Stand up against SB 1!
Despite bipartisan opposition, Senate Bill 1 is being fast-tracked in the Ohio General Assembly. The re-introduced version of Senate Bill 83, known by many as the Ohio Higher Education Destruction Act, micromanages higher education classrooms and threatens academic freedom on Ohio's public university and college campuses. Moreover, by prohibiting faculty and staff from striking and limiting their ability to bargain in areas that directly affect their ability to shape the learning conditions for their students, it's the biggest attack on workers' rights in Ohio since Senate Bill 5. And Ohioans are standing up to fight back. Nearly 1,000 people testified against SB 1 before the Ohio Senate voted it through in February. In this episode, we share some of their voices.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IN THE OHIO HOUSE | After the Ohio Senate approved SB 1 with a vote of 21-11 in mid-February, it moved to the Ohio House to consider. Use this Action Alert to tell your representative why they must oppose the bill in that chamber.
WATCH THE SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING | In hours of in person testimony, Ohio students, faculty, organized labor leaders, and other community members offered their thoughts on why Senate Bill 1 is bad for Ohio. Click here to watch the recording on the Ohio Channel.
READ THE TESTIMONY | The testimony featured in this episode represents excerpts from the full testimony submitted to the Senate Higher Education Committee. You can read all 1,000+ pieces of testimony here. You can also read OEA's full testimony and/or Adam Keller's full testimony by clicking on those links.
SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IN THE OHIO HOUSE | After the Ohio Senate approved SB 1 with a vote of 21-11 in mid-February, it moved to the Ohio House to consider. Use this Action Alert to tell your representative why they must oppose the bill in that chamber.
WATCH THE SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING | In hours of in person testimony, Ohio students, faculty, organized labor leaders, and other community members offered their thoughts on why Senate Bill 1 is bad for Ohio. Click here to watch the recording on the Ohio Channel.
READ THE TESTIMONY | The testimony featured in this episode represents excerpts from the full testimony submitted to the Senate Higher Education Committee. You can read all 1,000+ pieces of testimony here. You can also read OEA's full testimony and/or Adam Keller's full testimony by clicking on those links.
SUBSCRIBE | Click here to subscribe to Public Education Matters on Apple Podcasts or click here to listen on Spotify so you don't miss a thing. You can also find Public Education Matters on many other platforms, including YouTube. Click here for links for other platforms so you can listen anywhere. And don't forget you can listen to all of the previous episodes anytime on your favorite podcast platform, or by clicking here.
Featured OEA member voices in this episode:
- Jeff Wensing, OEA Vice President
- Adam Keller, Columbus State Education Association President
Connect with OEA:
- Email educationmatters@ohea.org with your feedback or ideas for future Public Education Matters topics
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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 nearly 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.
- Public 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 an Emmy Award winning 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. She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and two young children.
This episode features testimony from the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee hearing on February 11, 2025.
