Republican Party Turns Traitor to Ohio’s Active and Retired Teachers.
In the middle of the night, when no one was paying enough attention, Chairperson of the Ohio Retirement Study Council, Republican State Representative Adam Bird, unilaterally slipped an amendment into the budget bill that strips STRS members of their voice on the STRS board. The amendment was inserted into the bill during the conference committee deliberations on reconciliation of the house and senate versions of the budget. Although the makeup of the STRS board has nothing to do with Ohio’s biannual budget, this amendment removes four elected positions to the STRS board and replaces these four positions with political appointees.
What does this amendment mean? It means that, after 6 years of fighting to elect STRS board members that pledged to increase transparency and make reforms at STRS, the politicians turned their back on democracy. Much like gerrymandering political districts to ensure control of Ohio, the party in charge insured that the lack of transparency and corruption at STRS will continue. Most egregious about this action:
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The amendment was put into the bill at 1:30 am
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There was no testimony in support or against this amendment
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The elected officials we spoke with did not even know it was in the budget bill until after the vote
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This violates the customary norms of operations at the statehouse
Where we go from here…
ORTA is working with other large constituent groups to determine what steps to take. There are a couple of pathways including a legal challenge and or legislative actions to protect teachers’ voices with regards to their pension. ORTA will continue to fight for the rights of educators, specifically, our right to direct our hard-earned pensions. As the plan to respond to this attack on democracy emerges, ORTA will keep everyone informed on what actions our members can take. But right now - Please, please! - read the reform news articles and watch the accompanying video.
(Content above excerpted from 7/3/25 Liaison Report from ORTA Exec. Dir. Robin Rayfield.)
Exec. Director Rayfield Shares Why ORTA Needs to Be Political
Greetings ORTA Members!
The news out of Columbus these days contains information related to STRS. As usual, much of what is printed is slanted towards the leadership at STRS. The two ‘beat writers’ covering matters at STRS rarely provide what would be considered evenhanded. Despite the negative slant in the press, the gains made on behalf of STRS members orchestrated by the STRS board members are noteworthy.
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At April’s board meeting the board voted to provide 1.5% COLA to eligible members. This means that if you have served your 5-year ‘waiting period’ your benefit will increase by 1.5% going forward. This 1.5% is calculated on your original benefit at the time of your retirement.
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The years of service requirement for active contributors decreased to 32 years for the next 5 years. If a person reaches the 32 years of service requirement within the next 5 years, that person will be eligible for retirement with no reduction.
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The STRS board met on Wednesday May 14 to interview candidates for the position of Executive Director at STRS. Complicating this process is a recent letter from the governor and other high ranking state officials asking STRS to postpone the selection of a new executive director.
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In a very controversial action, the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) met on May 8, 2025. The discussion that is of great interest to STRS members centered around changing the composition of the STRS board. It appears that the elected officials have decided that they do not want a democratically controlled board to make decisions about the STRS pension system. The current composition of the board is comprised of 7 elected people (2 retirees and 5 active contributors) and 4 appointed board members. The governor controls the appointment of two members, the leaders of the house and senate combining to appoint one member, and the Treasurer of the State appoints one member. Teachers currently hold 7 of the 11 seats. This has worked for decades, however as the Toledo Blade’s editorial board pointed out, ‘If you can’t beat them, eliminate their vote. This is opposed to every democratic principle we all believe in. ORTA urges its members to reach out to their elected state officials to voice objections to any changes that would eliminate the democratically elected majority of the STRS pension board.
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In news about an older matter, the appellate court in Columbus confirmed a Magistrate’s ruling that Edward Siedle is entitled to the public records he has been requesting since 2021. You may recall that Mr. Siedle conducted a forensic audit of the STRS pension in 2021. STRS refused his public records requests on investment fees and performance. STRS has 20 days to appeal the appellate court’s decision.
I received a call from an ORTA member concerned that ORTA has ‘become too political’ and feels like the efforts to improve the STRS pension system have created controversy for the organization. It is possible that in our battle for transparency and creating conditions that would allow the STRS board to pay more of what we all were promised, our tone or choice of words have become harsher than what we would like to use. I also recognize that there are members that do not consider advocacy as ORTA’s primary goal. I’m not sure what should be ORTA’s primary goal if it is not to pressure STRS to fulfill its obligation to the membership of the pension system. Decades of mismanagement and adherence to a culture that values employees of the system over the people that pay into the system has created the mess that is STRS. It has only been through the advocacy of ORTA, STRS Members Only Forum, OFT, and STRS Watchdogs that a majority of the board seeking reform at STRS has been established. Now that a majority of members have elected ‘reformers’ to the STRS Board, it is possible that significant reform can take place. The evidence that reform is coming is strong:
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Election of 7 of the 11 STRS board members who have all pledged to reform the STRS pension system
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COLAs provided in 2022, 2023, and 2025. Supplemental benefit payment in 2024
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Reduction of years of service requirements from 60 years of age to 35 years, to 34 years, to 32 years at present
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Policy changes that require adherence to Roberts Rules of Order and reduce the lavish bonus payment to staff (although Ohio’s AG intervened and reduced the cuts to the bonus payments)
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Success in Ohio’s courts winning two legal challenges
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Continued exposure of the lack of transparency at STRS through the legal process
I recognize that not everyone agrees with the way ORTA has defended all STRS members. I welcome the opportunity to speak directly with any member that has concerns about the direction of ORTA. Because we disagree, it does not mean that we are adversaries. Feel free to email me at rrayfield@orta.org or call me at 614-431-7002.
Executive Council Chair Dean Dennis Shares Our History and Purpose
Greetings, Members.
I want to share a brief history of ORTA. Much of the information below can be found on the ORTA website under the ABOUT tab.
The Ohio General Assembly created the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) in 1920. Once established, the STRS guaranteed that the retirement benefit could not be reduced for the recipient's life.
In the decade of the 1940s, retired teachers began to feel the impact of inflation. Their small ($35 to $50 a month) retirement benefits suddenly became even smaller as their buying power diminished.
Individual retired teachers began to approach legislators, asking for help increasing retirement benefits to keep pace with inflation, with no success. Active teachers were organized and successfully obtained modest salary increases, which increased their retirement benefits. Retired teachers soon concluded they had to organize and provide a united front to negotiate with legislators and the retirement system.
In 1947, several separate groups of retired Ohio teachers joined forces and formed the Ohio Retired Teachers Association (ORTA) to represent their interests at the General Assembly and STRS. About the same time, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus organized the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), and Ohio joined California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to become the first affiliates of NRTA.
Of interest is why Dr. Andrus organized the NRTA. In 1944, upon retirement, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a volunteer with the California Retired Teachers Association, decided to visit one of her former teachers. She discovered her former teacher living in a backyard chicken coop because her income was too meager to afford decent housing. This inspired Dr. Andrus to establish the NRTA to give retired teachers a national voice and lobby for basic needs such as affordable health care insurance.
As you may know, five regions comprise ORTA's structure, holding over 80 local county/area chapters. These regions are the state's Northwest, Southwest, Central, Northeast, and Southeastern sections. These regions are led by "Regional Liaisons", who help provide leadership, direction, and a voice for their counties as a whole and individually. This structure was adopted in the fall of 2017.
ORTA has grown, and ORTA’s mission is to advocate for Ohio’s retired and active educators.
We seek accountability from our pension system and monitor educational issues that impact our pension plan. The chapters throughout Ohio are the backbone of ORTA.
ORTA is organized as a nonprofit 501(c)(4). This allows ORTA to endorse candidates and participate in politics that might impact our pension system, which leads back to our organization's roots. ORTA’s Executive Director, Dr. Robin Rayfield, covers the state and speaks at ORTA chapter meetings, often joined by members from our Executive Council. The number one reason for inviting ORTA is to learn the updates surrounding what is happening with our pension. ORTA attends approximately 45 of these chapter meetings annually.
Of note, ORTA-endorsed candidates have won the last seven elections. ORTA sought candidates who would demand transparency surrounding investments and fees, move the pension towards safer investments, and responsibly restore lost benefits without jeopardizing retirement.
Please visit the ORTA website and follow the latest breaking news; you’ll be surprised by the amount of information. Please scroll to the bottom, sign up for our blog, and have news directly emailed to you.
My best,
Dean Dennis
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