On August 8, 2023, voters in Ohio will have a choice: Accept an amendment that destroys majority rule in Ohio and shreds the sacred principle of "one person, one vote" in our state or vote no on that measure to protect our freedom to make decisions that affect our lives and our futures by preserving the constitutional amendment ballot initiative rules that have worked well in our state for over a century. The choice is clear, but it's going to take every Ohioan working together to defeat this issue in the upcoming special election. One Person One Vote campaign communication director Dennis Willard joins this episode to explain why voting no in August is so important to the future of public education in our state. 

LEARN MORE | Click here for information about the citizen-driven, grassroots, non-partisan coalition representing millions of Ohio voters that has come together to protect the sacred principle of one person one vote, and preserve majority rule in Ohio.

GET INVOLVED | Click here to learn more about how you can join OEA in the One Person One Vote campaign to help stop this amendment at the ballot box in August. 

Featured Education Matters guest: 

• Dennis Willard, One Person One Vote campaign communications director
  • Dennis Willard is president of Precision New Media, which he formed after covering state policy and government as a statehouse reporter in Columbus for 23 years, the last 15 as bureau chief for the Akron Beacon Journal. As a reporter, Dennis wrote about working and middle class families, children, women, minorities and others who needed a voice in the media. This passion helped him win state and national reporting awards on issues ranging from “The American Dream: Hanging By A Thread,” to the vast inequities in Ohio’s school funding system. Dennis brings that same passion to Precision New Media. 
  • Dennis was born and raised in Youngstown, and joined the U.S. Navy after high school where he worked as a Navy Journalist for the American Forces Radio and Television Service during tours in Greece and Sicily. Upon his return, Dennis earned a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in journalism from The Ohio State University before taking his first statehouse reporting job as a stringer for his hometown newspaper, The Vindicator. 

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About us:

• TheOhio Education Association represents about 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 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 was recorded on May 15, 2023.