve students and families — especially kids with special needs like those who ride Barb’s bus.

So she jumped into the fight to keep unions strong in Ohio. Barb rallied at the Statehouse. She orchestrated drive-through signature gathering events in her area and helped get more than 1.3 million signatures to put Senate Bill 5 on the ballot in the form of Issue 2. And she marched in the streets to deliver those signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State. Once repeal of Senate Bill 5 was on the ballot, Barb knocked on doors, made phone calls and convinced her neighbors, friends and family to vote no on Issue 2. The result — a big win for labor and working families.

It’s been 10 years since the major fight about Senate Bill 5, but everyday workers face battles to keep and win good wages and benefits and protect strong retirements. That’s why Barb Phillips — now more than every — is sticking with her union!

To: OAPSE Members

From: Executive Director Joe Rugola

Re: Recognizes Administrative Professionals; Fighting for Strong Pensions, Fair School Funding

Date: April 21, 2021

National Administrative Professional’s Day

April 21 is the day we recognize the contributions of the OAPSE members who serve as administrative professionals! Take a look at the video below for more about the importance of the work they and all OAPSE members do to provide critical services to our schools, boards of developmental disabilities, community colleges, Head Start agencies and libraries.

State Budget: HB 110

Thanks to our work with AFSCME International on passage of the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan packages, the state budget has the resources to keep our economy and state moving forward and avoid drastic cuts to the services our members provide.

For years, OAPSE has championed the importance of fair funding for school districts and supported court battles, some of which went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, to try and get poor urban and rural districts the funding they deserve – just like wealthy school districts get.

OAPSE has worked closely with OEA, OFT and the education management groups like the school boards and treasurers on HB 1, the Fair School Funding Plan. That led to us being able to get the new fair funding formula in new state budget bill, HB 110.

The Fair School Funding Plan is a fair and equitable school funding system that reflects what it actually costs to provide a good education, and how much a community can actually afford to pay. This plan will finally address the root problem of Ohio’s school funding system, the reason why it has been ruled unconstitutional four times in the last 24 years. The current funding system provides unfair advantages to wealthy districts at the expense of the poorer rural and urban districts.

The Fair School Funding Plan will fully and fairly fund Ohio’s schools. The plan also funds community schools and vouchers with direct state payments instead of sending the money with the student when they go to a charter school or use a voucher. This will help the public know the true and accurate funding levels of charter schools. And it means public schools will not be financially penalized when a student leaves for a charter school or receives a voucher.

Also in HB 110, the Ohio House has added a bus purchase allowance of $45,000,000 for each fiscal year of the state budget.

The state share of the base transportation formula for school districts is increased from 25% to 29% in this first year and to 33% in the second year of the budget. It continues to increase back up to its original level of 50% at the end of the six-year phase in of The School Funding Plan.

HB 110 also has moratorium language for academic distress districts (ADC) for both fiscal years of the state budget (FY22 and FY23).  That means the state cannot classify school districts as being in academic distress and having the state takeover the district.

The budget for developmental disabilities programs has a $70 million dollar increase in the county board waiver match in the first year and a $62 million increase in the second year of the state budget.

The local government fund has a slight increase of $3 million in the first year and an increase of $15 million in the second year of the budget. This will help maintain the current funding level for our community libraries.

HB 1 and HB 110 will continue to be considered by members of the Ohio House of Representatives before they vote and send the bills over to the Ohio Senate. We will keep you updated.

SERS Update

OAPSE continues to fight for strong pension benefits for retired members. We have been keeping a close watch on changes discussed by the staff and the Board at the School Employees Retirement System (SERS), which could devastate OAPSE members when they retire.

The union worked with OAPSE active and retired members on the SERS board (Vice Chair Barbra Phillips, Jim Haller, Cathie Moss and Frank Weglarz), and all members of the SERS Board decided not to change the final average salary calculation or what constitutes a full year of service credit. Those discussed changes could have cut benefits to future retirees by as much as 10 percent.

With the goal of keeping the pension fund as strong as possible for as long as possible, OAPSE continues to discuss with SERS board members and staff the sustainability of the fund and to look at potential changes and how they would affect retirees.

OAPSE will continue to work with SERS Board members to make sure OAPSE retirees are not subjected to unnecessary cuts. And we will to continue to oppose cuts and freezes to COLAs, including those implemented four years ago.

Social Security Update

 The national union continues to push for total repeal of the Social Security GPO & WEP issues in Congress. Thanks to their work and OAPSE’s efforts and petitions highlighting the injustice of the GPO & WEP, several bills have been introduced in Congress calling for the total repeal.

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) has sponsored H.R. 82 with 129 bipartisan cosponsors and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is ready to introduce a companion bill in the U.S. Senate. We will continue to work with our National Union to keep these issues a priority and an integral part of any Social Security reform package discussions in Washington.

Click below to watch a message from Executive Director Joe Rugola, and be sure to stay tuned for news about our next steps!

To: OAPSE Members

From: Executive Director Joe Rugola

Re: Help is on the Way! American Rescue Plan Dollars Coming to Ohio and You

Date: March 26, 2021

This year has been tough on all of us, but we are starting to see the beginning of better days ahead.

I’m very proud of the work OAPSE staff and leaders have done since last March to protect your job, your pay, your benefits, your health and safety and your job security.

I’m equally proud of the work we did – in conjunction with AFSCME International in Washington, D.C. – to pass the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

Because of that work with Congress and President Biden, we secured $1.9 trillion in funding for state and local governments, public schools, libraries, Head Start agencies, community colleges and boards of developmental disabilities.

And Ohio will get $17 billion to keep our members working so we can provide these same critical services to children and the most vulnerable among us.

Take a look at the video below for details on where that money will go in our state.

And if you work in our public schools, click here to see how much ARP money your district is estimated to receive. Choose Ohio from the menu at the top left. Find your school district. The column labeled ESSER III Est. is the total amount your school district will receive. There are limitations around how the money can be spent, but you will get an idea of what is on its way to your school district budget.

Also, AFSCME has put together a series of fact sheets for jurisdictions represented by our union, including public schools, libraries, early childhood education and higher education. Click here to find them. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your type of employer.

Thank you for your support during the difficult time of COVID-19 and always.

Take care and be safe.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) will provide critical relief to millions of Americans and critical funding to states, local governments, public schools and libraries, higher education, Head Start agencies and boards of developmental disabilities.

Of the $1.9 trillion in the ARP, Ohio is expected to receive $17 billion in ARP money. Of that, $5.7 billion will go to K-12 education and higher education, and about $12 billion will go to our libraries, Head Starts, boards of developmental disabilities and other state and local government programs.

This is important funding because tax revenues are down due to the high rate of unemployment during the pandemic and the loss of income taxes. In fact, at one point in 2020, more than 900,000 Ohioans were out of work. And Ohio still has more than 90,000 unemployed workers in the sectors represented by OAPSE and our sister unions, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 and OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11.

Of course, unemployed workers do not pay income taxes when they are not working, so public budgets took a real hit. The ARP funding is designed to fill the gaps between taxes collected and the money needed to operate.

Those still unemployed will continue to receive enhanced unemployment compensation through September 6 and will include an additional $300 per week. Those workers, and all Ohioans who qualify — will receive $1,400 checks (or direct deposits). If you are single and make $75,000 or under, or married with a combined income of $150,000 or less, you will receive the relief check.

Also in the massive relief bill is assistance to those who face eviction; pension security for private sector workers; money for COVID response and vaccinations; assistance to families with children; and aid to veterans and farmers.

Help is on the Way!