Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers spoke with America’s Work Force on Dec. 17 to discuss Ohio teachers receiving grants to purchase books for their classrooms.
Cropper began her time on AWF talking about the First Book Grant Program. She said that this year, the Ohio Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers partnered up with First Book and were able to distribute $50,000 to teachers in Ohio for books for their classrooms. Cropper mentioned that each teacher received $100 or more for books and it gives the teachers an opportunity to provide every kid in their class with a book. She also discussed charter school accountability and how voucher deductions have been hurting certain school districts.
Scott Peyton, Louisiana director of Right on Crime discussed helping formerly incarcerated people re-enter society upon their release from prison. When people are released from prison, finding a job is one of the most difficult things for them to do because of their record. Peyton discussed the benefits of holding off on a background check until further in an interview process to give a person a fair shot of making a good impression on the employer. He stated this would obviously be possible for those who had committed minor offences or less and are non-violent and are unlikely to commit another crime. Peyton also discussed why the Department of Corrections needs to be held to a higher standard and help people get ready to re-enter society, rather than just break them down.
AWF host Ed “Flash” Ferenc discussed systemic labor law violation complaints in the Virginia area.
To listen to this show, click the play button below.
