The Athens-based Ohio Fair Schools Campaign announced a merger with the Education Voters Institute of Ohio to reach more supporters and to help reform the state's school funding system.
Both organizations work to improve the state's school system and merged in part because of the election of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign's former Executive Director Debbie Phillips (D-92) to state representative, said Julian Rogers, executive director of the Education Voters Institute of Ohio.
There was a void in (the campaign) once Debbie had to take a leave of absence and was eventually elected so it made sense we would merge our efforts together
he said.
Although the merger is new, the Campaign and Institute worked together last summer on a 12 Ohio-city tour to get input about how to reform the school funding system, he said.
Rogers said The Education Voters Institute of Ohio has been around for only a year, but he hopes to gain the supporters and members of the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, which began in 2002.
The Voters Institute of Ohio is very new but with this merge we instantly gain years worth of members that will hopefully continue to support the cause and future goals he said.
The Ohio Fair Schools Campaign will lose its name in the merger; however, Rogers said the Institute would still maintain some of the campaign's traditions, like the bi-weekly newsletter, information from its Web site and board members from the Campaign.
With the election of Debbie Phillips, the Campaign and Athens lost one of the biggest supporters of public education, but Rogers said the Institute would continue the work she and the campaign started.
Even though Debbie Phillips is no longer a local education leader
the citizens of Athens and across Ohio couldn't ask for a better advocate in the state legislature for children and education
he said.
In addition to continuing the grassroots work, Rogers said the Institute also wants to work more at the state level to help create policy change for a more equitable school funding system.
The Institute will also continue to seek input from citizens through a second round of listening tours starting next month, he said.
We want a citizen movement that engages the public but that can also get things done at the state government level.
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Jessica Neidhard
