Below is a press release from Governor Mike DeWine’s office about Ohio’s finalists for the national Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award.

OAPSE’s own Barb Ward, a school bus driver and member of Local 345 at Fairland Local Schools, is one of the state’s two winners. Barb is the OAPSE Southeast District Executive Board Member. She also chairs our Budget Committee and the PEOPLE Committee. She was nominated by OAPSE and selected from among workers across Ohio during a rigorous application and vetting process.

We are so proud of Barb Ward — not just for this recognition but for the nearly 40 years of exemplary service to special needs students and their families at Fairland Local Schools.

Congratulations, Barb!

McPherson, Ward Selected as Ohio’s Nominees for National Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award

Paraprofessional and Bus Driver Honored for Excellence in Serving Students and Schools

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Jan. 22, 2021 – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria together with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today honored Cerssandra McPherson, a paraprofessional working with special education students in the Toledo Public School System, and Barbara Ward, a school bus driver for the Fairland Local School District, as Ohio’s nominees for the first annual national Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award.

“I am so grateful for caring, dedicated and enthusiastic Ohioans like Cerssandra McPherson and Barbara Ward who are encouraging and inspiring our young people each day. It is an honor and a pleasure to nominate them to the U.S. Department of Education for consideration for national RISE Award recognition,” said DeWine.

“It’s clear these professionals go out of their way to make every student feel seen, valued and significant. That sort of recognition is vital for our young people, and I’m so proud to recognize Cerssandra and Barbara today for their incredible work on behalf of Ohio’s students,” said DeMaria.

In nominating McPherson, Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers said, “She is flexible and dependable, ready to enthusiastically take on any task to which she is assigned. Given that Cerssandra is self-motivated, she often goes above and beyond the call of duty in her dedication to the success of each student in her purview. She also supports other paraprofessionals in her building and the district by taking on the responsibility of providing training and professional development that keeps them current with the latest educational trends and strategies. Cerssandra is a valued and respected member of her school community.”

Likewise, Joe Rugola, Executive Director of Ohio Association of Public School Employees /American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 4 said of Ward, “For 40 years, Barbara Ward has been a shining example of what a school bus driver should be. She has driven more than a million miles through the hills of southern Ohio with special needs students in her care. Those students and their families have trusted Barb to safely travel her route — which has been as long as 183 miles each day — and she has never let them down. She is the first person from Fairland Schools to greet her students and the last one they see each afternoon. Barb is a true ambassador for the district and often develops lasting relationships with the families of her students. Barb has driven many students from their first day of kindergarten through the last day of high school. She gets to know them and treats each one with respect, dignity and love. She is known for her kindness and her commitment to her job.”

The RISE Award promotes the commitment and excellence exhibited by full- or part-time classified school employees who provide exemplary service to students in prekindergarten through high school. Each state may nominate up to two candidates annually for consideration for the national award. The U.S. Secretary of Education will announce the national award winner in the spring.

Congratulations to OAPSE State President Lois Carson, State Vice President Mike Lang, and State Secretary Sandy Wheeler on their election to a new four-year term as the team that will lead our union.

State Nominating Committee Chair Bev Payne announced the results of the election after nominations closed on January 15.

“Our current state officers were the only ones nominated. Therefore, they will be sworn in for a full term at the OAPSE Executive Board Meeting in May 2021,” Payne said in her letter to presidents and district officers.

Carson, Lang and Wheeler have been serving together in the top union offices since July 2019. This will be their first full term. Wheeler has been state secretary since 1991. Lang was elected state vice president by the OAPSE Executive Board when Lois Carson became state president in July 2019.

“We are very humbled and honored to serve the members of OAPSE, and we pledge to work hard each day to make sure every single person we represent is treated with justice and fairness – especially in the tough times we are facing now and in the near future,” said Carson.

Lang said the global COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how important our union is to the 34,000 members across the state.

“Instead of having to face this crisis alone, we are all doing it together with the strong support of OAPSE’s executive board, local and district leadership and our staff. We have kept people working where possible and have made sure that pay and benefits have continued. And we need to keep sticking with our union and get through this health emergency and get everyone back to normal,” Lang said.

Wheeler noted that this period in our history is unlike anything she has experienced in her nearly 40 years as a member. She is thankful for our union and her opportunity to help keep it strong.

“None of us could have imagined this past year. It’s been tough in so many ways. But it has shown us the power of OAPSE and the strength of our union at the local, state and national levels. I am thrilled to have the support of OAPSE members. Serving as a state officer is a big responsibility – one we do not take lightly. We’re going to keep fighting for and with OAPSE members,” Wheeler said.

OAPSE Director of Legal Services Tom Drabick, center, discusses OAPSE’s court action with Local 163 President Anthony Cappadonna and OAPSE Field Representative Trina Molnar.

Happy New Year! 2021 will be especially happy for the 209 custodians, maintenance employees and food service workers who were laid off and had their insurance threatened by Willoughby Eastlake City Schools Superintendent Steve Thompson and the board of education. OAPSE took the case of these members of locals 159 and 163 to Lake County Court of Common Pleas, and the judge today issued a preliminary injunction requiring employees be paid wages and benefits while laid off by the board of education on account of COVID-19.

“This a good first step, a very courageous and precedent setting ruling from the Court. It allows 209 classified school employees and their families some hope and assurance going into the New Year. We hope the Board of Education will heed the Court’s ruling and find a path to ending the Reduction in Force knowing that employees will in any event need to be paid wages and benefits,”  said OAPSE Director of Legal Services Tom Drabick.

Drabick said the preliminary injunction is in effect until the case is concluded.

“This is a big win for the members of locals 159 and 163 and for all OAPSE members because it affirms our position that state law mandates that our school employees must be paid when schools are closed because of an epidemic,” said OAPSE Executive Director Joe Rugola.

“This case shows why unions matter. The members of locals 159 and 163 counted on us to fight for them, and that’s what we did. Now, they head into the new year knowing they will have their full wages and won’t lose their health insurance,” Rugola said.

To: OAPSE Members

From: Executive Director Joe Rugola

Re: An Update on OAPSE’s Fight for Willoughby-Eastlake School Employees

Date: December 28

We hope you are enjoying the holiday season – even with the limitations necessary because of the COVID-19 health emergency.

Most OAPSE members began their winter break knowing they had jobs to go back to in January. But not the members of locals 159 and 163 at Willoughby Eastlake City Schools. Those 209 custodians, maintenance employees and food service workers were laid off December 16, and thrown off their health insurance after December 31 – unless they can come up with $699 for single coverage or $1,922 to keep their families insured.

But OAPSE is fighting back to save these jobs and health care coverage.

If you live in the Cleveland area, you have heard our radio ads or received a robo call pointing out the cruel and heartless actions by Superintendent Steve Thompson, who is behaving more like the Grinch than the leader of a school district. He put these dedicated employees on the street NINE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS and told them their health care coverage would end December 31 unless they came up with the money to buy their own insurance.

Superintendent Thompson is doing all this even though the district has plenty of money – a $14 million reserve and financial solvency for at least three years. And there is plenty of work for the laid-off workers. They could be feeding the 7,800 students who rely on the district for breakfast and lunch. And they could be doing the preparation for school to resume in person, including deep cleaning and sanitizing buildings and classrooms.

Superintendent Thompson and the district are also in violation of the law by laying off these employees because school employees “shall be paid for all time lost when the schools in which they are employed are closed owing to an epidemic or other public calamity,” according to the Ohio revised code.

We are surely in a calamity. And our legal team has made that clear in our court actions to save these jobs.

OAPSE Director of Legal Services Tom Drabick has filed two briefs in Lake County Court of Common Pleas to halt the layoffs and reinstate the health insurance benefits of all members of locals 159 and 163. The judge is set to rule by the end of the year, and we are confident the law is on the side of these workers.

So is the court of public opinion – the more people in the community hear about this egregious behavior by Superintendent Thompson and the board of education, the more support locals 159 and 163 are receiving.

Our public affairs team is working with Field Representative Trina Molnar and the local union leadership to get local media coverage and tell the stories of these OAPSE members who do critical work in Willoughby Eastlake City Schools, and on average make about $31,000. Meanwhile, Superintendent Thompson and his administrators make nearly $200,000 per year. None of them are laid off, and they all kept their health insurance.

We hope you will check out the videos we have posted on our Facebook page and like and share them to circulate them as widely as possible and keep the pressure on Superintendent Thompson and his administration to bring these OAPSE members back to work.

You can also use our Facebook page to send messages of solidarity and encouragement to the members of locals 159 and 163 as they await the judge’s ruling.

Those 209 OAPSE members are counting on us to fight for them. And we are not giving up until we win justice for every worker who has been mistreated by Superintendent Thompson and the school board. Just as we will be there for you and every member of our union when you face adversity of any kind.

We know that 2021 will include many challenges. But we will meet them together. And we will overcome any obstacles together. That’s the value of a union. You are not alone.

Here’s to a better new year for locals 159 and 163 and all of us.

God bless and stay safe.

 

 

 

Looks like Willoughby-Eastlake Superintendent Steve Thompson is the Grinch who wants to steal a happy holiday season from 200 OAPSE members who are maintenance employees, custodians and food service workers. Thompson and the school board have set December 16 as the date these hard working members of locals 159 and 163 are set to be laid off and to have their insurance copays skyrocket to nearly $2,000 per month.

But OAPSE is fighting back on behalf of these members. Read below for more information on the plans for legal action.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             CONTACT: Trina Molnar (440) 413-1533

UNION TO FILE LAWSUIT TO HALT LAYOFFS OF 200 EMPLOYEES AT WILLOUGHBY-EASTLAKE CITY SCHOOLS; OHIO ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES (OAPSE/AFSCME LOCAL 4) WILL PURSUE GRIEVANCES, COURT ACTION AND UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE CHARGES TO STOP SCHOOL DISTRICT FROM DECEMBER 16 FURLOUGHS AND DRASTIC HIKES IN INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR CUSTODIANS, MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEES AND FOOD SERVICE WORKERS

WILLOUGHBY – The Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4) announced plans today to take legal action to stop the layoffs of 200 custodians, maintenance employees and food service workers at Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools. The workers are members of OAPSE locals 159 and 163. OAPSE will also file grievances with the employer and unfair labor practice charges with the State Employee Relations Board (SERB).

The school board and administration announced the layoffs last week. Not only do they plan to lay off workers right before Christmas, they also announced increases in insurance costs that would break any family’s budget.

“Basically, they are acting like Ebenezer Scrooge would if he ran a school district. They don’t have budgetary problems in this district. There is absolutely no financial reason for these layoffs. Yet, they are throwing people out of work during the holidays. Keep in mind, the laid off employees can’t even file for unemployment until the day the layoffs go into effect. That’s nine days before Christmas. And if that’s not bad enough, the district is kicking these workers off their insurance in the middle of a global health pandemic. It’s cruel and it’s heartless,” said Trina Molnar, OAPSE field representative who works with the local unions at Willoughby-Eastlake.

She said workers currently pay $102 for single coverage and $205 for a family plan. If they want to continue insurance coverage after December 31, they will have to pay $699 for single coverage and $1,922 to cover family members.

“This is just cruel. It’s mean-spirited to lay off 200 workers – who make an average of $31,000 – and cut off their insurance right now, especially when people have pre-existing conditions and need their coverage. You don’t see them laying off any highly-paid administrators and asking them to pay ridiculous COBRA amounts for insurance.”

“If this was really about money, cuts would be made across the board and would affect the superintendent and assistant superintendent, both of whom make in the high six figures and will keep their insurance and low co-pay amounts, as will all other administrators,” Molnar said.

“Superintendent Steve Thompson must be trying out for a part in the local production of the Grinch. Why else would he and the district target hard working custodians, maintenance employees and food service workers in the middle of the worst health crisis our country has faced in a century? He’s a mean one!” Molnar said.

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