Letter to a new retiree who is just finding us

From Kathie Bracy, October 26, 2006

Hi (xxx) --

Nice to know you're out there and interested in what's going on at STRS. We could write volumes on that subject, though most of it wouldn't be very pretty, I'm afraid. You may already know that CORE is a grassroots organization of retired educators that had its roots in a small group of retirees from around the state who started showing up at STRS Board meetings in 2003 after news started trickling out about the trouble STRS was (and still is) in.

Much has transpired since, but there are still major problems and many battles going on to clean up STRS. We are still a relatively small group (compared with OEA and ORTA) with limited resources, and have to rely heavily on word-of-mouth to "educate educators" about what is really going on at 275 E. Broad St., Columbus. A clear mission and dogged persistence are what keep us going. To put it bluntly, STRS needs to have its nose rubbed in its own business, and there's no one to do it but us.

To learn more about CORE, please explore our website: www.concernedohio.org.

To learn more about history and current events pertaining to our retirement system and our efforts to clean up the corruption, please go to my blog: www.kathiebracy.blogspot.com.

Two names you should know, as they are our best (sometimes only) friends on the STRS Board: Dennis Leone and John Lazares. They are at the forefront of every battle that is being fought on our behalf, and providing strong backing for them is one of our biggest jobs.

Happy reading, and welcome aboard!

Kathie Bracy

Columbus, OH retiree