Ideas Worth Borrowing: How Twinsburg EA is turning OEA grants into Local wins

OEA's grant programs empower Local associations to do incredible things for educators, students, and their communities. The Twinsburg Education Association has taken those opportunities and put that funding to work to build engagement and support. In this episode, we hear from 14 members of the TEA Grant Committee - yes, 14 guests on this episode! - about some of the amazing events, initiatives, and projects they've been able to do, with the support of their OEA grant funding. These are steal-worthy ideas (in the very best way) and TEA leaders hope you'll do just that! SEE FOR YOURSELF | Watch this short video to see photos from a few of the many grant-supported projects the TEA Grant Committee members mentioned in this episode, including the kindergarten t-shirts, family night with the Cleveland Monsters, and more! CATCH UP | Click here to listen to our conversation with OEA Secretary-Treasurer Rob McFee from earlier this season about the OEA grants that are available and the changes that have been made to make this funding more accessible and impactful for local associations. Your Dues Dollars at Work: What you need to know about OEA's Local Affiliate Grants JUMP AHEAD | Helpful timecodes to hear about some of Twinsburg EA's initiatives and projects: 3:00 - How Twinsburg Education Association got started with the OEA Affiliate and Wellness grants6:00 - The types of grants TEA wrote for the 2025-2026 schoolyear 9:00 - Kindergarten shirts with grant money from the OEA Action Plan12:25 - TEA Winter Party with funding from the OEA Affiliate Grant14:00 - Quarterly newsletter with support from the OEA Action Plan18:00 - TEA podcast, which will be supported by funding through the OEA Action Plan to get materials needed20:45 - OEA Fund Lunch with funding from the OEA Affiliate Grant24:45 - OEA Fund donations increased with an OEA Affiliate Grant-funded prize to encourage engagement26:30 - Family Fun Event at a Cleveland Monsters game, funded by the OEA Affiliate Grant28:45 - Coffee and snacks for each building, thanks to OEA Wellness Grant funding LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OEA GRANTS: For details about the Special Projects and Effective Local grants, click here. The application form is available here.For more information about the Local Capacity Grant, click here. Additional information can be found on the OEA Grants and Scholarships page, in the bottom right corner.For more information about the OEA Wellness Grants, click here. Click here to learn more about the OEA Foundation Grants. 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. Click here for some of those links 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 Public Education Matters guests: Kimberly Fink, Retired Twinsburg Education Association member and former TEA PresidentAfter teaching for 35 years in Twinsburg, Kimberly Fink continues to serve on the Twinsburg Education Association grant committee in her retirement. She was TEA vice president for four years and TEA president for six years, during which time she started the OEA Affiliate Grant and Wellness Grant-funded programs in Twinsburg. Fink was a Team Leader for 18 years and served on six negotiating committees. She also served ten years as a delegate to the NEOEA and OEA Representative Assemblies. She is now a member of TEA-Retired and OEA-Retired, and works as a student teacher supervisor for the University of Akron.Mary Bilinski, Twinsburg Education Association Vice PresidentA third grade teacher at Samuel Bissell Elementary School, Mary Bilinski is in her 25th year of teaching, the last 18 of which in Twinsburg schools. She is currently in her first full year as TEA vice president and NEOEA/OEA Rep. Bilinski has previously served as a TEA building rep for three years (2009-2011 and 2024-205) and has served on two TEA contract negotiations committees. She was a Team Leader in 3rd Grade from 2011 to 2014, and she continues to serve on the Grade 3 Math Ohio Content Advisory Committee for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Bilinski has served in that role for the last eleven years. Note: During our conversation in March, Bilinski mentioned she was running in the upcoming TEA elections. She has since shared an update letting us know she was re-elected for another term as TEA Vice President!Scott Peterson, Twinsburg Education Association SecretaryScott Peterson teaches 8th grade Language Arts in Twinsburg and is in his 31st year of teaching. He was a building rep for 11 years, and has been the TEA Secretary for the past five years. Peterson also writes the Politics Corner column for the quarterly TEA newsletter. Outside of his work for TEA and in his classroom, Peterson coaches the 8th grade Power of the Pen team.Kristie Lewis, Twinsburg Education Association memberKristie Lewis is a dedicated educator with 27 years of experience supporting students and public education. She spent eight years as a classroom teacher and has served as a school counselor for the past 19 years. Now in her eighth year with Twinsburg City Schools, Kristie continues to advocate for student success, wellness, and equitable opportunities.In addition to her work with students, Kristie is an active union leader and advocate for educators. She has served as a Building Representative and as a delegate for the Northeast Ohio Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and the National Education Association Representative Assembly for the past three years. Through grants and partnerships with these organizations, she helped provide nearly 200 books to support student learning. Diversity Read-Ins are grant-sponsored events offered by TEA. Kristie believes empathy in solidarity and protecting public education is both her passion and her life’s work.Click here to listen to a previous Public Education Matters episode fe...