Jeff Chapman: STRS Report, ORTA Winter 2006 Quarterly

STRS Report

By Jeff Chapman, Retired Teacher Member, STRS Board

Mr. Chapman was elected by the retired membership of STRS in May and was sworn in as an STRS Board Trustee on September 1, 2005. He is a 30 year elementary teacher, retiring from the Cleveland Heights School System. As one of two elected retired teacher members of the Board, Mr. Chapman will be writing the 'STRS Report' for the Quarterly twice a year, beginning with this issue.

Happy New Year to all!

Campaigning for, and winning, a seat on the STRS Ohio Board was certainly a high point for me in 2005, and I can't imagine a better start to 2006 than having this opportunity to write an article for the ORTA Quarterly. I wish to thank ORTA for extending the invitation. I'd also like to thank all the local RTAs and their members that welcomed the candidates so graciously during the campaign.

As a brief introduction, I taught for 30 years at Boulevard Elementary School in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools. My wife Laurie is still working as a Title I Math teacher and the Lead Mentor for that district. I was also very involved in our OFT local as a steward, officer, and negotiator. My son, Jake, is a senior at Ohio State, and my daughter, Carlie, does social work in the Cleveland area and is just recently married. I belong to two OFT-R locals, Cleveland Heights and Cleveland, as well as the Geauga and Lake Co. RTAs.

I would like to address three main topics in this issue:

• the "new" Board,
• the Member Education and Engagement Program, and
• first steps to start reaching our goals

Please keep in mind that any opinions are mine and in no way represent the STRS Board or staff.

The current Board of STRS consists of members with FIVE YEARS OR LESS experience, eight of them came on in 2004 or later! One of the problems with this is the lack of “institutional memory.” With all the issues that a new Board member must become knowledgeable about, becoming educated about the actions of past Boards is one more important responsibility.

On the other hand, this “new” Board brings little of the culture and baggage of previous Boards. The members come from different perspectives and most issues give rise to spirited debate and LOTS of questions. Our appointed members provide a level of expertise that has been invaluable. I firmly believe that every member has the well-being of our actives and retirees foremost in their deliberations on any subject. It’s very interesting to observe the process of the Board developing its own unique personality.

It is also interesting to note that in the Member Research Report presented to the Board in November, members express a positive, and improving, attitude toward the STRS Board. One of the reasons cited is changes in the leadership of the Board and management.

Hopefully, some of you were able to attend one of the Member Education and Engagement presentations held around the state in the last few months. Developed and presented by STRS staff and the Health Care Advocates, the presentations sought to educate members, especially active educators, about the present health care outlook and gauge support for a legislative increase in contributions from employers and employees. If we can gain support for a 5% graduated increase, 2.5% for actives and 2.5% for employers, we can create a dedicated revenue stream for our health care fund and create a brighter future for active teachers and retirees. I’ve heard it said so many times – retirement without affordable health care is no retirement at all. You may still see the presentation and complete a survey on the STRS website (www.strsoh.org).

January is a good time to look back and look ahead – a time to decide if we are going to let past events continue to dictate our future actions. If we are going to successfully lobby the legislature and deal with other problems that face all of us, every stakeholder group needs to come together to seek solutions that will guarantee adequate pension and health benefits for current and future retirees. I believe we send the wrong message to the legislature, the taxpayers, and our members when we display division amongst ourselves instead of presenting a united front. Every group and individual must be heard in an arena that is devoid of rancor and disrespect.

If you have questions regarding this article, or suggestions for the next one, please email me at chapmaje@strsoh.org. Once again, Happy New Year, stay warm, and get involved!