Health Care Debate: Reality Check
The health care reform debate is riddled with myths taken as fact. You've probably heard several of the six myths that the White House team debunks on their new site, www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck, such as reform will lead to rationing, reform will encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors and reform won't allow you to keep the insurance you have now. For non-partisan fact checking, try www.PolitiFact.com, which won a Pulitzer Prize this year for their fact checking of claims made during the 2008 presidential campaign. Click here to search for health care events near you during the August recess.

H1N1 Virus: Updated Federal Guidelines for Schools
The updated guidelines offer school officials a range of options for responding to the H1N1 flu, depending on the severity of the outbreak. The guidelines recommend basic good hygiene, such as hand washing. In the case of more severe outbreaks, schools could begin screening students upon arrival and sending ill students home immediately. "The best way to prevent the spread of flu is vaccination. A seasonal flu vaccine is ready to go, and we should have one for the 2009 H1N1 flu by mid-October," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. For more information, go to www.flu.gov.

Levy Campaigns Workshop: Friday, August 14, 2009
Don't miss this important workshop! Identifying likely supportive voters for school levies has always been a challenge. Participants will learn new micro targeting strategies, fund raising tips, and research about effective campaigns. The levy training session will be at Education Service Center of Central Ohio; 2080 Citygate Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43219. Keynote Speaker, Dr. Kim Miller Smith, Superintendent Canal Winchester Schools, will speak about passing a 14.8 mill levy after four defeats. Register online or click here to download a printable registration form.

State Budget: Implications for ESPs
In a significant victory, the budget bill eliminated a statute designed to facilitate the outsourcing of student transportation services in non-civil service school districts (local and exempted village districts and some city school districts) for "reasons of economy and efficiency." Outsourcing undermines student safety, reduces accountability for taxpayer dollars and weakens local associations. In addition, a provision regarding charter schools was removed from the budget that could have caused significant disruptions in the work schedule of public school bus drivers that also transport private school students. Read more

2010-2011 Ohio Budget: Education is Ohio's Top Priority
Click on the links below for more information, visit the Education Ohio 2009 section of the OEA website, or subscribe to our RSS feed to get the latest information. You can also read more about it in the August issue of Ohio Schools magazine.

Summer Leadership Conference: Photos on flickr
OEA Summer Leadership Conference was a great success with nearly 450 members and staff in attendance. The conference focused on the skills and knowledge required to be a leader in all facets of the education environment and was highlighted by presentations from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel (pictured on the far right next to OEA member Dale Kain) and Governor Strickland about the implications of the new state budget and federal ARRA, Title I and IDEA funding for school districts. View photos from this and other OEA events on our flickr page www.flickr.com/oea.

Teacher Appreciation Day: August 22, 2009
Staples is having its annual Teacher Appreciation Day on Saturday, August 22nd from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The first 100 teachers will receive a free gift bag, while supplies last. Take advantage of Staples Teacher Rewards: for every $1 you spend in product purchases, you earn $2 in rewards. See the hottest new items for your classroom and learn about how you can save on the Copy & Print services that benefit you in the classroom. Check with your local Staples or go to www.staples/teacherday for details and the location of a Staples near you.

There's Still Time to Enter: Win NEA-MB Giveaway
Enter before August 31 for a chance to win. Over $50,000 in prizes will be given away at different times until August 31. In May, OEA Member, Jane Kuhlman of Mt. Vernon, OH won one of the ten Future Planning prizes consisting of a $1,000 twelve month Certificate of Deposit, a set of three Financial planning books from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and "Your Little Legal Companion" from Nolo Press. By entering to win one of the sweepstakes giveaways, you will automatically be entered in the Grand Prize drawing for $5,000, awarded mid-September.

What's For Dinner? Affordable Answers to the Daily Dilemma
OEA Access now offers more dining deals that get dinner done with less time, less money and less hassle. Do a quick search on the Access website before going out. Go to www.ohea.org, click on the membership card image on the left and log in using the numbers on your membership card. You can also visit Access directly at www.memberweb.com, or call 1-866-203-5167 to speak with an Access representative.

Do You Have an Idea for a Member Matters article?
We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for an article? Is there something you'd like to know more about and see covered in OEA Member Matters? Or would you like to write an article for Member Matters? Maybe you have an opinion on an issue related to education that you'd like to share with your fellow members. We're always interested in hearing about news or ideas you think might be of interest to others. Email communic@ohea.org with your thoughts. Please use the subject line "Member Matters article idea."