Education in the Age of COVID-19

As schools around Ohio continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, whether reaching students in person or through remote platforms, the education landscape continues to change. OEA President Scott DiMauro weighs in on vaccination priorities, state policies, quarantine guidelines, school funding, and other topics shaping our schools and communities today.

Show Notes

Featured guest: 

• Scott DiMauro, Ohio Education Association President
  • A high school social studies teacher from Worthington, Scott DiMauro was elected President of the OEA in 2019 after having served as vice president for six years. Over his 30-year career as an educator, Scott has worked to provide students the critical thinking and decision-making skills they need to be successful citizens in our democratic society. He has likewise advocated for students, educators and strong public schools at all levels of his union. 
  • Connect with Scott on Twitter and Facebook

In this episode:

"Everybody who has chosen to make education a career did it because they care about the success of students, and people are coming up with all kinds of ways to try to keep students engaged under really challenging circumstances."

• 1:10 - Reflecting on the lessons learned through 11 months of educating students amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic 
• 3:55 - The education inequities exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic
• 5:00 - OEA's Putting Education First policy: Rest, Restart, Reprioritize, Resource (Find the full details here)
• 9:00 - Prioritizing teachers and school employees for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio
• 10:05 - The continued importance of masks, social distancing, and sanitizing procedures in schools. The vaccine is not a panacea. 
• 11:35 - Ohio's newly relaxed guidelines for when students must quarantine
• 15:15 - Tackling Ohio's unconstitutional school funding formula
  • Here's what OEA had to say when the Fair School Funding Plan passed the Ohio House of Representatives with overwhelming bi-partisan support. The bill was ultimately blocked from consideration by the Ohio Senate.
• 17:40 - The future of school funding legislation in Ohio and the upcoming state budget cycle
• 18:15 - Legislative priorities in 2021: Standardized testing, Ohio's broken school report card system, and the state's takeover law

“I hope that this pandemic has provided a greater sense of urgency, especially to policy makers, to say we have to do a much, much better job in directing resources where they’re needed to serve the needs of our students, especially in communities of color, especially in high-poverty communities, especially places like rural Appalachia, where kids just don’t have access to resources in the same way they do in some of our more affluent communities.”

Connect with us:

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• Get the latest news and statements from OEA here
• Learn more about where OEA stands on the issues 
• Keep up to date on the legislation affecting Ohio public schools and educators with OEA's Legislative Watch

About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents more than 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May, 2020, after a ten-year career as a television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. 

This episode was recorded in January, 2021.

What is Public Education Matters?

Ohio's public schools serve 1.6 million children - 90 percent of students in the state! What happens in the classroom has impacts far beyond the walls of the K-12 school building or higher ed lecture hall. So, on behalf of the 120,000 members of the Ohio Education Association, we're taking a deeper dive into some of the many education issues facing our students, educators, and communities. Originally launched in 2021 as Education Matters, Public Education Matters is your source for insightful conversations with the people who shape the education landscape in Ohio. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on Public Education Matters? Email us at [e-mail]