Friday, November 17, 2006

Dave Parshall's speech to the STRS Board, November 16, 2006


Members of the Board and Director Asbury:
My name is David Parshall. I retired in 1999 after 32 years of teaching. I speak to you today as an individual member of the STRS family and not as the President of Core. It has been over a year since I last spoke to you. During this time I have attended every board meeting. I would like to share with you some concerns I have from what I have observed.
A number of active teachers from some wealthy districts have been brought before you to praise you, and to tell you how wonderful things are and how they and their various family members are looking forward to their retirement under the new 88% rule. You must also understand that for many active and retired teachers things are not nearly so rosy. I taught in a rural district and lived in Columbus. My neighbor who taught in Columbus with the same years of experience, but less training was paid over $18,000 more a year. This of course reflects on retirement benefits.
Perhaps, the most absurd comments came recently when a retired superintendent with 35 years of experience, and whose wife just retired with over 30 years in STRS, came before you to complain because as a recent rehired educator, he had to pay STRS for his healthcare. What he and others do not get is that he was asking STRS to subsidize his district. Funding of our public schools should be the responsibility of the state, and not retired teachers who during their careers already subsidized their districts with low salaries and by buying classroom supplies out of their own pockets. These egocentric comments were made in front of many retirees who are in a critical struggle to pay for their healthcare with a poverty level pension. Perhaps their only crime is that they have lived to long. The "me first generation" continues to rise up to bite us all. Please don't lose sight of the fact that we are only as strong as the weakest among us. We all expect that you work fairly for all of us.
Comments from one board member to another during the October board meeting were so outrageous that it boggles the mind. To question contracts or any issue before you, is your sworn responsibility. It is clear that past boards were just a rubber stamp for our corrupt former director. We expect you to know and understand where our money is going. This is not micro management. It is your ethical responsibility. Just because contracts were worked out and written by professionals does not mean they should just be rubber stamped. After all Tom Noe was a professional. We expect better of you. Do not be afraid to ask questions and to do what is best for all of us –in other words "oversight".
The Board members use of credit cards has become an issue once again. This is unfortunate. A second Freedom of Information Act request has been made for the records of these cards. Director Asbury assured me that he would send us a copy of the new strict guidelines. However, a recent letter from the STRS attorney suggests that maybe they will not comply. To not comply is an admission of guilt and smacks of a cover up. All the members of STRS expect you to be open and transparent. Some of the uses of the cards to date are at best questionable. The fact that the credit cards were again in use was shocking. Likewise the fact that cards have been turned in is encouraging. A cooling off period with true disclosure is clearly needed.
Also comments in praise of former board members who have been convicted have been made. As a forgiving human being, I know some of them clearly did some good works, but at the very moment they chose to accept gifts or rewards for which they knew they were not entitled to or to believe that they had earned these entitlements, they lost the right to claim these works. Their sole responsibility was to work for the interest of the teachers they were sworn to represent. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. Keep working for us all and always place the membership first. That is all we ask and what we expect.

posted by Kathie Bracy at 9:14 PM

Larry KehresMount Union Collge
Division III
web page counter
Vermont Teddy Bear Company