
Category Archives: NEOEA-R News
2024-2025 OEA-R Delegate Election Results
The OEA-Retired Guidelines state that the following members of the OEA-Retired Advisory Council shall serve as automatic delegates by virtue of office: OEA-Retired Advisory Council Congratulations to the NEOEA-R Delegates and Alternates! Marti Franks Bill Lavezzi Peg Ham Hank Haynes Nancy Wonson Debbie Bernauer Jené Wilson Karen Carney Steven D. Mitchell Alternates – OEA-R Cheryl W. Hill John A. Veverka Valenta G. Ward-Gravely |
OEA-R Webinars
Senior Scams
November 20, 2024
|
|
OEA-R Webinar Schedule
https://oea-r.ohea.us/events-programs/webinars/
January 22, 2025—SERS for Actives and Retirees
February 26, 2025—Kickoff for Read Across America
March 30, 2025—Overcoming Barriers Among Immigrants by Empowering Adults with Literacy
May 28, 2025—Listening to Building Understanding
Past Webinars
Moving From Land Acknowledgements to Action in the Buckeye State
OEA’s Public Education Matters Podcast

| Season 5 of the Ohio Education Association’s award-winning Public Education Matters podcast is now underway, and we’re excited to bring you our most valuable content yet!
Over the summer, OEA invited members to share their feedback on the Public Education Matters podcast and on podcasts in general to help shape this new season. We’ve taken your feedback to heart, and based on your responses, we are moving back to shorter episodes and back to a weekly format. At your request, we’re working to bring you more practical content on everything from AI in the classroom to discounts you can’t afford to miss. And those are just a couple of the episodes we have in the works in the next couple of months alone! New episodes drop every Thursday morning this season. As always, Public Education Matters is designed to be your source for insightful conversations with the people who are shaping Ohio’s public education landscape every day. Make sure you subscribe to Public Education Matters on your favorite platform, so you don’t miss an episode this season! (For links to the podcast on some of the most popular listening platforms, click here) You can listen to the first episode of the new season right now, and you can catch up on all of the past episodes anytime here. You can share your thoughts on the podcast anytime, too, by emailing us your feedback and ideas for future episodes at educationmatters@ohea.org |
| Happy listening! |
September 2024 NEOEA-R Newsletter
- NEOEA-R/OEA-R Delegate Elections
- NEOEA Day Friday, October 11
- OEA November 5 Elections Guide
- OEA-R Webinars
- OEA-R Racial and Social Justice Book Study
- Keep Your Information Up to Date
- Join OEA-R/NEA-R as a Life Member
- Discounts
- NEOEA-R/NEOEA Calendars
OEA Member to Member Election Information
OEA Voter Information Guide
Important Dates for November 5 General Election

- October 10: Voter Registration Deadline Register to vote here
- Check your driver’s license. You cannot vote in person with an expired ID. Whatever you are using must be current. Acceptable IDS are, Unexpired Driver’s License, State ID card or interim document. Passport. Military ID, Ohio National Guard, US Department of Veterans Affairs. Screen shots are not acceptable nor are utility bills, other government documents, paychecks or bank statements
- Check here to make sure you are registered, and your address is correct. Do not presume anything.
- October 11: Early In Person Voting Begins. View Early Voting Schedule here
- October 29: October 29: Last Day to Request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot. Print Vote-by-Mail Request Form here If you plan to vote by mail apply for a ballot NOW. Use the application sent to you by the Secretary of State, download an application from your county Board of Elections website or use the link above.
- Vote-by-Mail Ballots must be received at the County Board of Elections Drop Box by 7:30 PM on November 5—Election Day.
- Remember, if you apply for an absentee ballot, and you attempt to vote at your polling place on Election Day, you will have vote a Provisional Ballot.
- Download a sample ballot. In many counties there may be issues and candidates that you are not familiar with. Do your research. Whether you vote in person or by mail you need to vote the whole ballot. Judges are particularly critical. Levies matter OEA will have lists of endorsed candidates to guide you.
- November 4—Last Day to Postmark your Vote-by-Mail Ballot. Get a postmark from a clerk or use Automated Postal Service Kiosk postage for a valid postmark date.
- November 5, 6:30AM—7:30 PM Vote on Election Day. Plan to stand in line if you are going to the polls, and dress for the weather. Try to go to the polls in the down times. Mid-morning and mid afternoon are usually best. Avoid lunch time and after dinner. If you are in line at closing time you will be allowed to vote but not one minute after.
Find your polling location here

One of the most important issues on the Ballot is Issue One. The language on the ballot may be confusing and misleading. That is intentional. If you want to get rid of Gerrymandering you must vote YES.
OEA Recommended Candidates
U.S. President/Vice President—Kamala Harris (D)/Tim Walz (D)
U.S. Senate—Sherrod Brown (D)
Ohio Supreme Court Justice
Melody Stewart
Michael Donnelly
Lisa Forbes
Issue 1—Anti Gerrymandering Amendment Vote Yes
Ohio House
HD 13 Tristan Rader (D)
HD 14 Sean Brennan (D)*
HD 15 Chris Glassburn (D)
HD 16 Bride Rose Sweeney (D)*
HD 18 Juanita Brent (D)*
HD 19 Phil Robinson (D)*
HD 20 Terrence Upchurch (D)*
HD 21 Eric Synenberg (D)
HD 22 Darnell Brewer (D)
HD 23 Daniel Troy (D)*
HD 31 Bill Roemer (R)
HD 33 Veronica Sims (D)
HD 34 Derrick Hall (D)
HD 35 Mark Curtis (D)
HD 52 Gayle Manning(R)
HD 53 Joe Miller (D)*
HD 57 Jamie Callender(R)
HD 58 Lauren McNally (D)
HD 64 Lauren Mathews (D
Ohio Senate
SD 2 Paloma De La Fuente (D)
SD 18 Katie O’Neill (D)
SD 24 Tom Patton (R)
SD 28 Casey Weinstein (D)
SD 32 Michael Shrodek (D)
US Congress
CD 9 Marcy Kaptur (D) CD 13 Emilia Sykes (D)
CD 11 Shontel Brown (D)
State Board of Education
Dist. 8 Karen Lloyd
Dist. 11 Delores Ford
* Indicates Friendly Incumbent
This listing includes NEOEA areas.
See the complete list of all Endorsed Candidates in a list that you can print and take with you to the polls: OEA Election Guide
Non-Partisan Guide to Presidential Candidates
OEA Endorsed Candidate Expanded Information Site
https://ballot.ohea.org/ballot/

Vote YES on Issue One

OEA Past President and NEOEA-R Organizing Committee Member Patricia Frost-Brooks delivered an address on the need to pass the Constitutional Amendment to end Gerrymandering to Union Members at a Community Meeting in Sheffield on October 10, 2024.
Right now in Ohio, politicians and lobbyists manipulate voting districts to protect their interests and guarantee their re-election. As a result, incumbents running for reelection almost never lose. In other words, we let politicians choose their voters.
The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment bans lobbyists and politicians from the process and instead empowers voters to choose their politicians. Join us today to restore power to where it belongs: with citizens, not politicians.

POP5: Protect Our Pensions, Inc.
From time to time, members may receive mailings from an organization calling itself “POP5” or “Protect Our Pensions.” POP5 is not affiliated with OEA or OEA Retired.
While there does not appear to be any inherent conflict between the stated goals of POP5 and OEA, you should also note that there is nothing that POP5 is seeking to accomplish that OEA and our allies are not already working on or have addressed in the past over many years.
OEA, represents over 124,000 educators, which includes over 9,000 retired members, and is deeply committed to protecting and preserving retirement security for all current and future retirees in the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), School Employees Retirement System (SERS), and Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). OEA has been actively engaged in current efforts to improve the funding status of all the pension systems and maintain or enhance benefits in a fiscally responsible way. OEA’s advocacy on retirement system issues benefits not only our members, but the very system of public education and the students that we serve.
(Adapted from research findings by OEA and OEA Retired)
OEA-R Newsletter Editor Position Open

| Names of persons interested in being considered for appointment to the position of OEA-R Newsletter Editor. This is a three (3) year term which begins Oct 1, 2024 through July 14, 2027.
Please submit your name to the OEA-R Chair Mary Binegar (binegm@aol.com) AND a copy to the Vice Chair Phil A. Long (palcisv13@gmail.com) no later than midnight September 20, 2024 indicating your wish to be considered for the appointment. Please include a brief statement listing your qualifications and reason for wanting to serve OEA-R in this position. A brief description of the position is included below. The recommendation for appointment will be put before the OEA-R Advisory Committee by Sept 27, 2024. |
Duties of OEA-R appointments by the Advisory Council
|
2024-2025 OEA-R Delegate Elections
DEADLINE: Monday, October 21
DEADLINE: Monday, October 21
DEADLINE: Monday, October 21
OEA-R delegates will be elected through October 21 by online and mail-in ballot. L
ook 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 2024 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, 2024.
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
- A change this year is the shortening of the election time periods. Elections will run 21 days and not 30.
- If you are choosing the mailed ballot option, please vote and return your ballot right away. The move to 3 weeks, has several advantages, including housing preparation for delegates, allowing the delegates to attend all district representative assemblies, and it reduces over all cost of the election.
Please support the following candidates from NEOEA:
| Debbie | Bernauer | NEOEA |
| Karen | Carney | NEOEA |
| Marti | Franks | NEOEA |
| Peg | Ham | NEOEA |
| Hank | Haynes | NEOEA |
| Cheryl W. | Hill | NEOEA |
| Bill | Lavezzi | NEOEA |
| Steven D. | Mitchell | NEOEA |
| John A. | Ververka | NEOEA |
| Valenta G. | Ward-Gravely | NEOEA |
| Jené | Wilson | NEOEA |
| Nancy | Wonson | NEOEA |
Candidate biographies are available at 2024OEARARetiredDelegateCandidateBios
Delegates attend both the Fall and Spring OEA Representative Assemblies. On the day before, the OEA-R Delegate Assembly meets at the OEA or STRS building to carry out the business of OEA Retired and for a briefing with the OEA officers and reports from the OEA-R Advisory Council. Delegates from NEOEA also attend the Fall and Spring NEOEA RAs.



