Make Sure Your Voice is Heard: Lobby Days 2021

<strong>OEA MEMBERS | </strong><a href="https://www.ohea.org/actions/oea-educator-lobby-days/"><strong>Click here to learn more about how you can get involved in OEA Educator Lobby Days on June 8 &amp; 9, 2021.</strong></a><p><strong>Featured guest: </strong></p><ul><li>Jeff Wensing, Ohio Education Association Vice President<ul><li>A high school math teacher from Parma, Ohio, prior to his election as OEA Vice President in Spring 2019, Jeff Wensing served as the President of the Parma Education Association and as the President of the North Eastern Ohio Education Association. One of Jeff’s accomplishments was organizing members and the community to elect a new local Board of Education majority in 2017. This successful undertaking highlights his skill set by coordinating with local mayors, city council members, other unions, and the candidates themselves. Jeff has a history of listening to members prior to implementing decisions, communicating thoughtfully throughout the process, and engaging all stakeholders with full transparency.</li></ul> </li></ul><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p>"We need our educator voices heard. When we come together with our allies, like we did in Senate Bill 5 (2011 legislation which attempted to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights) we accomplish our goals. And here we are again. We're talking about our issues, and one of those is school funding, which has been declared unconstitutional for over two decades, close to 25 years. We actually have an opportunity to try to make some inroads and correct that wrong."<ul> <li>1:00 - Meet with your legislators and let your educator voice be heard.</li> <li>1:30 - A typical Lobby Day beginning to end</li> <li>3:00 - Communicating with legislators who don't agree with you on the issues</li> <li>4:00 - The importance of meeting with the legislators who represent your district</li> <li>4:45 - Leveraging your experience as an educator in conversations with lawmakers</li> <li>6:00 - No political savvy necessary; T