Duane Tron: The STRS marriage penalty

Duane Tron to Molly Janczyk, January 13, 2007

Subject: FYI

Molly,

I attached a letter I sent to our RTA this past June. Feel free to forward it to Damon Asbury. [Letter posted below this post] I have coined the term "marriage penalty" for those of us in the STRS system who need the spousal subsidy. He needs to hear that STRS is constantly laying all of the burden on those of us with non-teaching spouses while most of them are enjoying fantastic retirements, with 88%, as opposed to those of us who retired at much lower rates prior to 1999.

They aren't concerned about fairness. They are concerned with taking care of themselves and their needs. Please feel free to send this letter, and its attachment, to STRS Board members as well. They need to hear how their actions and conduct is negatively affecting many of us who dedicated our entire lives, and many who are still dedicating our lives, to helping the poor and disadvantaged children of this state! They'll all head off to Hilton Head, Jekyll Island. Palm Springs, Sarasota Springs, Ft. Myers and other resorts and live the good life while the rest of us will be left trying to figure which bills we'll pay first.

Many that I know have already moved to these upscale communities during the past five years and are out playing golf, fishing, boating, and touring while the rest of us work to try and survive. They got theirs and we got screwed! One thing you can honestly say about STRS is there isn't anything fair about the Ohio State Teacher's Retirement System! This should become the new motto for STRS!

It is NO longer the finest retirement system in the world and they can't lay it all on 9/11. Excuse me, it's the finest retirement system for a select group but not the rest of us, those of us who are constantly being required to shoulder ALL of the burden due to their imposed and mandated "marriage penalty!"

One thing about STRS and that is they will never spread any of the pain and suffering equally to all members and classes of retirees! My annual retirement check dropped again this year for how many times? There isn't anything fair, just, or honorable about STRS.

The organization is a disgrace and they will have to atone for their greed, lack of leadership, and poor management to a higher authority than you and me. It is the only solace we can take in all that has taken place during the past eight years at STRS and what they have done to us. They literally betrayed the trust, and attacked the dignity, of thousands of retired teachers in Ohio. They should be really proud!

Duane Tron

St. Paris, OH

Retired 1998

The Class of Have Not's!

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June 23, 2006

Re: Donation to CCRTA Scholarship Fund

Mrs. Phyllis Youtz, Treasurer
Champaign County Retired Teachers Association
(Address)

Dear Phyllis,

I have enclosed a check for $100.00 for the CCRTA College Scholarship Fund in memory of Marjorie Cauley. You may share this with the membership at the August meeting.

I hope others will see their way clear to make some generous donations to the Scholarship Fund as well. Marjorie would have liked this. I challenge other CCRTA members to contribute to make our scholarship program worthwhile for deserving young persons in Champaign County.

I plan on attending the visitation prior to the funeral mass. I will be unable to stay for the service and gathering following.

I don't know if I will be able to attend the August meeting since we received our grant request through the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services and the State of Ohio. The grant will allow us to start a summer program for children in grades K-3 the second week of July. Our school day runs from 8:00-12:00 every day until the start of the regular school year.

We will have five days off and will start working with at-risk learners on September 5, through the rest of the 2006-07 school year. This past year we served 234 children in grades 1-3 who were not succeeding in their regular school. Most were non-readers and didn't even know their numbers when they came to us. Our success rate with these children was wonderful. This makes what I'm doing worthwhile!

Best wishes to everyone at CCRTA. I'm sorry that I can't be as active as I have been in the past. With the continual increases for health insurance, through STRS, I will have to work until Mary attains the age of 65 and that is over five years away. I received a notice a couple of weeks ago that they plan to raise the premiums for non-teaching spouses another 30%. This is outrageous but we don't have anywhere else we can go and obtain health insurance AFTER the fact.

This past year Mary and I paid $14,800.00 for health insurance, meeting deductibles, doctor co-pays, and prescription costs. A 30% increase this coming January for Mary and 15% for me will push our annual cost to over $17,000.00 a year. I will be paying over HALF of my gross retirement check for health related expenses.

STRS basically imposed a "marriage penalty" on those of us with non-teaching spouses well AFTER we retired! This is truly unjust and awful. PERS and the other four state pension funds have not done anything as disgraceful as STRS. They have raised their rates modestly and grandfathered those who have already retired. They are planning on increasing rates for individuals who retire after 2008.

We have placed our plans to build a small house in Colorado on hold since I have to work for at least five more years. We have the 35 acres but we don't have the money because of the costs that STRS has placed on us for health insurance and related costs. As you know we don't always get what we want in life!

There is relatively little I can do about OEA selling retired teachers out at STRS. There really isn't anything I can do about any of it since we can't afford to be without health insurance. I have to pay it in the event one or both of us are hospitalized during the next five years. If either of us has a major illness, and we don't have insurance, it could financially destroy us! So we have to pay outrageous premiums set up by STRS.

Best wishes to everyone at CCRTA. I miss attending the meetings but I have to set my priorities accordingly and this is what I am doing. I know Dolly and all of you are doing a great job and that's what really matters! Take care!

Sincerely,

Duane Tron