RH Jones: Some suggestions for ORTA
From RH Jones, January 25, 2007
Subject: The ORTA Quarterly Vol. 60, No.1 Winter 2007- suggestions
To my ORTA:
I thank both ORTA President, Dr. Don Bright, & ORTA's Exec. Dir., Ann Hanning, for attending the 01/8/07 STRS board meeting. As a concerned Life Member, I offered some suggestions for the Quarterly to become more focused on reporting retiree economic problems rather than using so much valuable & expensive space for social salutes. Would not it be better to salute those who have made positive change in the way our STRS operates.
The numerous so called achievements of 4-term Gov. Rhodes(R) is especially misleading. During Gov. Rhodes tenure in the statehouse school funding was pitiful. He funded vocational education well, and I applaud that, but he short changed the rest of public education until the public finally "wised up" and voted him out-of-office. As the articles' writer, Dr. B. R. Shoemaker, reported that Gov. Rhodes was 'Ohio's Greatest Governor'. He most certainly was not. I was active in my AEA, NEOEA, & OEA/OFT at that time and can tell you life was difficult for educators under his administration. We union members fought him hard for proper state funding. School children were not one of his priorities.
Ann Hannings article mentioned that ORTA is a member of CPE but failed to mention that that group supports charter schools. The budget this year is hurting retired public school educators. Because of charter schools, less teachers are paying into STRS at a time when that lost revenue is sorely needed. And, of course, charter school teachers earn less. Most are desperate for jobs and are not as fully educated as public school educators either. The legislators who are supporting the extinction of our public schools and it's STRS need to be identified and their names published in the Quarterly! Most are from rural areas, by the way. With 32,000 ORTA members, as reported to me by Dr. Bright, we have the gray power to rid the state of them by our collective votes.
And Jeff Chapman's article (page 4) failed to mention how or what he was doing to move our retirement system ahead. Most was simply reporting what we can read in the STRS publications. He has been a disappointment. I expected more of one backed by our
All you folks at ORTA need to provide a surge in 2007 to protect and improve our retirement system; and to provide some strong leadership for your members. Being timid will get us nowhere. Even Jesus threw out the money changers. Let us work hard to identify and continue to vote out politicians who do not want to fund public schools and their children. The April 24 Columbus gathering will be our chance.
RHJones, ORTA for life -- without STRS, there is no life for us. By the way, PROUD to be a CORE member.
Subject: The ORTA Quarterly Vol. 60, No.1 Winter 2007- suggestions
To my ORTA:
I thank both ORTA President, Dr. Don Bright, & ORTA's Exec. Dir., Ann Hanning, for attending the 01/8/07 STRS board meeting. As a concerned Life Member, I offered some suggestions for the Quarterly to become more focused on reporting retiree economic problems rather than using so much valuable & expensive space for social salutes. Would not it be better to salute those who have made positive change in the way our STRS operates.
The numerous so called achievements of 4-term Gov. Rhodes(R) is especially misleading. During Gov. Rhodes tenure in the statehouse school funding was pitiful. He funded vocational education well, and I applaud that, but he short changed the rest of public education until the public finally "wised up" and voted him out-of-office. As the articles' writer, Dr. B. R. Shoemaker, reported that Gov. Rhodes was 'Ohio's Greatest Governor'. He most certainly was not. I was active in my AEA, NEOEA, & OEA/OFT at that time and can tell you life was difficult for educators under his administration. We union members fought him hard for proper state funding. School children were not one of his priorities.
Ann Hannings article mentioned that ORTA is a member of CPE but failed to mention that that group supports charter schools. The budget this year is hurting retired public school educators. Because of charter schools, less teachers are paying into STRS at a time when that lost revenue is sorely needed. And, of course, charter school teachers earn less. Most are desperate for jobs and are not as fully educated as public school educators either. The legislators who are supporting the extinction of our public schools and it's STRS need to be identified and their names published in the Quarterly! Most are from rural areas, by the way. With 32,000 ORTA members, as reported to me by Dr. Bright, we have the gray power to rid the state of them by our collective votes.
And Jeff Chapman's article (page 4) failed to mention how or what he was doing to move our retirement system ahead. Most was simply reporting what we can read in the STRS publications. He has been a disappointment. I expected more of one backed by our
All you folks at ORTA need to provide a surge in 2007 to protect and improve our retirement system; and to provide some strong leadership for your members. Being timid will get us nowhere. Even Jesus threw out the money changers. Let us work hard to identify and continue to vote out politicians who do not want to fund public schools and their children. The April 24 Columbus gathering will be our chance.
RHJones, ORTA for life -- without STRS, there is no life for us. By the way, PROUD to be a CORE member.
posted by Kathie Bracy at 11:46 PM
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