An earful for Michelle Schneider from one of her own constituents

Sharon Faust-Dyke to Rep. Michelle Schneider, January 17, 2007 Subject: alternative retirement plans for Ohio K-12 teachers

Dear Representative Schneider:

I have been a supporter of yours in the past, and I live in Amberley Village in District 35. I have just found out that you are sponsoring legislation that would require school boards to establish alternative retirement plans for K-12 teachers and other school employees.

For such legislation to become law would destroy the stability of the pension system at our State Teachers Retirement System. This system has worked very well for Ohio's retired teachers for many decades; there is no credible reason to change it now.

With our health care already seriously eroded, the destruction of our pension system will put many thousands of retired teachers on the rolls of Ohio's welfare system. Is this what our legislators want for Ohio's retired teachers and Ohio's taxpayers?

My husband, David Dyke, is an educator with Ohio State University in the horticulture department. He was given this option several years ago, and he took it. He was given only one choice of an investment company--ING. He was also promised that he was vested in STRS for health care purposes. He has lost a tremendous amount of his future retirement income (no guarantees as with a state pension), and he is most certainly not vested for health care. If we were both retired at this time, he could purchase health care on my STRS for 508.00 a month. My health care with 30 years in the system is now 130.00 a month. I am still teaching at Walnut Hills High School because I am afraid of what will become of STRS. Reading about your sponsorship of this bill makes me wonder why you would want the future disintegration of STRS. Did you hate your public school teachers, or did you attend private or parochial school? I'm only teasing, but this is truly a serious matter.

Sincerely,

Sharon Faust-Dyke

Amberley Village