2015 SCOPE Election Forms Available

Posted on April 12, 2015 by scope

Declaration of Candidacy forms and biography forms are now available for the positions of:

SCOPE President (2-year term)
SCOPE Secretary (2-year term)
OEA Representative Assembly for 2015-2016
NEA Representative Assembly for 2016

If you are unable to download the forms above, they can be obtained through your elected Site Representative or by contacting Della Morris, SCOPE Elections Chair, at della.morris@att.net or 330-323-8980.

All candidacy forms and biographical forms must be postmarked by April 30, 2015. Ballots will be sent back out to you on May 13th, 2015, and will be required to be returned by May 22, 2015. Ballots will be counted at the Perkins Restaurant (SR 250/I-71) in Ashland, Ohio, on May 28, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

Please send your candidacy forms to:

SCOPE Elections Committee
P.O. Box 305
Hayesville, OH 44838

SCOPE Day Pre-Registration Due April 15, 2015

Posted on March 2, 2015 by scope

This year’s SCOPE Professional Development Day will take place on June 11th, 2015 at Marion Harding High School (1500 Harding Highway East, Marion OH 43302). Registration will begin at 8:00 AM. The opening session begins at 9:00 AM.

It is our goal to have all attendees pre-register by April 15th, 2015. This year there is a $10 conference fee for members ($25 for non-members) which will be reimbursable through the DAS tuition reimbursement fund (for all employees who have not exceeded their annual $3,500 limit). Lunch is included in the cost.

There will be computers and assistance on-hand for anyone wishing to submit their reimbursement on-site. CEU’s will be available for those that need to renew their license.

If you are not a SCOPE/OEA member, you can join and get the pre-registration fee rate!

Information about the agenda, speakers, etc. will be posted to the SCOPE web site as it becomes available.

Fill out the following information and get registered today! Send the form in by April 15th, and you will be entered into a door prize drawing for a $50.00 fuel card!

SCOPE Day 2015 Pre-Registration Form

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marianne Huffman, SCOPE Treasurer.

Tax Information For Union Dues

Posted on February 21, 2015 by scope

Did you know that a portion of your union dues for 2014 may be tax-deductible? Take a look at this chart to see how much can be deducted, and under what conditions.

Union Dues Tax-Deductible

Disclaimer: This blog post does not constitute tax advice. SCOPE cannot provide tax advice to individuals or organizations. If you have additional tax-related questions, please consult a tax professional.

SCOPE Election Results 2014

Posted on August 15, 2014 by scope

In May, ballots were counted for the 2014 SCOPE election. Here are the results:

SCOPE Vice President: Betsy Lavinder (88 votes)

SCOPE Treasurer: Marianne Huffman (89 votes)

Proposed Constitution & By-Laws Change: Yes (60 votes); No (36 votes)

OEA Delegates (7 slots available):

1. Tammy Koontz (63 votes)

2. Jack Rosenberry (63 votes)

3. Cindy Price (61 votes)

4. Todd Dygert (60 votes)

5. Bruce Moore (58 votes)

6. Gretchen Hull (56 votes)

7. Janet Carter (53 votes)

Chuck Steinbower–Alternate (52 votes)

David Keck–Alternate (1 vote)

Al Glitch–Alternate (1 vote)

William Robb–Alternate (1 vote)

Blair Copeland–Alternate (1 vote)

Yolanda Battle–Alternate (1 vote)

NEA Delegates (3 slots available):

1. Dominic Marsano (54 votes)

2. Tammy Koontz (42 votes)

3. Bruce Moore (40 votes)

Gretchen Hull–Alternate (36 votes)

Jack Rosenberry–Alternate (31 votes)

Cindy Price–Alternate (29 votes)

Todd Dygert–Alternate (24 votes)

Janet Carter–Alternate (20 votes)

David Keck–Alternate (1 vote)

Al Glitch–Alternate (1 vote)

Blair Copeland–Alternate (1 vote)

Executive Board:

OSSD (1 seat): Jen Bahary

OSSB (1 seat): Chris Ross

DYS (1 seat): Nola Derheimer

MISC (1 seat): Evan Struble

DRC (5 seats): Tammy Koontz, Jack Rosenberry, Bruce Moore, Todd Dygert, Diana Jackson

Congratulations to those elected or re-elected, and a hearty “thank you” to our SCOPE Elections Chair, Sally Kendall, and to all SCOPE members that voted!

Electronic Grievance Forms Now Online

Posted on August 13, 2014 by scope

As you may be aware, the process of filing a grievance within SCOPE has recently moved online in an electronic format, known as OH Grievance. Please bookmark the following link on your internet browser so that you will have easy access to the electronic grievance system.

https://oh-grievance.secure.force.com/AppLogin/SiteLogin

For SCOPE members’ convenience, the OH Grievance link has been embedded on the SCOPE web site under “Links” on the right-hand side of the site.

To become acclimated to the online grievance process, SCOPE members are strongly encouraged to view the following learning tools:

OH Grievance Training Webinar Video

OH Grievance “Quick Tips” (Word Document)

OH Grievance PowerPoint (w/ trainer’s notes)

If you have any questions about the online grievance process, please contact your site representative.

SCOPE 2014 Election Documents Available

Posted on March 7, 2014 by scope

Declaration of Candidacy forms and Biography forms are now available for the following positions:

SCOPE Vice-President (2-year term)

SCOPE Treasurer (2-year term)

SCOPE Executive Board (DRC-5 seats; DYS-2 seats; OSB-1 seat; OSD-1 seat, MIS-1 seat)

OEA Representative Assembly for 2014-2015

NEA Representative Assembly for 2014-2015

If you have trouble downloading these forms, they can also be obtained through your Site Representative, or by contacting Elections Chair Sally Kendall at el_dorado90@hotmail.com or 419-368-6635.

All candidacy and biography forms must be postmarked by March 31st, 2014. Ballots will be sent back out to you on April 7th and will be required to be returned by April 28th. Ballots will be counted at the Mansfield-Richland County Library on May 8th at 5:00 p.m.

Please send your completed forms to:

SCOPE Elections Committee
c/o Sally Kendall
P.O. Box 305
Hayesville, OH 44838

OEA Association Dues and Tax-Deduction Eligibility

Posted on February 3, 2014 by scope

If you choose to itemize your deductions on your personal income tax returns, please be aware that the amount of your OEA association dues that is used for lobbying are not deductible on your federal tax return. Please see the linked document below for the deductible portion:

2013 Federal Income Tax Deductible/Non-Deductible Portion of Dues

The full amount of NEA dues is deductible.

If you plan to take a deduction for your Local Association or OEA District dues, you will need to get that figure from the appropriate organization’s President or Treasurer before filing your 2013 tax return. (It will not be necessary for Students or Retired members to contact a local or an OEA District since they do not belong to a particular local or an OEA District.)

Association (Union) dues qualify as a miscellaneous deduction, the total of which must equal at least two percent (2%) of Adjusted Gross Income to be deductible.