OFT Mourns Sudden Death of President Tom Mooney

From the OFT website http://oh.aft.org/

Monday, December 4, 2006

Ohio Federation of Teachers President Tom Mooney, 52, died of an apparent heart attack Sunday at his apartment in Columbus. Mooney, who became OFT president in 2000, previously had been a longtime president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers.

"Tom was intensely passionate about improving public education. His voice, his leadership and his friendship will be truly missed," said Kathy Young, OFT Vice President.

Mooney had been a strong proponent of more accountability for charter schools in Ohio, leading a coalition of education, parent and civic groups that was critical of academic failure among students attending privately operated charter schools in the state.

"We're just devastated by this," his brother, Don Mooney, a Cincinnati attorney, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We’re just stunned and disappointed that somebody who had so much to give to his friends, his family and his profession would die so young."

Mooney's leadership went beyond state level as he took on various roles at the national level.

"Tom was such a vibrant force that it's hard to believe that he is gone," AFT president Edward J. McElroy wrote in an e-mail message to staff and AFT leaders. "We are all in shock. As we try to come to grips with this tremendous loss, it is important to remember Tom's commitment to the social causes that he championed, to the teachers and children and schools for which he consistently fought, and to the union family to which he devoted so much of his energy and spirit."

Mooney was elected to the AFT's executive council in 1990 and since 1998 served on the council's executive committee. He earlier served on the council's human rights and community relations committee and also as chair of the AFT Teachers program and policy council. He also participated in the union's Futures II process during the 1990s, which culminated in a report released in 2000, and served on the council's organizing committee and the affiliate accountability committee.

Under Mooney's leadership, the CFT became a national leader in advancing teacher professionalism. The local negotiated the country's second Peer Assistance and Evaluation Program and built a four-tiered career ladder for teachers, the Career in Teaching Program. In Mooney's last term as local president, CFT and district administrators developed a rigorous teacher evaluation system which expects higher levels of performance from experienced teachers.

Funeral arrangements will be posted when information becomes available.