October 2025 Newsletter

Posted on October 22, 2025 by dennislewis

Download the NEOEA-R-Oct2025 Newsletter

VOTE for NEOEA-Retired Delegates to OEA Representative Assemblies
STRS Board Lawsuit Injunction
NEOEA Liaison and OEA-R NEOEA Representative’s Report
State Board of Education Update – The Path to Public Office
Racial and Social Justice Book Study
OEA Wellness Wednesdays
Vote for Public Education on November 4
OEA Governmental Relations Updates
OEA-R Membership
End of Summer Celebration
Discounts
Calendars
OEA News Subscriptions
Member Information Updates

2025-2026 OEA-R Delegate Election Results

Posted on October 22, 2025 by dennislewis

Congratulations to the following persons who will serve on the OEA-Retired Advisory Council and as NEOEA Delegates or Alternates to the OEA Representative Assembly this school year.

OEA-Retired Advisory Council

Chair, Mary Binegar
Vice Chair, Phil Long
Secretary, Judy Buschle
Past President/Chair, John Hoyes
CAPITAL Representative, Carol Dixon
CENTRAL Representative, Barry Alcock
ECOEA Representative, Kathleen Purdy
EOEA Representative, Lee Gillison
NCOEA Representative, Becky Radel
NEOEA Representative, Jené Wilson
NWOEA Representative, Lisa Scott Marshall
SEOEA Representative, Jeff Slattery
SWOEA Representative, Damian Dagenbach
WOEA Representative, Joni Watson
At-Large Representative, Carol Kinsey
ESP At- Large, Nola K. Brooks
OEA Board of Directors Representative, Deloris Rome Hudson
Higher Education, Samuel Adu-Poku

Delegates

Peg Ham
William Lavezzi
Hank Haynes
Marti Franks
Nancy Wonson
Karen Carney

Alternates

Sandra Peloquin
Diallas York
Valenta G. Ward-Gravely

OEA Wellness Wednesdays

Posted on October 17, 2025 by dennislewis

The OEA Wellness Cadre has created another year of opportunities to connect, collaborate, and celebrate with fellow educators. Save the dates for the upcoming virtual events designed to ignite your creativity and inspire your soul.

Registration is open now for the How to “You-talize” the OEA Wellness Grants Showcase on October 29, 2025 from 6:00pm -7:00pm.

Learn how to apply for this OEA grant and support your fellow educators by hosting a local Wellness event.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

OEA Governmental Relations Update Calls

Posted on October 16, 2025 by dennislewis

OEA’s Government Relations team is hosting a monthly, one-hour update call on the last Thursday of each month. These member-facing briefings will keep you plugged in on fast-moving Statehouse activity and, most importantly, make it easy to share your stories and take timely action to ensure your voice is heard at the Statehouse.

What you’ll get each month:

What’s moving at the Statehouse (bills, hearings, amendments) in plain English.
A Spotlight Issue (e.g., vouchers/ESAs, property taxes & funding, collective bargaining, STRS governance, voting access).
What can you do to help right now— digital actions, training opportunities, and other ways you can engage your legislators on important issues impacting public education.
Q&A and ready-to-use slides, recording, and shareables after the calls.

When (Fall 2025)

Thu, Oct 30 | Thu, Nov 20 | Thu, Dec 18 (1 hour; calendar details sent upon registration) at 5:00 PM

Who should join

Member leaders, building reps, Political Action/Legislative Committees, and any member who wants to stay current and engaged. (We may also invite coalition partners for select topics.)

Bring your examples!

Have a success story or photo of member-led legislative engagement (school visits with lawmakers, testimony you provided, LTEs/op-eds, town halls)? Please send these to OEA Government Relations at govtsrv@ohea.org with who/what/where/impact and any images/quotes we can amplify during the call.

Thank you for everything you do for Ohio’s students, public schools, and your colleagues. We’re excited to see you later this month!

In solidarity,

Daniel A. Ramos
Director, OEA Government Relations
Ohio Education Association

Join the OEA-Retired Racial and Social Justice Committee Book Study

Posted on October 15, 2025 by dennislewis

All OEA members are invited to join us on this journey. We aim to inspire engaging conversations in books that relate to everyday experiences on the topics of racial and social justice. This will help us learn from each other and grow in understanding.

All sessions will be virtual on Zoom and will take place the third Monday of each month from 7pm-8pm (unless otherwise stated).

Please contact Makia Burns, OEA-Retired Liaison, burnsm@ohea.org with questions.

Book Reading Schedule:

Nov 17 – Four Hundred Souls by Ibram X. Kendi
January 26 – Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.
February 23 – Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.
March 23 – Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
April 20 – Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
May 18 – Bloody Lowndes by Hasan Kwame Jeffries
June 15 – Bloody Lowndes by Hasan Kwame Jeffries
July 20 – The Third Reconstruction by Peniel E. Joseph
August 17 – The Third Reconstruction by Peniel E. Joseph
September 21 – Slave Ship by Marcus Rediker
October 19 – Slave Ship by Marcus Rediker
November 16 – Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson

OEA-R Racial and Social Justice Committee 2026 Book Study Flyer

Getting to Know SERS

Posted on October 14, 2025 by dennislewis

A retirement system for public employees in the state of Ohio.

Join us for an online presentation on Zoom to learn more about how SERS works for
you to help you prepare for retirement.

SPEAKER: Cameron Vaughan, Member Education Coordinator, School Employees Retirement System (SERS) of Ohio

DATE: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

TIME: 5pm

WHERE: Online, you can join on your phone or your computer

All OEA members are welcomed to attend.

OEA-R SERS webinar flyer_Jan 2026

Sponsored by OEA-Retired https://oea-r.ohea.us

2025-2026 OEA-R Delegate Elections

Posted on October 9, 2025 by dennislewis

OEA-R delegates will be elected through October 21

The election will be conducted online or by mail in ballot.

Look for election information by email and US mail. Please support candidates from NEOEA-R.

OEA-R members should look for an email and/or a postcard “Vote now in the OEA 2025 Elections” from “Ohio Education Association <help@yeselections.com>”.

Everyone will get a postcard, envelope or an email with an explanation and instructions for requesting a paper ballot.

The email and the postcard or letter provide an “Election Code” and a “Voting PIN” along with a link to the voting page. If your ballot has not been placed in the US mail by October 15, please vote online no later than 5:00 PM on October 21, 2025.

Here are the Steps to Vote Online:

Go to the voting website: https://www.ohea.org/retired
Enter your Election Code and Voting Pin in the fields
Click on Continue and follow the voting instructions

Please support the following candidates from NEOEA:

Delegates to the OEA Representative Assembly

Vote for no more than eighteen (18).

Nancy Wonson

Karen Carney

Valenta G. Ward-Gravely

Dr. Samuel Adu-Poku

Diallas York

Sandra Peloquin

Peg Ham

William Lavezzi

Marti Franks

Hank Haynes

OEA-RETIRED MEMBER LOBBY DAY

Posted on October 2, 2025 by dennislewis

We invite you to the OEA-Retired Lobby Day on Tuesday, October 21st from 9:30 am – 1 pm at the state capitol.

OEA-R is holding a lobby day for members on Tuesday, October 21st in Columbus. Thisis an opportunity to voice strong opposition to the STRTS takeover. Importantly there are legislators who are talking about “future pension reform” that could put our future COLAs in greater jeopardy. It’s never been more important for legislators to feel our presence and know of our concerns.

Educators Leading Change

Posted on September 30, 2025 by dennislewis

Updates, Opportunities, and the Path to Public Office

Educators have always been leaders—in classrooms, schools, and communities. But what happens when educators bring their voices to the halls of power? Join us for an inspiring session that explores the critical role educators play in shaping the future of public education and policy.

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, October 22nd at 5pm – 6pm.

Lawsuit Filed to Restore Educator Voice on the STRS Board

Posted on September 17, 2025 by dennislewis

On September 16, 2025, active and retired members of OEA, OFT, and AAUP filed a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas challenging House Bill 96’s elimination of educator representation on the STRS Board. On behalf of the nearly 120,000 OEA members, retired members Kevin Cain and Becky Brown, and other active STRS-contributing educators from OFT and AAUP are serving as plaintiffs.

Why we’re suing:

Republican legislative leaders inserted the STRS Board change into the state budget at the last minute, denying any public comment on the policy amendment. The change was engineered by House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), drafted by State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), and was added to the budget by the majority members on the HB 96 conference committee in the 11th hour of the budget process.
The complaint argues the change is unlawful because it:
1. Violates equal protection by singling out STRS members;
2. Violates the Ohio Constitution’s three-reading rule; and
3. Violates the Ohio Constitution’s single-subject rule.

The bigger picture:

These actions are part of a broader pattern of political attacks on public education and educators by the majority party in Columbus—underfunding public schools, weakening contract safeguards, silencing higher ed faculties, and eliminating elected State Board of Education members. We will not allow politicians to erase educators’ voices.

What’s next & how can you help:

Stay tuned for updates as the case moves through the courts.
Please contact your legislators and urge them to restore educator representation on the STRS Board by using OEA’s STRS action alert.

Thank you for all you do for public education, the students you serve, and your colleagues.

Yours in solidarity,

Jeff Wensing
President, OEA

NEOEA-Retired

NEOEA-R Organizing Committee

Author Archives: dennislewis