Tom Curtis to Dennis Diehm: Why STRS is in the situation it is today; mentioned: OEA, OFT, CORE, ORSC, political figures, health care and more

Tom Curtis to Dennis Diehm, Feb. 13, 2006; Subject: Emailing

Hello Dennis,

First, I want to thank you for supporting our effort to educate all STRS members about what has taken place at the STRS in prior years.

I fully understand why the OEA does not want anyone stepping on their toes. They have had total control of what has transpired at the STRS for nearly two decades now. They have had total control in the schools they represent, ever since they organized in a school system.

They held 5 of 9 board seats. A past or current OEA president, vice-president, secretary/treasure and/or executive committee member filled every one of those 5 seats for the past two decades.

No one else could ever win against the OEA candidate. They controlled what the STRS did! They consistently voted as a group on all expenditures, or anything else that they voted upon.

Those 5 board members obviously persuaded the remaining four board members to vote right along with them. This is incredible, because two of the four represented the State Attorney General, Jim Petro and the Auditor of State, Betty Montgomery. They were supposedly placed on the board as the "watchdogs" for the member's funds. They were there to enforce the Ohio Revised Code section 3307.15, but failed to do so. Some of their representatives were right in the middle of this corruption. If you checked the board voting records during this era, you would find every vote was 9-0 for everything voted upon for multiple numbers of years.

As Representative Michelle Schneider, chair of the ORSC, commented in the newspaper, "These people were spending money like kids in a candy store." These people were very wrong in their direction and focus. In my opinion, they failed their fiduciary responsibility and have not as much as said they are sorry. Hazel Sidaway is due in court for the 4th or 5th time on Tuesday to plead innocent to 7 ethics violations but it will likely be continued once again.

These people became jaded by all of the stock profits that were pouring into the STRS during the 90's. They began treating themselves to trips, parties, theater tickets, and VIP treatment everywhere. Yet they failed to place sufficient funds in the health care stabilization fund, which pays our health care coverage. This is a separate fund created in 1974 to provide health care coverage for retirees, their spouse and their dependent children. It was to pay this for the retiree and his spouse for life. Now, we are told that was not really a promise, unless we had the money. But, they spent the money in other ways and did not attempt to offset the increases in health care costs they were being constantly told to do by the consultants they hired with our money.

This is why the STRS is in a poor financial situation today. The STRS was unable to meet the health care needs of the retirees they promised such when they retired. This is pathetic, and yet few members are seriously upset about this. As high as 80% of all retirees did not have a significant change in their pension check due to the increased cost of health care coverage, whereas the other 20% carried the entire burden. That 20% is every teacher that had a non-teaching spouse and/or dependent children(s). Their entire subsidy was taken away over night. Today, any teacher that had children later in life, cannot afford to retire. If they did, they would have to pay 100% of the cost of their spouse and children's health care coverage. That amount would be in excess of $1200 per month, if coming from the STRS plan. Is that outrageous or what?

They do not put this kind of information in their newsletter. What you read on the front page of the STRS newsletter this month, indicates just how few members of the STRS have any idea what has been taking place over the past 3 years, let alone two decades back. Besides, they base all that flash in the newsletter on 600 phone calls to members out of the 430,000 membership.

The STRS reneged on the benefits provided to us at retirement. We are not at all happy about it, but then they obviously did not call many of us.

I am not a lawyer or profess to be one. I ask a lot of questions and I attempt to get the right information, but that often proves very difficult. I have found there are many versions of what we are allowed to do coming from the OEA. My guess is, the OEA would find it very difficult to actually stop anyone from distributing information by any means that is not written into their contract with the board.

Please remind anyone that bothers you that you are permitted freedom of speech, use of the Internet and they cannot step over that line. I would ask you to please keep me notified if anyone else causes you any concern in any way for distributing information about two candidates running for the STRS board.

I would not advise placing anything in anyone's mailbox at school. To my understanding that is a violation in some schools, if not all OEA or OFT represented schools.

Tom Mooney, the president of the OFT has acknowledged and supports what CORE, Dennis Leone and John Lazares are doing. The OFT represents about 1/10th of the total teacher population they both represent. I am often amazed at what the OEA feels they are entitled too, by representing you as a union. In my opinion, they cannot stop the passage of candidate information, or they may lose the right to their representation of teachers. That would be like the Republicans simply saying the Democrats cannot put signs out and/or pass out information, because the Republicans have been in office for so many years. As you stated, this information is for every member of the STRS. It would be ludicrous for the union to attempt to stop anyone else from passing out information.

I am glad you are on John Bos' email list. John supports CORE and has attempted to assist the STRS in solving some problems, but they have ignored him, as they have tended to do everyone. This whole deal is really deeply political. John is a good man and has made important contributions to CORE through his involvement.

Dennis, take care and thank you again for your support. It is greatly appreciated by those of us who have been at this for three years.

Tom Curtis
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From Dennis Diehm; Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006; Subject: mailing

I just want to let you know that I get mailings forwarded from John Bos in Lima.

I will try to promote in my school but the Pres. of the teachers union has been giving me crap about using school e-mail for political stuff. I told him that I am only telling the other side of the story and doing only the same thing that he is doing. He says that the teachers union have or get clearance because they are the recognized group. That the e-mail should be used for school only related material. I told him that this is school related material because it effects every teacher. It went on for awhile and I just quit fighting with him.

PS. I am at 35 after next year and that will be it for me I think. Not a 100% I guess till I sign the papers. So the guy doesn't fluff me to much because the my boss hasn't told me not to do what I am doing.

Dennis Diehm
Beavercreek HS