Read this if you would like help with your letters to your legislators

Sample letters (thanks to Molly Janczyk) which may be used as is or as models for your letters to your legislators

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Dear Legislator: (your legislators' names)

1. HB 700: VOTE NO to alternate pension options which will deplete funds of STRS and cheat actives out of benefits .

2. VOICE your concern regarding ignoring 4 court orders to properly fund education and press your fellow legislators urging them to support the court orders so funding can be properly designated and allow monies to be redistributed. Then School Boards may see funding more flexible and approve HC legislation.

3. Please explain how you feel about the HC legislator STRS and HCA have introduced.

School Boards tend to be against this legislation while they often support top heavy administrations with dependence on consultants, overspaced buildings and huge salaries. I feel they approve too many cost depleting programs with no real promise of success vs. a presence in schools for free to oversee that educators do their jobs and set up programs of daily reading skills on strategies leveled for each student's instruction success using multiple copies on content areas integrating grade level objectives and vocabulary across the curriculum.

Instead of finding ways to help educators with HC, they simply state dollar numbers of STRS with no real plan as to how those dollars can pay for HC because they cannot. STRS pays $1.5 million PER DAY for our HC. Misuse of money did not cause this crisis. That was an ethics issue. Not planning for a stream of revenue on a long term basis caused this issue as STRS did not plan for us beyond the market high relying on it instead of securing HC for us long ago with legislation. Legislation is long overdue and we have been stagnant for many years at the same employer contribution. Only recently has the employee contribution increased minimally.

Retirees have been depleted and untenably devastated by 800% increases since 2000 with only a 3% simple COLA based on our first year of retirement never to increase. Actives have increased 0.7% once in many years. Actives continue to get raises based on salaries which rise yearly.
0.5% would take about $50 per ck and produce the only chance they have of securing HC for retirement vs. no HC which robs you of retirement as it is far too costly for us to afford without working in our retirements.

I would happily have paid incrementally as an active to be able to retire now with HC. Not to be as no one warned us and we made irrevocable decisions and now pay the price using savings, selling homes, cutting costs, working if able to pay for HC at $148 for ourselves and $681 for our spouses for premiums monthly, $500 deduc. each and then 20% of medical and up to $125 for each RX for 90 days. The average retiree family has 20 RX's a month. IF ONLY I could pay $50 now per ck to secure HC for life.

Retirees who cannot afford HC are being treated in the ER and the state pays. With more and more retirees, this will drain state funds. Another reason why HC legislation helps save money for the state. Someone has to pay!

Young potential educators are deciding on other occupations looking towards their future retirement facing no HC. NO EDUCATOR CAN EVER SAVE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THEIR HC IN RETIREMENT nor can they ever save enough to pay for their retirements which is also what HB 700 wants to promote. Once young educators choose alternate plans for retirement if HB 700 passes (Blasdel's bill ), they cannot opt back into STRS. STRS loses their contributions and active educators lose their state guaranteed pensions.

Please help education in the state of Ohio by:

1. Voting NO to HB 700 while not allowing it to be attached to another bill.
2. Support educators, active and retired, by supporting HC legislation presented by STRS and HCA.
3. Support proper funding of education in Ohio as ordered by the court 4 times.

Educators serve their communities and deserves a secure retirement with HC.

Thank you.

[Your name, address, phone no.]

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Dear Legislator (your legis. name)

We have not yet heard of an appointment to the STRS Board by Sen. Pres. Harris or Speaker Husted. We urge you to consider contacting them with your support for Prof. of Economics, Miami Univ., Tom Hall.

Prof. Hall has the experience and expertise to advise STRS Board Members on economic factors affecting the market, business cycles and investments. His vitae previously sent both of you highlight his extensive knowledge of these areas. Prof. Hall is intent on preserving our pension fund and is astute in methods to protect our assets.

Most Board Members come with little or no knowledge in these areas crippled and dependent totally on others' advice. They receive one point of view too long slanted on how STRS wishes them to think vs. hearing from experts also vested in STRS rather than corporate mindsets not appropriate for a public pension system.

Prof. Hall has all the attributes to make him a perfect choice for membership. Please hear your constituents vs. favored political choices. We plead with you to contact the Speaker and Sen. Pres. for the appointment of Prof. Tom Hall who impressed us with his in depth knowledge during interviews on issues impacting STRS.

Sincerely,

[Your name, address & phone no.]