Public Education and PR

One educational issue receiving media coverage is the increase in licensing fees for Ohio teachers. The Ohio Department of Education has raised the price for a five-year license from $60 to $200. According to the State Department, the money will be used for more extensive background checks.

In 2000 the fees were increased by $2; however, this is the first major increase in 14 years. Needless to say, teachers aren’t happy about the licensing fees more than tripling in cost.

The Ohio Education Association encouraged its members to speak out against the fee increase – which resulted in flooding the inboxes of members of the State Board of Education. One board member reported receiving approximately 1,200 e-mails and other reports call the e-mails threatening and abusive.

The union’s vice-president, Bill Leibensperger, has apologized for the e-mails.

While I can certainly understand the teachers’ anger about the licensing fee increase, the Ohio Education Association should have instructed the teachers on what to say (or not say) and how to say it.

Perhaps if teachers were instructed to focus only on key messages, such as how the increase is for public safety and, therefore, taxpayers should be responsible for it, and were told to keep their tone professional, the e-mails might have been considered more effective.

Telling the teachers what to write (or not write) might have eliminated e-mails such as the one KidsOhio.org mentioned:

“…and I hope your children and their children’s children get screwed over by the educational policies you and your ignorant cornies (sic) develop.”

That certainly didn’t help the teachers’ case.

Developing a list of messages that needed to be communicated to the board members and instructing teachers on how to effectively communicate might have helped the teachers lobby against the licensing fee increase.