Tag: loveland ohio

Angling for appeal? Householder attorneys go after judge in corruption trial
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, a Perry County Republican, second from left, with attorneys outside of his racketeering trial. Photo courtesy of WEWS.

BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal

CINCINNATI — There has been speculation since the start of a massive public corruption trial that lawyers for the main defendant — former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder — were banking on getting any conviction tossed out on appeal.

There might have been evidence of that on Tuesday when one of the attorneys took the rare step of accusing the judge in the case of bias against his client. The attorney also suggested that the judge harbored a political grudge against Householder going back more than 22 years.

Testimony resumed Tuesday in the case after repeated delays — first because of weather and then because a juror tested positive for covid.

When it did, federal prosecutors continued presenting extensive evidence to support allegations that Ohio utilities paid $61 million into Householder-controlled 501(c)(4) dark money groups and Householder used the money to elect friendly Republicans to make himself speaker in early 2019. Householder is accused of pushing through a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout that primarily benefited his primary benefactor — Akron-based FirstEnergy — in return.

Prosecutors have said it was likely the largest bribery and money-laundering scheme in Ohio history.

Federal prosecutors are known to usually file charges only when they’re almost certain to get a conviction. That’s perhaps even more true when the case is against an elected official.

And over the course of testimony so far, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Glatfelter has introduced reams of evidence in the form of emails and text messages, as well as transcripts of wiretaps and witness testimony — including that of co-defendants who have pleaded guilty.

Householder’s attorneys have argued that their client raising money and electing candidates who would support his speaker’s bid was just politics as usual. They also argue that Householder only wanted to prop up failing nuclear and coal plants because he wanted to save jobs and protect the tax bases of the communities where they were located.

Householder also is alleged to have pocketed $500,000 in utility money himself, but his lawyers say those were loans he fully intended to repay.

However, the attorneys’ conduct on Tuesday might indicate that they’re looking past the jury trial.

Before the jury entered the courtroom, Householder attorney Mark Marein rose to complain to U.S. District Judge Timothy Black — about the conduct of Black himself.

“We all collectively believe that the court holds animosity toward us,” Marein said, referring to Householder’s legal team. He added, “I question whether (Judge Black) should be presiding over this.”

Black scolded Householder’s lawyers last week for muttering and making faces during Glatfelter’s opening statement. Among his criticisms, Black called the conduct “bush league.”

The judge also dismissed a juror who refused to wear a mask in court. That prompted speculation that Householder’s lawyers were displeased because such a juror might be more sympathetic to their client, a pro-Trump Republican.

But Marein gave a wholly different reason for suspecting that the judge was biased against Householder. He said that Black might be holding a grudge from 2000, when Black ran for the Ohio Supreme Court and Householder worked against the candidacy.

Both Marein and Black acknowledged that Marein was making the statements simply to get them into the record — presumably so they would be there in the event of an appeal.

There is some precedent for overturning public corruption convictions over complaints of judicial bias and prosecutorial misconduct.

In 2009, the conviction of former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was thrown out after the FBI was found to have withheld exculpatory evidence and other misconduct. And in 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, ruling that the trial court judge allowed prosecutors to use an overly broad definition of bribery.

But accusing a judge of bias in the middle of a trial has risks. Lawyers have said that if one genuinely believes a judge is biased, accusing that person of it in open court could simply make things worse. And in some instances, such accusations have resulted in professional sanctions against the lawyers making them.

There were a few other developments of interest Tuesday:
- Prosecutors played a recording of a wiretapped phone conversation between Householder and political operative Neil Clark in December 2017. Clark was also charged in the corruption scandal, but later died by suicide. In a laughing, profanity-strewn passage, the two talked about how Republicans legislators in 2010 drew a portion of Columbus into former U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi’s district. “Tiberi wanted a safer district,” Householder said, later adding, “He doesn’t like me because he thinks I f*****d with him.” The maps drawn in 2011 were said to have some of the most gerrymandered in the country. Last year, a Republican-controlled panel repeatedly refused orders from the state Supreme Court to draw them more evenly.
- Householder allies and FirstEnergy officials in August 2017 discussed a third tranche of $250,000 from the company to a Householder-controlled dark-money group at the posh Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, where that state’s Coal Association was holding its annual meeting. The money flowed soon thereafter. That meeting follows a round of swanky dinners in Washington, D.C., involving Householder and FirstEnergy officials the previous January during former President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Two dark-money groups were set up within weeks and one quickly received the first $250,000 from FirstEnergy, even though was hemorrhaging money.
The trial resumes Wednesday. It’s expected to last into March.
Feb 1, 2023
Fate of former Ohio House speaker could hinge on whether he took an “official act”

Larry Householder addresses reporters after lawmakers voted to expel him from the General Assembly. He has pleaded not guilty to a racketeering charge and awaits trial. Photo by Jake Zuckerman, OCJ.

BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal

It appears that federal prosecutors have a mountain of evidence they want to present to the jury in their racketeering case against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges.

They have emails, text messages, wiretap transcripts, and the testimony of undercover agents and confidential informants. They have so much material that U.S. District Judge Timothy Black said prosecutors and defense attorneys labored mightily before the trial even started to agree on what could be presented to the jury. The process was meant to avoid bogging down what’s already expected to be a six-week ordeal.

But all that evidence could miss the mark if none of it shows that Householder undertook an “official act” in exchange for all the millions Akron-based FirstEnergy funneled into 501(c)(4) dark money groups to support the effort to elect friendly Republicans who would vote to make Householder speaker. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a public corruption conviction on that basis just six years ago.

Householder is accused of masterminding a conspiracy to use $61 million from FirstEnergy and other utilities to make himself speaker and in return ramming through a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout of failing nuclear and coal plants. His trial began last week, but after two days of testimony it was delayed — first because of weather and then because a juror was diagnosed with COVID.

But last week, FBI Special Agent Blane Wetzel testified about conduct that made both Householder and FirstEnergy look pretty bad.

Householder is accused of using about $500,000 from the dark money groups to pay off credit card debt, settle a lawsuit, and repair a Florida home. Meanwhile, FirstEnergy was losing so much money on its nuclear and coal plants that in 2016 it started the process that would send the subsidiary that owned them into bankruptcy.

But even as the company and Householder were swimming in red ink, he and the company’s CEO flew to Washington, D.C., on private jets in January 2017 for three days of dinners and drinks at some of the city’s swankiest bars and restaurants, Wetzel said.

Within two weeks, FirstEnergy money was flowing into Householder-controlled dark-money accounts. In November of 2018, enough Householder-friendly Republicans were elected — many with the help of money from those accounts — to make him speaker the following January. Less than six months later, on May 28, 2019, the House passed its first version of the billion-dollar bailout, House Bill 6. The body passed a final version on July 23, 2019 and Gov. Mike DeWine signed it the same day.

When former U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers announced Householder’s arrest almost exactly a year later, he called the scheme with FirstEnergy “likely the largest bribery and money-laundering scheme ever in the state of Ohio.”

But did Householder undertake an official act in exchange for money corruptly received from FirstEnergy and other Ohio utilities? The answer might not be as straightforward as you think.

For their part, Householder’s attorneys are arguing that their client was merely raising money like any effective politician would and that he only wanted to subsidize the power plants to save Ohio jobs and the tax bases of school districts.

In addition, the Supreme Court in 2016 threw out the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell even though he and his wife took more than $170,000 worth of loans and gifts from a businessman in exchange for hosting him at functions, recommending his product to state agencies, and trying to persuade state universities to study it.

At issue was whether any of those were “official acts.”

In that case, Jonnie Williams, CEO of Star Scientific, supported the Virginia Republican’s successful 2009 campaign. Once in office, the gifts really started to flow — including $20,000 worth of designer clothing for McDonnell’s wife, Maureen McDonnell, and a Rolex watch that Maureen gave Bob for Christmas.

Williams was peddling a compound found in tobacco as a nutritional supplement called Anatabloc. In 2011, the McDonnells hosted an event at the Governor’s Mansion that Williams testified was intended to launch the product. He wanted scientists at the state’s universities to research it, but neither he nor the McDonnells could interest them in the supplement.

The governor also told the state secretary of administration and the director of the Virginia Department of Human Resources that it would be a good idea for all state employees to take Anatabloc like he was. The officials apparently didn’t take the hint.

Investigators caught wind of the McDonnells’ arrangement with Williams and charged them with numerous crimes related to bribery.

In 2014, they were convicted in federal court and Bob and Maureen were sentenced to two and one year in prison, respectively. They appealed, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upheld the conviction.

However, when the case made it north to the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, D.C., it was overturned. Unanimously.

Chief Justice John Roberts, the author of the ruling, said that the court took up the case expressly “to clarify the meaning of ‘official act.’”

In his trial, “Governor McDonnell had requested the court to further instruct the jury that the ‘fact that an activity is a routine activity, or a ‘settled practice,’ of an office-holder does not alone make it an ‘official act,’ and that ‘merely arranging a meeting, attending an event, hosting a reception, or making a speech are not, standing alone, ‘official acts,’ even if they are settled practices of the official,’ because they ‘are not decisions on matters pending before the government.’” Roberts wrote.

Instead, McDonnell’s lawyers argued, an official act must be intended to “influence a specific official decision the government actually makes — such as awarding a contract, hiring a government employee, issuing a license, passing a law, or implementing a regulation.”

In overturning the convictions, the high court agreed, ruling that the McDonnells could still be prosecuted, but the “Government must identify a ‘question, matter, cause, suit, proceeding or controversy’ that ‘may at any time be pending’ or ‘may by law be brought’ before a public official. Second, the Government must prove that the public official made a decision or took an action ‘on’ that question, matter, cause, suit, proceeding, or controversy, or agreed to do so.”

How much comfort Householder should take from the ruling is uncertain, however. Roberts ended the ruling with what seems to be a warning to politicians thinking of doing shady stuff.

“There is no doubt that this case is distasteful; it may be worse than that,” he wrote. “But our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes, and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government’s boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute. A more limited interpretation of the term ‘official act’ leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption, while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this Court.”

Feb 1, 2023
Loveland City School District Board of Education votes to place 4.9 mill levy on the May 2nd

Loveland, Ohio – Last night in a unanimous vote, the Loveland City School District Board of Education voted to place a 4.9 mill operating levy on the May 2nd ballot.

The discussion about the levy begins at the 19:12 minute mark of the meeting video.

4.9-Mill-Resolution-to-Proceed Download

Feb 1, 2023

Emma Steiner, Marcel Mangan, Orhan Ozbudak have $100,000 goal with a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma as their target

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – Emma Steiner said, “My connection to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society began when a favorite middle school teacher of mine, and now mentor, lost her aunt due to Leukemia.” Steiner is a junior at Loveland High School.

Steiner and Loveland High School juniors, Marcel Mangan, and Orhan Ozbudak are the candidates for Team CoUREage 4.0, a fundraising team raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign. The 2023 campaign runs through March 25th. There are 30 team members.

**Marcel Mangan, Emma Steiner, and Orhan Ozbudak**

Steiner was asked to join Loveland’s Team CoUREage last year. She said, “While fundraising, I got to hear so many touching stories of people affected by blood cancer.” That was more than enough to make her want to accept the nomination to be a candidate for this year’s campaign. “Although I don’t have a direct connection to blood cancer, my grandpa passed away from cancer last year, and I fight so that other families don’t have to experience what my grandpa went through.”

LLS’s Student Visionaries of the Year campaign is a seven-week competition among high schools across the Cincinnati area. Loveland is one of 15 teams raising money for blood cancer research, advocacy, patient support, and ultimately, a cure. However, it is not just a competition among these 15 teams, rather it is a combined effort to help LLS find a cure.

The trio has built this year’s campaign using the community as their foundation. Since last August, they have been building partnerships with local businesses securing sponsorships, auction items, and organizing events. So far, they have over 10 events planned to help them raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Visionaries look to the future—and see infinite possibility.
They challenge the status quo—and make the impossible possible. They boldly imagine a better world – and lead the charge to create it.

Members of Team CoUREage 4.0 are all Visionaries that are hard at work fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. LLS was built on the same vision – of a better world – one without blood cancers.

Their Loveland goal is to raise $100,000 over the next 7 weeks. They hope to reach it through secured sponsorships with local businesses, community donations, events, t-shirt sales, and the Grand Finale Celebration. One of the biggest ways that the team will fundraise is through donations received by each of their 30 team members.

Orhan Ozbudak said, “Throughout my life, I hope to be an avid philanthropist. Ever since my youth, I have participated in many philanthropic events and hope to continue these types of activities into the future. One of my dreams is to create businesses that illuminate warmth and help people.” He added that When Marcel and Emma invited him to join them he knew this was an opportunity to positively impact not only people affected by blood cancer but also the world. “Even though I was hesitant to be a candidate at first, I realized that I am very thankful to participate in the Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign as a candidate.”

The goal is to not only raise money for blood cancer but also to raise awareness in our Loveland community about Leukemia and Lymphoma. “Any donation helps, and brings us closer to our goal,” said Steiner.

Marcel Mangan said, “My connection to LLS began last year when the two past candidates, Grace Dressell and Claire Zeigler, had asked me to be a member of their campaign.” He explained that initially, he was hesitant due to not having a direct connection to leukemia or lymphoma, but after researching the stories of those who have had to deal with these blood cancers he felt it necessary to join. “The most touching story that I heard was about a girl named Emily Love who had been diagnosed with leukemia when she was only 1 years old. Luckily she recovered after 3 years and was able to live a normal life, but sadly those years of her childhood can never be given back to her. After hearing her story I joined the 2022 campaign, and I’ve been a part of it ever since. I just hope that my fundraising can help make a positive impact on those suffering from leukemia or lymphoma.”

Background Info about LLS:

LLS is uniquely able to report on the many advances and accomplishments that have occurred since their founding in 1949. From cutting-edge research and precision medicine innovations to legislative victories that improve access to therapies for cancer patients, LLS plays a leading- and often pioneering- role in the fight against blood cancers. Since 2000, approximately 40 percent of all U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved cancer drugs were for blood cancer, and some are now used to treat other forms of cancer and non-malignant diseases. A “win” for blood cancers, therefore, is a win for the cancer community overall.

More

Research done by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society especially helps those with blood cancer but it also makes improvements for all kinds of cancer!
There will be a raffle for a parking spot at Loveland High School during school lunches
- Students can also purchase t-shirts during their lunch and buy tickets for raffle baskets

Teacher-mentor, Katie Rose said, “My ‘why’ is my Aunt Tina Eubanks, who died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia only three weeks after being diagnosed at the age of 53.” Rose had been fundraising for LLS through Pennies for Patients with Loveland Middle School Student Council for many years and would always tell people, “You never know when cancer will touch your family”. Another of her aunts is currently battling both lung and liver cancer. Sadly, this cancer diagnosis is her third – lymphoma and rectal cancer being two she defeated. “People often ask why I work so hard to fundraise. The answer is simple. As long as there is breath in my lungs and blood in my veins, I will do whatever it takes to help those who are impacted by cancer.”

Rose who is a Social Studies Teacher at Loveland Middle School said, “Cancer needs to be eradicated and LLS is the organization making the greatest strides in funding research and advancing new drugs to help those in need. I live a life of service, and by teaching my current and former students the importance of giving back and how to raise money for a worthy cause allows me to fulfill my life’s purpose.”

How YOU can support Team CoUREage 4.0

Make a charitable donation using the team’s online fundraising page: https://events.lls.org/soh/svoycincy23/tcoureage4
Purchase a t-shirt: T-Shirt Order Form
Follow on social media:

Instagram: @lovelandteamcoureage4.0

Twitter: @teamcoureage4

Donate an auction basket or item or become a Grand Finale sponsor (contact Emma Steiner 513-630-5610)
Attend events and mention Team CoUREage 4.0 when ordering. Most events will have raffle baskets.

Orhan Ozbudak said, “I am very appreciative of all the progress we have made and can’t wait to see what our team will accomplish throughout this journey. Hopefully, our efforts will also serve to inspire people to carry on this positivity.”

“Thank you to all of the businesses that are sponsoring our campaign, and thank you to all of the people in Loveland who have shown continuous support for our fundraiser,” said Emma Steiner.

Marcel Mangan summed up the campaign by saying, “Although we hope to raise a large amount of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, we also hope to spread the importance of LLS throughout Loveland, but also the greater Cincinnati area as a whole.”

2/1-2/21	Buffalo Wild Wings at 11363 Montgomery Rd. 10% giveback on dine-in or carry-out all day if you mention “Team L”
EVERY SUNDAY2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 2/19	Bishop’s Quarter at 212 W Loveland Ave. 10% Giveback
2/8	Raising Cane’s at 3901 Montgomery Rd., 2 pm-9 PM
2/13	Cartridge Brewing at 1411 Grandin Rd. 4 pm-10 pm
2/22	Ramsey’s Trailside at 200 W Loveland Ave.
2/23	MPH Brewing at 7880 Remington Rd. 4 pm-10 pm. 10% Giveback on food and drink
2/27	Dewey’s Pizza at 11338 Montgomery Rd. 4 pm-9 pm
3/4	Athlete Instincts Fitness Fundraiser at 774 Loveland-Miamiville Rd. 10:30 am. $10 to sign up, text Jen Steiner 513-289-6393 to sign up
3/10	Cappy’s Wine & Spirits at 309 W Loveland Ave. 5 pm-11 pm. LIVE MUSIC starts at 7:30 pm
3/12	Nisbet Park – Text Jen Steiner 513-289-6393 to sign-up
3/15	The Work’s Brick Pizza Oven at 20 Grear Millitzer Place. ALL DAY

Jan 31, 2023

Federal Government to End SNAP Emergency Allotments After February
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder has announced that changes in federal law mean that February will be the last month of emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments. These are extra monthly payments the federal government created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, it ensures all households receive the maximum allotment for their household size. Beginning in March, recipients will receive only their one, normal monthly payment.

Here are examples of how the change will impact people:
- Individual normally entitled to the minimum allotment of $23 per month has been receiving an additional $258 per month to receive the maximum allotment of $281.
- Household of 3 normally entitled to $180 per month has been receiving an additional $560 per month to receive the maximum allotment of $740.
- Household of 4 normally entitled to $939 per month (maximum allotment) has been receiving an additional $95 per month, for a total of $1,034.
“Recently passed federal legislation is bringing the temporary SNAP allotment to an end after February,” said Damschroder. “We will be communicating to recipients, county agencies, and our partners such as foodbanks, that normal SNAP payment will resume in March.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federally funded program meant to supplement the food budget of families in need so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.
Eligibility, as well as the normal monthly allotments, vary based on factors such as income and household size.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act allowed states to request emergency allotments for households participating in SNAP. As a result, ODJFS has been providing emergency allotments to SNAP households since March 2020. Congress recently passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which ended the program.

The federal announcement means the last emergency allotment will be paid in late February, and beginning in March, recipients will receive only their one, normal monthly payment, which is typically loaded onto an electronic benefits card. As this is a federal change, there are no fair hearing rights or fair hearing benefits on the ending of the SNAP emergency allotments.

Recipient can manage their benefits by going to https://benefits.ohio.gov/ or by contacting their county Department of Job and Family Services (JFS).
Jan 28, 2023
Loveland Board of Ed meets Tuesday

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Board of Education will conduct a regular and work session meeting on Tuesday, January 31 at 6 PM in the Board of Education Offices at 757 South Lebanon Road.

Action Items

Proposal to Proceed to Levy an Additional Tax for Current Operating Expenses – Millage TBD

Discussion Items

New Proposed Courses of Study

The agenda is active on BoardDocs – https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/love/Board.nsf/vpublic?open

Jan 28, 2023
Awaiting budget proposal, child advocates hope for more

Getty Images

BY: SUSAN TEBBEN – Ohio Capital Journal

As policymakers await the newest budget priorities to be laid out by Gov. Mike DeWine, advocates for the state’s children are hoping comprehensive child well-being will be at the top of the list.

The Ohio Children’s Budget Coalition released their policy agenda for the 2024-2025 state budget, which they hope will include whole-child services to address housing, health, child care, economic stability, and adoption of the Fair School Funding Plan, which was only approved for two years of the six-year phase-in so far.

“Children do not come in pieces, and neither should the policies and investments that crucially provide and pave the way for them to grow and flourish into successful adulthood,” said Katherine Ungar, senior policy associate with the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio.

Recommendations by the OCBC also targeted structural racism, the effects of which “negatively impact child outcomes,” according to the announcement of budget priorities.

“The budget is a moral document that reflects our state’s priorities,” OCBC co-leader and Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio policy associate Matthew Tippit said in a statement.

The policy report also laid out challenges to combatting the teacher shortage the state has suffered from for several years, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics stating 21,000 fewer teachers were employed in K-12 public school in the state from September 2021 to September 2019.

The state has faced recruitment and retention issues, which the coalition attributes to “mounting pressures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, under-resourced schools, politicization of education and lack of respect for educators and the education profession.”

“While a mass exodus of experienced educators from the teaching profession has not yet materialized, it is cause for significant concern when so many are expressing deep frustrations over what they believe is a lack of support and respect for the work they do with students,” the report stated.

Groundwork Ohio

The policy recommendations also come on the heels of a recent early childhood dashboard released by the advocacy group Groundwork Ohio. The dashboard has been in the works since 2021 to “help inform policy makers about the realities facing Ohio families with young children.”

Groundwork Ohio president and CEO Shannon Jones said the dashboard “tells us where to focus on making positive change for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.”

The report found that one in five Ohio infants don’t have access to child care or early learning and six in 10 children aren’t ready to attend school based on kindergarten readiness, fourth-grade reading proficiency and eighth-grade math proficiency.

Racial issues appeared as part of Groundwork Ohio’s analysis, with the group finding that infant mortality rates are still above the U.S. average in Ohio “with a large and appalling racial disparity.”

“While there are many ways we can begin to improve outcomes for young children, focusing state efforts on its very youngest citizens is an urgent moral imperative as well as a wise state investment,” according to the report.

The organization was encouraged by state performance in areas like eighth grade math proficiency and improved homeless students and housing cost burdens.

Early investments are needed to benefit Ohio children throughout their lives, the dashboard concluded as state performance compared to the rest of the country was worse in categories such as early intervention service access and young child poverty.

Large disparities were found particularly in Black, Hispanic and Native American/American Indian children living below the poverty level.

The state has also worsened in terms of kindergarten literacy, chronic absenteeism and special needs preschools, according to the dashboard.

Jan 28, 2023
Loveland High School Athletic Signing Day is Wednesday

Loveland Magazine file photo of the 2022 Fall Signing Day at LHS

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – You can be part of and show your support for Loveland Tiger student-athletes at their Winter Athletic Signing Day at the high school on Wednesday, February 2 at 2:50 PM, in the Main Gym.

Congratulations to the following Student-Athletes, who have committed to play their sport at the collegiate level:

Ethan Freeland -Football at Georgetown College

Noah Kline -Football at Valparaiso University

Victoria Blum -Cheer at Mount St. Joseph University

Tyler Huff -Baseball at University of Northwestern Ohio

Jared Werling -Baseball at University of South Carolina-Lancaster

Emma Kist -Archery at Lindsey Wilson College

Parker Braddock -Archery at Lindsey Wilson College

Josh Dues -Lacrosse at Concordia University Ann Arbor

Watch: [VIDEO] A national ritual: 5 LHS Student-Athletes on “National Signing Day” From November 9th, 2022

Jan 28, 2023
Teachers would get $60K minimum salary under bill in Congress making grants to states

Getty Images

BY: ADAM GOLDSTEIN – Ohio Capital Journal

WASHINGTON – A panel of policymakers and educators, including author Dave Eggers and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to promote the American Teacher Act.

The bill, if passed, would authorize the federal government to create four-year grants for states to enact and enforce minimum school teacher salary requirements of $60,000 or more. The program would start in fiscal 2024. It would not mandate teacher raises.

“We’re here today to advocate for our teachers, our educators, our saving grace that rescues families and our children every day,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, sponsor of the bill and a former school teacher. “We want our teachers to be paid a livable wage. A wage that is fair, a wage that is commensurate with today’s economy.”

Rep. Wilson introduced the American Teacher Act in the House of Representatives on Dec. 14, and is expected to re-introduce it in this Congress, though it’s likely to run into opposition from Republicans who control the chamber.

The legislation states that 15% of the four-year federal grants could support state-level educational agencies, while the remaining 85% must go directly to a state’s local school districts.

The bill includes a cost-of-living adjustment that would peg teacher salaries to inflation, along with a clause allowing for a national awareness campaign on the importance and work of teachers.

Phelton Moss, a senior policy adviser to Wilson, said that the bill also incorporates a maintenance-of-effort provision that requires states not to pull back on their commitment to a $60,000 minimum salary, if they are to keep their funding. Additional language inside the bill would ensure states prioritize Title I schools and districts in distributing funds.

In the 2020-2021 school year, public school teachers made $61,600 while working 52 hours per week, on average. Yet there is significant variation in teacher salary between states.

Mississippi, the lowest-paying state for teachers in the 2020-2021 school year, paid an average of $46,862, according to the National Education Association. Meanwhile, in New York, the average teacher salary sat at $90,222.

‘Heroes’ struggle to stay afloat

Wilson commended the dedication of school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, who taught online or went door-to-door to instruct students who lacked access to technology.

”It was during this time that the world finally saw what we’d known for years, that teachers are heroes,” she said. “They deserve a livable, competitive salary that accurately reflects the importance of their role in society.”

Wilson said that 1 in 5 teachers across the country currently works a second job to supplement their income, and over 9,000 districts across the country pay teachers less than $40,000 per year.

She said this lack of adequate pay is largely contributing to some reports of a teacher shortage affecting school districts.

“We should be embarrassed,” Wilson said. “The teacher shortage is among the most pressing threats to education access today. And we must address it. Our classrooms are at stake, our children are at stake, and the future of our country is at stake.”

Ellen Sherratt of the Teacher Salary Project said that over her 20 years of experience as an economist analyzing teacher salaries and shortages, the pay gap and morale of teachers is the worst it has ever been.

Last fall, the Economic Policy Institute performed an analysis of teacher pay trends from 1970 to 2021, and found that teachers earn 23.5% less on average compared to their peers of similar educational backgrounds.

Sherratt also said that 62% of parents surveyed in a PDK poll on public schools last year said they did not want their child to go into teaching, with low pay the top-listed reason.

Rodney Robinson, the 2019 National Teacher of the Year, estimated that roughly 50% of the Ubers and Lyfts he takes during the week are driven by schoolteachers. The Richmond, Virginia resident added that one of these Uber drivers was a former teacher in Alabama. The driver was studying to be a principal, and had to quit his job as a teacher to pay for school.

“We really need to re-examine what we are doing as a country,” Robinson said. “If teachers — who are our most prized possessions, who raise the next generation — have to quit or take on another job just to make ends meet.”

Nicholas Ferroni, a history teacher at Union High School in Union, New Jersey, added that teaching is one of the few jobs in which people can have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people. Ferroni lamented the fact that teachers have to use GoFundMe to “beg for supplies.”

“I’m just here because I don’t want to marry rich, become an administrator, or switch jobs,” Ferroni said. “I do want to stay in the classroom.”

Teachers and students’ futures

Duncan, the former education secretary, said the impacts of a good teacher are not just test scores and graduation rates, but financial security. He said that an economic analysis from Raj Chetty showed that one good middle-school teacher raised the lifetime earnings of a given class by $250,000.

“So you think about putting two good teachers back-to-back, or three good teachers back-to-back,” Duncan said. “What does that do for young people in perpetuity?”

Duncan also spoke to the institutional barriers to socioeconomic equity that high-quality education can surmount.

“No kid grows up wanting to be poor,” Duncan said. “The only way I know how to break the cycles of poverty and create upward mobility is to create opportunity. Getting great teachers where we need them most is critically important.”

Robinson said the bill could reduce barriers for people of color in entering the profession, and eroding the national achievement gap.

“People don’t understand the extra burden for people of color to take on more student loan debt,” Robinson said. “We know having educators of color, teachers that look like their students, is the most important thing to lowering that achievement gap and increasing graduation rates.”

“By increasing teacher salaries, we can make a dedication to increasing diversity in the teacher workforce.”

Blowback predicted

Moss said that there are still details yet to be finalized in the teacher salary bill, including the concrete definition of “teacher” and provisions for veteran educators.

Robinson added that he sees this bill inevitably facing resistance, yet that blowback should not deter its supporters.

“You know, pious D.C.,” Robinson said. “‘How are we gonna pay for this? How are we gonna do this?’”

“How can we afford not to pay for this? This is an issue of national security.”

Duncan challenged claims from some teachers that the American Teachers Act represents federal overreach. “Education is the ultimate bipartisan issue,” Duncan said. “This is nation-building. Our teacher workforce in our country is the best offense for our nation.”

Robinson added that the bill will put pressure on states to raise and maintain wages even after the grant is over, as they face competition from other states paying teachers more, who leave to work in a higher-paying community.

Eggers praises his teachers

After the roundtable, Eggers talked about the “uninterrupted string of extraordinary teachers” in his education during an interview with States Newsroom. The author said that he still sends his books in manuscript form to a former high school English teacher, Peter Ferry, who is one of his first readers.

“Every single study that has ever tested what’s the most important thing in a student’s education — it’s not the color of the paint on the walls, or the facilities,” Eggers said. “The very most important thing is the teachers. It’s a school. It has to be teachers first.”

The author emphasized that if the pay schedule for teachers rises, talent will enter and stay in the profession, and the nation will grow to recognize the value of what teachers bring to the table.

“We know there’s a crisis,” Eggers said. “ We have hundreds of thousands of empty classrooms. We have schools that only have one or two qualified teachers. This is maybe the most urgent moment in the last 150 years. And so there isn’t any other option. We have to start somewhere.”

Jan 27, 2023
Corruption trial delayed by COVID

Former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder arrives for day two of his racketeering trial. Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.

BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal

CINCINNATI — A federal court trial over allegations of epic public corruption has been interrupted at least until Monday after a juror was diagnosed with COVID on Wednesday.

“The Court was advised this afternoon that a juror has tested positive for COVID-19,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Black wrote in an order Wednesday evening. “In an effort to ensure everyone’s safety, jury trial will not convene for the duration of the week. The recess is CONTINUED until Monday, 1/30/2023 at 9:30 a.m.”

In the trial, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges are accused of racketeering.

Householder is accused of masterminding a scheme in which $61 million — mostly from Akron-based FirstEnergy — was used to help elect Republican lawmakers who would make Householder speaker in 2019. In exchange, prosecutors say, Householder shepherded through a $1.3 billion utility bailout package and then protected it from a ballot initiative intended to repeal the measure.

Borges is accused of acting corruptly in the successful effort to block the repeal.

The great majority of the ratepayer money was intended to prop up two failing nuclear plants in Northern Ohio owned by FirstEnergy subsidiary FirstEnergy Services. Some went to “recession proof” coal-fired plants owned by the subsidiary that FirstEnergy management regarded as unsellable.

Even though the law was billed as a “clean air” measure, the rest of the package went to subsidize coal plants owned by utilities other than FirstEnergy — including a plant that’s not even in Ohio. Of the three tranches of subsidies, that is the only one that’s still in effect after FirstEnergy entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement.

Jan 27, 2023