Damon Asbury responds to Tom Curtis re: Consideration for members' ideas
From: Damon Asbury
To: Tom Curtis
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006
Subject: RE: 122805 Curtis To Asbury, Nearly 2006 & Still No Consideration For Members Ideas
Dear Tom:
I wanted to take a few moments to respond to your e-mail sent to me on Dec. 28. For more than two years, you and I have had many discussions – in person, by mail and via e-mail. And I have certainly appreciated your input and respect your opinions. However, while I believe the system has made significant progress over these past many months, I would ascertain from your comments that you do not share this opinion.
I know that you are an avid reader of our newsletters and Web site and, of course, you are a frequent attendee at the board meetings. Consequently, I will not list all the changes that have been made through the collective efforts of the Retirement Board, the staff, the membership and the Ohio legislature, as these have been reported in the past. However, I would like to briefly share some “big picture” issues with you.
First, you mention in your letter that little has been done to restore the trust and confidence of STRS Ohio members. As was shared with the board during the November meeting, our most recent telephone survey of active and retired members would indicate otherwise. When asked to share their overall impressions of STRS Ohio, 87% of actives and 90% of retirees replied either “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable.” Of particular note was that 65% of retirees responded with a “very favorable” rating. Last year, these responses were 85% for actives and 84% for retirees, but in 2003, the percentage of actives and retirees recording these responses was only 68%. Further, when we asked members to respond to the statement, “STRS Ohio has earned members’ trust and confidence,” only 51% of our members responded “agree strongly” or “agree somewhat” in August 2003. However, in fall 2005, we saw those percentages jump to 77% for actives and 83% for retirees. Certainly, I would like these numbers to be higher, and we will continue to do what we can to make that happen. But, as you can see, we are making significant progress in restoring the trust and confidence of our members.
The next issue of the STRS Ohio newsletter will report these findings and other information from the research, as we want to keep the membership fully informed. In that newsletter article, you will also see that health care remains the No. 1 priority of both STRS Ohio active and retired members. I know that will come as no surprise to you, Tom, as you have also often shared your concerns about rising health care costs with board members and staff. As you know, this current Retirement Board and the Health Care Advocates for STRS, which includes representatives from such teacher groups as the OEA, OFT and ORTA, have been working to address this issue. The recent Health Care Member Education and Engagement Campaign we conducted jointly gave us the feedback we need from our members to pursue legislative action to create a dedicated revenue stream for health care. As we progress through the steps that are necessary to make this happen, we will continue to keep the membership informed.
As we look to the future of this system, the board and staff face significant issues. These include ensuring the solvency of the pension fund, continuing to protect the funds from “outsiders” as well as proponents of mandatory Social Security and defined contribution plans, and managing all the resources of this system — financial, capital and human— to maximize their benefit to the membership. These are major and complicated issues that will require the collective efforts of everyone to address them adequately.
I look forward to continuing to share the input we receive and the decisions that are made with you and all our members.
Sincerely,
Damon Asbury
Executive Director
[See 12/29/05 post, Tom Curtis to Damon Asbury: Nearly 2006 and still no consideration for members' ideas; link follows]:
http://kathiebracy.blogspot.com/2005/12/tom-curtis-to-damon-asbury-nearly-2006.html
To: Tom Curtis
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006
Subject: RE: 122805 Curtis To Asbury, Nearly 2006 & Still No Consideration For Members Ideas
Dear Tom:
I wanted to take a few moments to respond to your e-mail sent to me on Dec. 28. For more than two years, you and I have had many discussions – in person, by mail and via e-mail. And I have certainly appreciated your input and respect your opinions. However, while I believe the system has made significant progress over these past many months, I would ascertain from your comments that you do not share this opinion.
I know that you are an avid reader of our newsletters and Web site and, of course, you are a frequent attendee at the board meetings. Consequently, I will not list all the changes that have been made through the collective efforts of the Retirement Board, the staff, the membership and the Ohio legislature, as these have been reported in the past. However, I would like to briefly share some “big picture” issues with you.
First, you mention in your letter that little has been done to restore the trust and confidence of STRS Ohio members. As was shared with the board during the November meeting, our most recent telephone survey of active and retired members would indicate otherwise. When asked to share their overall impressions of STRS Ohio, 87% of actives and 90% of retirees replied either “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable.” Of particular note was that 65% of retirees responded with a “very favorable” rating. Last year, these responses were 85% for actives and 84% for retirees, but in 2003, the percentage of actives and retirees recording these responses was only 68%. Further, when we asked members to respond to the statement, “STRS Ohio has earned members’ trust and confidence,” only 51% of our members responded “agree strongly” or “agree somewhat” in August 2003. However, in fall 2005, we saw those percentages jump to 77% for actives and 83% for retirees. Certainly, I would like these numbers to be higher, and we will continue to do what we can to make that happen. But, as you can see, we are making significant progress in restoring the trust and confidence of our members.
The next issue of the STRS Ohio newsletter will report these findings and other information from the research, as we want to keep the membership fully informed. In that newsletter article, you will also see that health care remains the No. 1 priority of both STRS Ohio active and retired members. I know that will come as no surprise to you, Tom, as you have also often shared your concerns about rising health care costs with board members and staff. As you know, this current Retirement Board and the Health Care Advocates for STRS, which includes representatives from such teacher groups as the OEA, OFT and ORTA, have been working to address this issue. The recent Health Care Member Education and Engagement Campaign we conducted jointly gave us the feedback we need from our members to pursue legislative action to create a dedicated revenue stream for health care. As we progress through the steps that are necessary to make this happen, we will continue to keep the membership informed.
As we look to the future of this system, the board and staff face significant issues. These include ensuring the solvency of the pension fund, continuing to protect the funds from “outsiders” as well as proponents of mandatory Social Security and defined contribution plans, and managing all the resources of this system — financial, capital and human— to maximize their benefit to the membership. These are major and complicated issues that will require the collective efforts of everyone to address them adequately.
I look forward to continuing to share the input we receive and the decisions that are made with you and all our members.
Sincerely,
Damon Asbury
Executive Director
[See 12/29/05 post, Tom Curtis to Damon Asbury: Nearly 2006 and still no consideration for members' ideas; link follows]:
http://kathiebracy.blogspot.com/2005/12/tom-curtis-to-damon-asbury-nearly-2006.html
posted by Kathie Bracy at 1:52 PM
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